Joel Makower, founder and executive editor of GreenBiz.com, kicked off
Greener by Design 2009 with a look at what has changed -- and what hasn't -- since the first Greener by Design conference last year.
Over the last year, energy prices have dipped, corporate budgets and staffs have been trimmed, consumer spending has changed, and the U.S. has a new president, administration, Congress and policies.
Plenty of things have also stayed the same: We're in the same recession that we were in a year ago, companies feel pressure to cut costs, concerns about energy and the climate have remained strong and are growing, technological advances continue, and there are ever-present needs for companies to be transparent and innovative.
"What hasn't changed ... has become more important," Makower said. "The result of all that is that innovation and sustainability have remained high on most companies' agendas."
Another set of changes has happened around what is being called "The New Normal," a way of looking at what is happening in society and business.
The New Normal includes trends towards relocalization ("People want to know where their food comes from, where their energy comes from," Makower said.), reprioritization (people are refocusing their lives around debt, living well and homemaking) and reconnecting with community, family and the planet.
"Those three pieces ... I think are going to start to shape the marketplace," Makower said.
The business side of The New Normal demands more accountability, more specific actions (targets, milestones) and more authenticity in innovation and humility.
"It's really not enough to be green. You've got to be better," Makower said. "How do we define better? What does that look like?"
Throughout the rest of today and tomorrow, the speakers and panels at Greener by Design will help answer those questions and show what "better" looks like in The New Normal, and also what success looks like.
Check back for more updates from Greener by Design and follow the event on Twitter by searching for Twitter updates tagged with
#gbd09.
