It is a green recovery, stupid!

More than a day of celebrations, this has been a full week of Earth Day related events! Some volunteers were still cleaning Angel Island and other California parks on Saturday. In its 40th year, Earth Day has grown to become a global landmark and the occasion for major Government and Industry announcements. In the economic downturn green initiatives have also found new depth and gained in realism. One clear trend from last year is the focus on energy efficiency across industries (supporting renewable energies and developing environmental consciousness were the highlights of 2008) as a way to reconcile economic realities and the need to fight climate change.

Like last year, I went to Southern California to attend Fortune Brainstorm: Green conference. Well attended and in the superb setting of Laguna Niguel, the conference brought together again Government officials, industry leaders, entrepreneurs and investors. It was the opportunity to reflect on the transformation that we are living and take a snapshot of the environmental movement: the renewable energy sector is maturing, companies are reducing energy consumption, policies are taking form, and the United States are finally answering the call of leadership from the rest of the world.

But it is on the job front that the most pleasant surprise came. Bill Clinton captured in the event's closing remarks that business is the key to climate change. Back in September, I raised the question whether the new Administration would seize this defining moment to reform our policies and reshape our economy. And it seems that it actually does want to go that route. Van Jones, the new White House Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, explained in a panel "Green Jobs: hype or reality" how tax dollars can be used to help transform the economy and restore the moral of middle America by providing a sense of purpose in addition of decent wages. "We have opportunity to redefine work" challenged the representative of Obama's team. He went on to explain that green jobs will put our children through College and will preserve resources for our grandchildren.

This political will resonated during the conference with a series of business anecdotes from around the country. The Environmental Defense Fund released at the conference its second Innovation Review focused on green advances for a new economy. "Environmental innovation is a powerful way to create business value" stated Gwen Ruta, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships. Researching and interviewing small and large companies, America's EDF (not to confuse with French energy giant) has the merit to sort out green-washy initiatives from significant innovations that tackle today's environmental and economic challenges head-on. A sign that the new Administration is taking notice, this NGO is losing staff every week to Federal and State Governments. 

Largely outdated, America's infrastructure offers a unique opportunity to transform blue-collar jobs into green jobs and to leverage technology innovation to create a more durable and better distributed wealth in the country. It is also the chance to unite low-tech and high-tech States around a recovery plan, and to transcend the divisions between blue and red States. "It is a green recovery, stupid!", to paraphrase the famous campaign slogan. This week I will dig deeper on the subjects of green recovery initiatives and of smart infrastructure. Stay tuned!