SXSW Eco: Top takeaways

The first SXSW Eco conference turned out to be a great event, representing an interesting cross-sector of attendees from the government, non-profits and industry. Over the course of three days, SXSW Eco aimed to address where the future of sustainability is going and how we can best solve some of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.
 
Following are the top five takeaways from SXSW Eco.

1. The climate movement is changing

Environmentalism began when groups of people became more and more aware of the impact we have on the environment. This resulted in public policy and the formation of groups like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to oversee the impact pollution and green house gases have on climate change – thus giving birth to a multi-national viewpoint as nations came together to address climate change with the Kyoto Protocol (an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). Today, corporations are evolving with the climate movement by taking more responsibility in protecting the environment.  SXSW Eco focused on this latest shift and how businesses are finding an upside to green through sustainability and taking profitable measures to protect the environment.
 
2. Conservation in the 21^st Century is driven by collaboration

According to Nature Conservancy CEO Mark Tercek, conservation in the 21^st Century is all about collaboration. Unique partnerships are being formed between NGOs, communities, governments and business in order to meet today’s conservation challenges. Philippe Cousteau, the grandson of legendary explorer Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau, expanded on this with what he called the three keys to conservation in our modern world - education, balanced advocacy and commitment to action.
 
3. Sustainable communities becoming a reality

Of all the ideas circulating at SXSW Eco, the belief in a truly sustainable community was a key feature. Instead of your dream house, what if you could choose your dream neighborhood? For example, car-free cities and transportation systems that don’t rely on fossil fuels. There were talks of densely built communities where it takes less energy to get from point A to B and smart grids which can regulate your energy usage without even having to be at home. In addition, the idea of mirroring nature through biomimicry was a way to further innovate. For example, learning from nature’s best ideas and then imitating these processes into our communities can help us solve problems and live more sustainably.
 
4. Energy is on our mind

Echoing Cohn & Wolfe’s recent Green Brands study, energy is among the top environmental concerns on consumers’ minds. SXSW Eco featured several predominant speakers discussing energy issues. Some of these included new technologies like offshore wind facilities to generate power, how the economy and jobs are tied to clean energy and the need for efficient systems to cut down on the energy we waste. Scott Tinker, a professor and geologist at the University of Texas at Austin, believes that there is a new wave of energy enlightenment - people are thinking about their energy footprint and are more aware of how they use it.
 
5. The green digital age is upon us

NGOs have gotten savvy in the digital age. Traditional activism has turn into “clickivism” where supporters champion causes by signing online petitions and being active in social media. There is also a new movement of crowdgiving, where groups of people can fund an environmental or non-profit cause.
 
The SXSW Eco panel discussions were both informative and passionate. I hope as a society we can continue the dialogue and make progress in sustainability for our economy, our communities and our environment.