Lost in the Wash: Communications and Branding in the “Post-Green Age”

William Brent, Executive Vice President, Energy, Cleantech and Sustainability, Weber Shandwick
Aron Cramer, President and CEO, BSR
Dara O’Rourke, Co-founder, Good Guide, Associate Professor, UC Berkeley

Today, items from hand soap to tomatoes are labeled as “eco-friendly” or “sustainable,” but if everything is green, nothing really is. At a time when addressing global sustainability challenges is a priority for many brands, how do companies engage and motivate consumers who have green fatigue? Join us for a conversation about communications clutter from experts in corporate sustainability and consumer marketing.

Location:  SF Club Office
Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program, 1 p.m. networking reception
Cost: $20 standard, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID)

Power Mix

Trevor Houser, Partner, Rhodium Group; Visiting Fellow, Peterson Institute
Ross Macfarlane, Senior Advisor, Climate Solutions
Bruce Nilles, Senior Director of the Beyond Coal Campaign, Sierra Club

Cheap natural gas is changing the energy mix in the U.S. Energy companies are increasingly making the switch from coal to cheaper, cleaner natural gas to fuel their power plants. This combined with more stringent health regulations has the nation's coal industry looking to surging economies in China and India to lift its fortunes. Tapping those international markets will require getting coal to water via railways and seaports. But new coal ports are meeting heavy political and environmental resistance in the Pacific Northwest.  The natural gas industry is looking to the export game too and prices are expected to rise as the international economy absorbs American surplus. Will that allow coal to bounce back? Join us for a conversation about the changing electricity landscape of the U.S. in a global energy economy.

Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. networking reception
Cost: $20 standard, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Also know: The speakers and audience will be videotaped for future broadcast on the Climate One TV show on KRCB TV 22 on Comcast and DirecTV.

Clean Clothes

Casey Sheahan, CEO, Patagonia
Chip Bergh, CEO, Levi’s

From organic cotton to recycled zippers, clothing brands are trying to establish their green credentials with consumers who care about the health of their bodies and the planet. What lies ahead for product labeling and making the $200 billion U.S. clothing industry more sustainable? Are efforts encouraging consumers to wash their clothes less a smart move or a retailer dodge? Do U.S. brands really monitor their factories in China? Join a conversation with leaders in the effort to run companies that make durable and responsible products.

Location: SF Club Office
Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program, 1 p.m. networking reception
Cost: $20 standard, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students

Generation Green

Carleen Cullen, Founder and Executive Director, Cool the Earth
Rosemary Davies, Graduate, Berkeley High School’s Green Academy
Mike Haas, Founder, Alliance for Climate Education

Musical introduction and closing by Aisha Fukushima

Can the next generation save us all? The Alliance for Climate Education has trained nearly 1.5 million high school students around the country on how to reduce their own carbon footprint and engage others to do the same. Cool the Earth has worked with 446 schools in 22 states getting youth to take specific actions at home that reduce their carbon impact in a measurable way. Davies was one of 40 high school youths from around the world who traveled to the Arctic in 2012 for a transformative experience learning about climate and culture. Come join a conversation about how youth can build a better future, starting now.

Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. networking reception
Cost: $20 standard, $12 members, $7 students
Also know: Photo by Lee Narraway

Driving Growth

Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund
Rhonda Zygocki, Vice President of Policy and Planning, Chevron

A flood of natural gas released by hydraulic fracturing is turning energy markets upside down. How will that affect the way the country powers its economy and moves around people and goods? Many countries are investing in clean fuels and putting a price on carbon emissions. Will the United States also start to price fuels to include their full costs? How will that impact the economy? Join us for a broad conversation with leaders of one of the country’s biggest energy companies and one of the world’s largest environmental organizations.

