 Despite the nor-ester hitting Hampton Roads, the GreenUp Expo goes on.
The first session that I attended was supposedly entitled "Renewable Energy Resources/Clean Energy". I say "supposedly" because one of the speakers was Cathie France, director of government relations with Virginia Natural Gas.
She talked about natural gas as the "bridge" to renewable energy. Makes no sense! Why invest $ in a nonetheless dirty fossil fuel that reeks havoc on the environment w/ its production process? The "bridge" fuel is bio-diesel, geo-thermal, energy efficiency, etc. But hey, the fat cats in t...he oil & gas industry can't pad their wallets w/ those resources. Drill, baby, drill.
I'm now sitting in a session on "Eco-tourism". Only 1 of the 3 speakers showed up. The moderator, a guy I've met before and whose name escapes me, is pitch hitting. This guy is the recycling coordinator for the City of Newport News. He told me they have a new Sustainability Plan for Newport News. It's not online yet, but I'm anxious to see it. I'm working with Virginia Beach to develop their Sustainability Plan. The City Council wants it by the end of December 2009.
I'm feeling obnoxious so I had to ask how the Virginia Beach Hotel & Motel Association could endorse offshore drilling considering how spills happen despite the "new technology" (note Australian oil spill) and the devastation to our tourism and fishing industries.
Alright, I'm moving on to the third session, "Marketing Green". |
