You have the Power - Thoughts from the Clean Energy Summit

I had the honor of being invited to the National Clean Energy Summit today and I have the following observations.

Like many others there, I was encouraged by the level of commitment from all involved. Panel participants included government, industry, labor, venture capital and non-profit. In fact, there were so many people on the panel that except for the 4 organizers, everyone got one chance to present their position and the meeting still took 4 hours!

I was glad to see that like me, Al Gore chews gum like crazy. Bill Clinton was the last one out (as we all would have expected) and T. Boone had the crowd laughing with the stories of his dad. Congress - as represented by Harry Reed and Nancy Pelosi, did its usual chattering. To be honest troop, I will gladly accept a call or interview by either one, but these two legislators spent 10 minutes each thanking everyone and their spouse before making their statements. That's 20 more minutes I could have spent hanging with the chiefs. In any case, it struck me that the entire panel was courteous and cordial. I did not hear a single dissent. Everyone was on the same page as far as support for clean/alt/renewable energy - although there may have been different reasons. Still, it was amazing how many people in the room had the flu/cold/allergies/whatever...

My point folks is that all of these leaders are human. HUMAN! Like you and me - living and breathing. They have a bit more money in many cases, but with enough determination you can too. That doesn't mean life is easy for them, but it does mean that you have the power within your sphere of influence to make a positive influence. We may think these ladies and men are "in power," but so are you. So get on board, get out there and do what you can to help the cause.

(Initial Comments Follow)
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Mike Johnston on February 24, 2009 at 8:14am
Glad you could make it Clynton. It was fun meeting you in person. Sorry I didn't chat more but I was off gathering data :-D I'm still a journalist at heart hehe
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Leslie Greinstein on February 24, 2009 at 12:41pm
Clynton, thanks for the update, good to hear how a real person feels................
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Tom Manson on February 25, 2009 at 12:44pm
So Clynton, did Pres Clinton, really fall asleep (ok, "nod off") just before lunchtime as it appeared in the webcast? :)
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Zack Horne on February 25, 2009 at 1:27pm
Thanks for the update ! I've had some foreign investors willing to back a local condiminium project that has me occupied. We'll be using "green" building methods, but I hope to make more time for this cause in the future. Zack
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Mike Anthony Fernald Sr. on February 25, 2009 at 3:21pm
Wow thats great Clynton & Mike Im glad to see you guys doing so much and meeting influential people.
I sure wish I could have been there to meet these folks,
At least I will always have my side kick Chuck :o}

Hey Zack
Let me know if you need a good Drywall Contractor for your Condo project, Iam willing to travel
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Luane Todd on February 25, 2009 at 6:24pm
What were you able to learn from the other attendees aside from their formal presentations. I'm a big fan of hanging around hall talk gatherings at meetings like this. You can get some really useful stuff that way.
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Clynton 1 day ago
Tom, I will have to watch the video to be sure, but I seem to recall something like that. Another great example was President Obama's speech the other night. Joe Biden was doing the stuff I usually do through a long talk - i.e. get a book for cover and drop the eye lids. With something to read in your hand, it's hard to tell if you're sleeping. But it was telling (LOL) every time the applause started and he looked like a deer in the headlights for a second or two.

Lu, it was apparent that many of these guys were colleagues who knew each other or spouses or whatever. There was plenty of discussion about past dinners and even plans for lunch right then and there. I guess if you're in a sub-shop in DC, then you could run across any of these guys. It goes with the "regular human" idea. We all gotta eat, sleep and hit the can.
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Claudio Lima Jr 7 hours ago
Hey Clynton, It's great to see that you are right there in the mix of things, being so close to DC. You are a great contact to have to get feedback from the PULSE of the movement, while the rest of us work at our local levels to shake things up.
I believe this PP is really getting some real momentum, now that T. Boone has planted the seed in the minds of so many influential people and made so many believers out of every day Americans. Its exciting to see so many Americans, working folks, business owners, politicians, investors, etc.. talking about re-newable energy alternatives, and independence from foreign oil. Lets keep the ball rolling and turn this momentum into an avalanche.