Reno 2020 Green Economy Forum

Beryl Love: Decisive action can leverage green energy

With apologies to Kermit the Frog, it's not that easy being green.

December 7, 2010 - The challenge -- and a critical one for Northern Nevada -- is figuring out what green is.

That was the issue panelists wrestled with at the Reno 2020 Green Economy Forum, presented by the Reno Gazette-Journal and Holland & Hart LLP. Moderator Frank Woodbeck, who represented the Nevada Commission on Economic Development, posed the question: "How do you define green energy?"

Business leaders, advocates and educators with expertise across various green efforts took stabs at an answer. One concept that brought nods, both from panelists and the approximately 150 people in attendance, came from Alex Gamboa, director of Envirolution, a nonprofit dedicated to the sustainability movement. He spoke about a "triple bottom line" effect that can occur if the state has the right green strategy. As a sector of the economy, it can drive employment. But sustainable models also benefit the environment and the community at large.

As you can imagine, opinions on how the state should leverage green energy were as varied as the backgrounds of the panelists. But consensus did emerge. What follows is a summary -- certainly up for discussion -- of how green energy and sustainability efforts could help drive the state's economy. {read rest}