First-Ever SXSW Eco Conference takes root

Taking place this week, literally four blocks from Cohn & Wolfe’s Austin office, is the inaugural SXSW Eco conference. That’s right – the famous South By Southwest interactive, music and film festival held in the spring has gone green.

TIME’s Bryan Walsh kicked off the excitement today with an on-stage interview with former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter discussing the new energy economy. I found it interesting that “climate change” was nowhere in the conversation. Instead, the politics have shifted and the focus of the clean energy agenda is on job creation and economic security. Rather than debating if climate change exists, and to what extent, it was refreshing to hear the conversation bridge from arguments to potential solutions.

Some questions asked during the panel included: How do we bring government, utilities, community together to solve the energy issues of our time? What clean energy standards should be in place? How do we reward energy efficiency? Can renewable energy jobs be created and sustained?
 
Walsh reports that answers, or rather actions, to questions like these have to take place at the state level. He states, “As long as that polarization exists, we can pretty much forget about meaningful action at the federal level. Instead we may have to depend on state action—like that in Colorado, where the new Governor John Hickenlooper has continued much of Ritter's clean energy work—and even cities like Austin.” Politics aside, I think Ritter may be on to something. Ritter calls it “market certainty”: Understanding the impact clean energy can have on jobs, innovation and meeting demand will help drive a clean energy future.
 
As I walked into the next session with Alex Steffen, a leading voice on sustainability, I couldn’t help but think about my impact. Not just my carbon footprint at the conference, but just how much energy I consume and greenhouse gases I contribute to Austin, the city hosting this year’s SXSW Eco.
 
Steffen seems to think that carbon zero cities can be created – if we bring things closer together. By creating compact communities or what he calls “urban density,” cities are able to rely less on cars, thus reducing the amount of energy and greenhouse gases you need to get from point A to B. Throw in the sustainable design of systems, buildings and other forms of transportation and Steffen may hold the key to creating a truly eco-friendly city.  
 
What are your thoughts on the new energy economy?