Co-authored by Scott Fulton and Rob Kirsch
This fall, on October 1-3, 2019, ACOEL is partnering with ELI and other organizers to convene “Greentech 2019” in Seattle, a first of its kind conference bringing tech industry leaders together with environmental lawyers, policy makers and academics. Speakers on five industry panels will discuss how environmental laws can promote, and sometimes obstruct, our ability to deploy new technologies that have the potential to be protective of natural resources and the environment. See www.greentechconference.org. New ACOEL member Paul Hagen will moderate a panel and is a member of the conference Planning Committee. Speakers include leaders from the energy, manufacturing, transportation, services and food industries.
The Greentech Conference is an outgrowth of a certain amount of whiskey being drunk by the three of us at last year’s ACOEL meeting in Jackson Hole. We were discussing ELI’s upcoming 50th Anniversary celebration (Scott is ELI’s President) and hit on the idea of hosting a conference in Seattle focusing on the next 50 years of environmental law. That future, we have come to believe, will be informed as much by technology as by environmental regulation. And in shaping it, ELI and ACOEL will want to be at the table. A good and concise summary of some of the ideas that will be addressed at the Greentech Conference can be found in ACOEL Member Dan Esty’s 2017 monograph entitled “Red Lights to Green Lights: From 20th Century Environmental Regulation to 21st Century Sustainability,” and in Dan’s forthcoming book, “A Better Planet: Big Ideas for a Sustainable Future.” Also setting the stage is a related piece that Scott did with tech guru Dave Rejeski called, “A New Environmentalism: The Need for a Total Strategy for Environmental Protection."
Numerous other ACOEL members are thinking about, and acting on, the “big ideas” being discussed at the Greentech Conference. The program can be downloaded here. We hope that you and your colleagues can attend and that you will help get the word out about this important event.
In addition to ELI, and Brad and Paul’s law firms and Rob’s former law firm, the conference is sponsored by a number of other ACOEL member organizations, by major technology companies (Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Intel, and First Solar), innovative manufacturers, universities and NGOs. Sponsorship information can be found here. If you – or a colleague – are able to join us, you can register here. There are special discounted rates for public sector and academic attendees, and an early-bird discount that is available for all through August 31.
Please feel free to forward this invitation to your clients, students, cohorts and friends.