Location:  SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. networking reception
Cost: $20 standard, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID)

Solar Flares

Lynn Jurich, President and Co-founder, Sunrun
Danny Kennedy, President and Founder, Sungevity
Marco Krapels, Executive Vice President, Rabobank
Lyndon Rive, Co-founder and CEO, SolarCity

Through all the growing pains and political attacks, the U.S. solar industry is still moving ahead. Costs are down, new financing models are removing capital barriers for residential and commercial buyers, and sun energy is no longer just for hippies. What is the solar forecast for 2013? How will the trade spat with China impact the sector? The glut of cheap natural gas promises to undercut renewable energy, yet at the same time it can be a ready complement for when the sun is not shining and the wind isn’t blowing. Join us for a spin around the sun.

Location:  SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. networking reception
Cost: $20 standard, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Also know: Underwritten by Orrick

Sharing Economy

Sharing Is the New Shopping

Andy Ruben, Co-founder, Yerdle
Lisa Gansky, Author, The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing
Additional panelists TBA

Our economy is slow and our landfills are overflowing.  Consumers are looking for a way to spend and waste less. Enter collaborative consumption, online communities that allow members to share their resources and make a profit, too. Yerdle is allowing dust-laden camping tents and power tools to be used by neighbors and strangers. How much will this cut down on waste? What else can be shared instead of bought?

Borrowed Wheels

Scott Griffith, Chairman and CEO, Zipcar
Susan Shaheen, Co-director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, UC Berkeley
Additional panelists TBA

Innovative companies such as Zipcar are moving in on an expanding market of consumers looking to escape the burdens of car ownership.  The cost of parking, insurance, maintenance, and gas can add up quickly for auto owners. Car sharing companies tout lower costs and reduced traffic emissions as benefits of their service model. Does car sharing really reduce emissions? Are automakers threatened? Join us for a discussion on innovative mobility.

Location:  SF Club Office
Time: 4:15 p.m. check-in, 5 p.m. first program, 6 p.m. networking reception, 6:30 p.m. second program
Cost: $55 standard, $35 members, $7 students (with valid ID). Includes both programs.

American Turnaround

Ed Whitacre. Former CEO, General Motors

Whitacre was named CEO in 2009, the same year GM declared bankruptcy.  He was the man tasked with taking the country's biggest corporate failure and getting back to profitability. His goals included increased vehicle efficiency and the launch of the Chevy Volt. Amid reservations from the administration that the Volt was too expensive to be viable, Whitacre became a supporter of the Chevy Volt, declaring the “proof will be in the pudding.” Has the Volt held up to Whitacre’s expectations?

Location: SF Club Office
Time:  5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program
Cost: $20 standard, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)

Clean Communities

Alex Mehran, CEO, Sunset Development
Carl Shannon, Managing Director, Tishman Speyer
Gabriel Metcalf, Executive Director, San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Assocation

With Bay Area population forecast to increase to 8 or 9 million people, the region is grappling with where current and future residents will live and work. In San Francisco population density is rising in the trendy South of Market and Mission Bay areas, where housing is close to social media and other jobs. Commercial and residential real estate is thriving, including many new green buildings. But most of the region's 6 million residents don't live or work in an urban core. Infill and suburban development will both be needed to accommodate more people. The fact that buildings account for approximately 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions means future growth will have to be more efficient and smarter to meet state mandated goals for reducing carbon pollution. Are taller skyscrapers part of the answer? Can office parks really be green? A conversation about building the future of the Bay Area.
 

Tomorrowland

Jeffrey Heller, President, Heller Manus
Additional panelists TBA 

China's urbanization is creating new cities at a mind-boggling rate. Gleaming office towers are rising all over the country and massive amounts of land are being converted to residential and commercial uses. Is China growing in an energy- and carbon-smart fashion? What will be the hallmarks of these new metropolitan centers? How will they shape 21st century trends in architecture, land use and urban living?
 

Location:  SF Club Office
Time: 10:30 a.m. check-in, 11 a.m. first program, noon networking reception, 12:30 p.m. second program
Cost: $65 standard, $45 members, $20 students (with valid ID)