With summer officially here, dot-commers and non-commers
alike are making their annual excursions out to such meccas as the beach,
campgrounds and the countryside. Now, more than ever, we are aware of nature
and all its beauty. And dovetailing with the beauty of nature, the Natural
Resources Defense Council's Environmental Entrepreneurs hosted its first New
York Eco-Salon on June 20 at Techspace on University Place.
Among the digerati amassed were Mark Stahlman; Starvest
Partners' Jeanne Sullivan and Rachel Masters; NYC Economic Development
Corporation's Jean Dellacorte; Agile Industries' Elizabeth Talerman; and
Annotate.net's Brian Flynn. Wilson McHenry Company's Leeann Lavin; Innovest's
John Cusack and GoTo.com's Julie Greenhouse came to check out E2 and its
initiatives. "Green" entrepreneurs Green Order's Andrew Shapiro and
Ecos Techonologies' Nicholas Eisenberger brought some friends. Morfeo Media
Erik Akhund and City Council candidate Michelle Bouchard came to meet attendees
like Tiga Technology's Zachary Bayer and NY Eco-Salon Founder John Sullivan.
Techspace's Debra Larson, Bruce Bockman and Rob McQueen were the gracious hosts
who donated the space and greeted guests.
After a delicious cloth-bag lunch of wrap sandwiches, terra
chips and a divine pecan bar, provided by the NRDC, guests were escorted
downstairs to hear the speakers. Sybase Founder, E2 Founder and NRDC Trustee
Bob Epstein spoke first and provided a bit of background on this organization.
He introduced NRDC President and Founder John Adams, who told us of the
organization’s early days – its founding in 1970 and its early efforts, which
helped produce environmental policies that are today so vital and intertwined
in our society. Without further ado, John introduced the featured speaker --
NRDC Senior Attorney Bobby Kennedy.
Kennedy gave us a rousing tale of NRDC's role in the
establishment of vital and groundbreaking laws for our nation and the
environment. He spoke about how nations that participated in the first Earth
Day in 1970 are the nations that are far more advanced ecologically. Those
never having experienced an Earth Day are suffering -- Vietnam, parts of the
former Soviet Union and Japan. He spoke of the importance of automobiles standards
that regulate vehicles for 40 miles to the gallon, and explained how oil prices
would be closer to $5 per gallon without U.S. subsidies. Kennedy waxed poetic
about the beauty of our land and the importance of preserving it for our
children – not allowing it to be raped by miners, loggers and other
developers). He cited the importance of finding God in Nature and about all the
other ways in which Nature inspires and fulfills us.
Rising Tide Studios CEO Jason Calacanis moderated questions
from the audience and guests like Goldman Sachs' Larry Linden; Astrology Is,
Inc.'s Yvonne Morabito; Mindarrays Tery Spataro, Masur & Associates' Steve
Masur and TSX Ventures' Stephen Nordahl who received further explanations on environmental
initiatives.
