On Friday I attended the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society 30th Anniversary Gala and Fundraiser at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in St. Paul. The event Master of Ceremonies was Don Shelby from WCCO 4 News, music was provided by acoustic folk and jazzy reggae artist Michael Monroe and the food was locally grown. The keynote speaker was Paul Hawken, environmentalist and author. One of Paul’s books, Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution, co-authored with Amory Lovins, was named one of the five most important books in the world by Bill Clinton.
The purpose of the evening was to celebrate the past 30 years of accomplishments and to create progressive dialogue about the challenges we will be facing for the next thirty years. Mr. Hawken’s message centers on the ongoing movement to partner with a diversity of organizations to work together towards a sustainable, energy-secure society. An enlightening video of one of his speeches can be viewed online at FORAtv’s website.