Conference Bites

Green Software UnConference, August 19

"Green software is about “Substituting intelligence for resources."
~ Mary Vincent, co-creator, introducing the Green Software UnConference

"Fortune 500 are spending 25 Billion on sustainability, growing 70% a year."
~ Dave Jarrat, VP marketing, CSRWare

"The key driver of green initiatives is cost savings."
~ Dave Jarrat, VP marketing, CSRWare

"In looking at the Smart Grid in all its complexity, there is likely to be a portfolio of 'killer apps' rather than just one."
~ Anonymous participant in Smart Grid Panel

"I predict we are going to see a movement to 'buy local' for power, just as we now do for food."
~ Ann Ruckstuhl, CMO, Optony

"The reason games are addictive….is that people have been working on them for 15 year….to make them addictive."
~ Ken Ecklund, Director of Game Design, Green21, in session addressing how to harness the strength of games in service to sustainability


For more info on the Green Software UnConference:

National Clean Energy Summit: Jobs and the New Economy, August 10

"Energy is a $6 trillion industry; the 'mother of all markets'."
~ Maria Cantwell, Senator (D-WA)

"We're asking questions that liberals like, but giving answers that conservatives like."
~ Van Jones, Obama’s Green Jobs Czar as tweeted by British Consulate LA and re-tweeted by Simone Veldema 

"In order to address the climate crisis, we're going to have to address the democracy crisis in this country."
~ Al Gore as tweeted by Osha Gray Davidson

"The one way to guarantee greater energy bills is to do nothing."
~ Al Gore as tweeted by Populista and re-tweeted by Mark Brooks

"The least sexy topic is where most of the savings can be found: Efficiency."
~ Bill Clinton as tweeted by Nathan Schock

"China understands no more biz as usual. They plan on being the leader. But we can be, unless we miss the opportunity." 
~ Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy as tweeted by Osha Gray Davidson

"You've got to get the banks involved in this if you want to stop piddling around."
~ Bill Clinton as tweeted by Osha Gray Davidson

"We have an obligation to steer by the stars and not by the lights of each passing ship."
~ Al Gore quoting Omar Bradley in closing discussion at Conference as tweeted by Osha Gray Davidson

For more info on the National Clean Energy Summit:

Fortune Brainstorm Tech, Day 2-3 July 23-24

"Twitter isn't about the triumph of technology. It's about the triumph of humanity."
~ Biz Stone, Co-founder of Twitter, as tweeted by Gary Bolles

"The only good thing about 2009 is that we will get to compare 2010 to it."
~ Mark Hurd, HP CEO, as tweeted by Steve Herrod and retweeted by John Gannon

Nice, relevant Eskimo proverb highlighted at BrainstormTech Panel - "The storm is the time to fish."
~ As tweeted by Steve Herrod

"I don't really believe in synergies."
~ Barry Diller, IAC Chief, as tweeted by Ina Fried

"We don't live by blog alone... people still want deep reading experiences."
~ Josh Quittner, editor at large, TIME Magazine

"Everyone must 'brand' themselves. Everyone is becoming a business, and needs to establish that."
~ Reid Hoffman, Executive Chairman of LinkedIn

"We don't want to be the child actor that got success and grew up all freaky. We want to be Ron Howard."
~ Biz Stone, Co-founder of Twitter

For more info on Fortune Brainstorm Tech:

Fortune Brainstorm Tech, Day 1 July 22nd

"We need to have smart citizens before we get to a smart city. We need to educate consumers to reach our goals."
~ Amit Chatterjee, Hara Software CEO

"You don't want to have to reboot your bathroom."
~ Greg Papadopoulos Sun CTO/EVP of R&D

"Growing cities are a market opportunity to create 'smart' cities and buildings."
~ Padmasree Warrior, Cisco CTO

"We need to do green projects at scale to get politicians to say 'I want one of those!'"
~ Ira Magaziner, Clinton Foundation Chairman as tweeted by Michael Chui

"Challenge is having one hand in present and one in the future. If you have two in one place you fail."
~ Robert Iger, Disney President/CEO

"Out of top-30 global greentech (solar, wind, battery) companies, only 5 are American."
~ Amit Chatterjee, Hara Software CEO, as tweeted by Diego Rodriguez

For more info on Fortune Brainstorm Tech:

Allen & Co. Conference

"Innovation doesn't happen in Sun Valley - it happens in Silicon Valley."
~ Ron Conway, Baseline Ventures, as tweeted by Alexia Tsotsis

"People who use Facebook and Twitter use Google more."
~ Eric Schimdt, Google CEO

As we all face ".....the new normal, maybe we should figure out how to be happy, since we don't know how long this is going to last."
~ Eric Schimdt, Google CEO

"A lot of people making very little money... Not a club I'm looking to join."
~ Howard Stringer, Sony CEO on social media

"It's easy to make Twitter a biz. The question is whether it's a moderate or huge biz."
~ Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn CEO