The third annual West Coast Green conference, taking place September 25-27 at the San Jose Convention Center, promises to be a many-ring circus that will satisfy the senses and sensibilities of innovators, businesses and consumers searching for ways to exist more intelligently and responsibly.
Former Vice President Al Gore will be the keynote speaker.
By Bill Picture
Published: September, 2008
The event is expected to draw 14,000 people and will feature former Vice President Al Gore as keynote speaker.
I think people are inspired to think green but don’t yet fully grasp the extent of the possibility, says Karen Jackson, program director for the event. While the focus of previous years’ events was on green building and design, Jackson says that the goal of this year’s West Coast Green is to weave a comprehensive net that also includes development—the bridge between a good idea and its eventual application in the market.
Organizers have also expanded the scope of the event’s program content, which was originally geared toward residential architecture, design, construction and landscaping, to include commercial and industrial applications. Green building industry professionals and the decision-makers responsible for setting green building standards in their communities remain the event’s core audience. But Jackson says that the program is also intended to inspire consumers and entire communities to demand more.
Consumers, after all, dictate demand. So, by providing a forum in which increasingly green consumers and industry professionals can talk, Jackson hopes to facilitate more green change: Consumers can tell what they want. And the industry can start crafting systems and putting them in place to meet those demands.
Three specific programs included in this year’s event demonstrate how the industry is searching for ways to meet consumers’ demand for greener places to live. A big-time green developer has designed a full-day program intended to show other developers how to map the natural and economic resources of a community in order to come up with a plan that best meets the needs of that community.
Another seminar will demonstrate the benefits of Building Integrated Modeling, which allows designers sitting at a computer to take all of the physical attributes of a piece of land into consideration when deciding where (and how) to position walls and windows. Yet another series of talks will focus on affordable housing and how green design and building practices can be applied to serve all of humanity.
It’s about designing and building smarter, Jackson said.
It all starts with an idea…
These examples all began with an idea. And the organizers of West Coast Green have created a pipeline to help such ideas become realities, for the sake of consumers and the planet. At an open-mic session, anyone with an idea bouncing around in his or her head can pitch that idea, no mater how half-baked it is, to a panel of consultants and investors. If the idea is a good one, the members of the panel can then offer advice on how to see that product or service through to application, including securing funding for the project.
West Coast Green has also set aside booth space for what Jackson refers to as the innovation pipeline, where startup companies can showcase a current project for free on the tradeshow floor, in a museum-like setting. All it takes is one investor to walk by and think the idea is a good one. Jackson adds. And it’s as good as sold.
Jackson says that the ideas for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Lifecycle Building Challenge—which challenges designers to create buildings with materials, components and information systems that can all be disassembled and reused without reducing their quality—and the Green Building Exchange—a green building network and showroom in Redwood City—were both hatched at West Coast Green.
But how green is it?
One would be surprised by how non-green the average green event really is. From leaflets printed on virgin paper to refreshments served in non-compostable containers, the number of questionable decisions can be staggering. But the organizers of West Coast Green have made every effort to minimize the impact of their own event on the environment, including outlawing vinyl table covers and using signage made with recyclable or reusable materials.
We don’t like to brag about it because it’s just part of our philosophy and the way we do things, Jackson explains. Besides being easy on the planet, Jackson believes that these green finishing touches enhance the overall experience for attendees.
Another attendee-centered touch is a nap room, where patrons can enjoy a foot massage and relax on landing pads made of recycled plastic water bottles. There’s no time limit in the nap room, but we haven’t had to kick anyone out yet, jokes Jackson.
Timing is everything
The timing of this year’s West Coast Green couldn’t be better. Just last month, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom signed into law the most stringent green building standards of any U.S. city. So Bay Area residents seem an appropriate audience for West Coast Green.
Jackson says that she and fellow organizers look forward to spreading the word in less eco-conscious parts of the country. Still, she insists that West Coast Green isn’t preaching to the choir here in the Bay Area. Bay Area residents are the composers and creative minds behind this movement, she explains. So we want to encourage them to design and innovate further. Yes, we’ve done a lot to further green building. But there’s a lot further to go.
As for what effect West Coast Green has had on her own life, Jackson says it has provided her with an opportunity to manifest change beyond the green practices that have already become a part of her day-to-day life. I already live pretty green, she explains. So the effect is larger scale that riding public transportation or using reusable shopping bags. When I hear that someone who attended West Coast Green was empowered to start their own green business, I get to feel like maybe I played a small part in that. And that feels really good.
All photos courtesy of West Coast Green.
West Coast Green
September 25-27
San Jose Convention Center, San Jose
Guest speaker Hunter Lovins is a professor at the Presidio School of Management, and co-developer of the school’s MBA Sustainable Management program, the first such accredited program in the country.
Guest speaker Michelle Kaufmann is a principal partner at Michelle Kaufmann Designs, a leader in sustainable design. The firm’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Time, Money and USA Today.
