Verdexchange 2012 Cleantech Conference
I spent the day at the Verdexchange conference yesterday on behalf of CleanTechnica and heard a lot of interesting news on topics ranging from ESG reporting to waste-to-energy conversion, and so much in between. Highlights included witnessing the beginning phases of California’s carbon market being developed, hearing Mayor Villaraigosa freestyle at the end of his speech and speak from the heart about his passion for making LA as much a Clean Tech Capital as it is the world’s Entertainment Capital. He’s already done much more than most mayors to clean up our air, just with the Bike Plan alone.
Yes, that photo above is a recent photo I shot of downtown LA from the Hollywood Hills, showing that we’ve still got a long way to go to cut pollution, but utilities like SoCal Edison and the LADWP are certainly doing their part to meet the target set by AB32. If you’re not aware, Assembly Bill 32 requires that statewide GHG emissions reach 1990 levels by 2020.
The only speaker I really saw complaining about AB32 was, understandably, the President of the Western States Petroleum Association. I almost felt as if she was brought in to remind us of what we’re up against. The profundity of the lies she showed on her slides was astounding. Her complaints about CAFE standards were amusing, considering they’re not directed at oil companies. Those regulations are directed at automakers, which have been doing an excellent job of innovating away from petroleum-based powertrains. Yes, Big Oil, you are headed the way of the dinosaurs. It’s only fitting, really.
There will be more detailed posts on the conference once I’m able to process it all. Particularly, posts on the carbon market we’re opening this year in California. There were many interesting perspectives on that…. Verdexchange has videos of all of last year’s panels up on its site, if you want to get into more now, and it will also share the 2012 panels there soon.
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