SXSW Eco Keynote Speaker Announced

The first details about this year's SXSW Eco are out and the details are good! The keynote speaker will be Dr. Robert Bullard, well-regarded as the father of environmental justice. 

Bullard is is the author of 18 books that address sustainable development, environmental racism, urban land use, industrial facility siting, community reinvestment, housing, transportation, climate justice, emergency response, smart growth, and regional equity. Professor Bullard was featured in the July 2007 CNN People You Should Know, Bullard: Green Issue is Black and White. In 2008, Newsweek named him one of 13 Environmental Leaders of the Century. And in 2013, he was honored with the Sierra Club John Muir Award, the first African American to win the award. Dr.Bullard currently serves as the Dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University. He received his Ph.D degree from Iowa State University.

SXSW Eco organizers are hoping that Bullard's presence at the conference will really help to foster and drive a conversation around environmental justice throughout all of SXSW Eco. 

“We are very excited to have Dr. Bullard kick off SXSW Eco 2014 and set the tone for the event,” said Chris Sonnier, producer and program manager of SXSW Eco. “As the acknowledged ‘father of environmental justice,’ Dr. Bullard offers a message for conference attendees that we feel is inextricably bound to that of SXSW Eco: that passionate individuals, institutions and organizations can, and already are, driving meaningful, critical change.”

SXSW Eco has also announced an initial round of programming, which is listed below:

Advocacy and Policy

Building Bipartisan Consensus in the Green War (KL Gates, Holand and Knight, LLP, 7 Second Strategies)

Beyond Advocacy: Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Think Beyond Plastic Innovation Accelerator, Washburn Consulting, Plastipure, Thula Capital)

Behavior and Design

Salvaging the Holocene: Biomimicry & Resilience (Northeast Natural Homes, Inc., NGBC, LLC)

14 Patterns of Biophilic Design (Terrapin Bright Green)

Big Data and Technology

A Fitbit to Save the Elephants (Microsoft Research, Vulcan Inc., Save the Elephants, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park)

Space: Earth’s Newest Ally Against Climate Change (MissionCTRL Communications, zero2infinity, Lunar Lion)

Business and Finance

Entrepreneurs Approach to Ecosystem Collaboration (PieRanch, Kipp, Fish People, Google, The Responsible Entrepreneur Institute)

City Transit 411: Urban Myths & Urban Mobility (Enterprise Holdings, UC Berkeley, Getaround)

Land and Water

How Big Data is Powering Big Water (Imagine H2O)

Tackling the Renewable Energy – Water Nexus (Dropcountr, EDF, WaterFX, Participant Media)

Health and Education

Women First: Improve Society & Protect Environment (National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, Population Media Center, Prajna Productions, FHI 360)

Toxins All Around Us: Safe, the New Sustainable (Beautycounter)

Energy

The Grid Edge: A Next Generation Energy System (Greensmith Energy Management, Advanced Energy Economy, Gridco Systems)

Natural Gas: What's (Not) in the Pipeline? (American Gas Association, Colorado State University, Arkansas Public Service Commission)

Food Systems

Entomophagy 101: Why We Want You to Eat Bugs (World Entomophagy, University of Georgia Department of Entomology, MIGHTY MEALworm, Little Herds)

Can Mission-Based Companies Change Big Industry? (Whole Foods Market, CEB Iconoculture, Numi Tea, Alter Eco)

Feed Everyone! (Food Forward)

Smart Cities

Transforming Trash: Good Jobs and Zero Waste (Partnership for Working Families, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, Alliance for a Greater New York, Texas Campaign for the Environment, Mayor’s Office, City of Los Angeles)

How Simple EV Charging Future-Proofs Our Cities (Ford Motor Company, Mission CTRL Communications, Pecan Steet Inc, Schneider Electric, Greenlots)

 

No Comments

Post A Comment