Business Innovation Fair Features Ideas and Big Name Speakers [INTERVIEWS]

I have been working with the City of Fort Collins Environmental Services Division to help publicize their various programs that help citizens and businesses thrive in sustainable and profitable ways. My impression is that Fort Collins has a real interest in being not just a national but a world leader in sustainability and quality of life.

The latest opportunity for businesses to learn more about how to save money and operate more sustainably comes Thursday Oct. 13, 2011 with the Business Innovation Fair at the Hilton Fort Collins. The Fair will feature local leaders and experts as well as William Becker, an expert on energy and climate policy based in Denver, Colorado whose full resume is far too long to list here, but highlights include:

• Executive Director of the Presidential Climate Action Project
• 15 years at the U.S. Department of Energy
• Department of Energy's Central Regional Director

He currently leads The Future We Want, is on Mikhail Gorbachev’s International Climate Change Task Force, and is Senior Associate at two think tanks; London-based E3G, and Colorado-based Natural Capitalism
Solutions.

I spent a few minutes with Bill to discuss his upcoming address at the Business Innovation Fair and other global subjects, and he explained how

Local governments need to become the leaders in many different areas of national affairs today. Partially because Congress is not leading, because the international community on issues like climate change is not leading, and the obligation and the opportunities of leadership are trickling down to states and localities.

Kathy Collier is the Climate Wise Program Manager for the City of Fort Collins. She joined me to talk about the Business Innovation Fair and related how

...during 2010 Climate Wise businesses saved thirteen million dollars and we're sharing what they've done with [the rest of] the business community. We'd love to have people come out and attend.