This is impressive. Will there be some kind of publication or report as a result of this summit? I'm also curious about what big businesses have joined this effort or is this more about innovation in small start-ups.

This is kinda stupid...isnt it....Buffalo cant even get people to plant a tree in front of their house to restore the urban canopy, we cant get the NFTA to extend the light rail, we cant get our water and sewar authorities to replace the 100 year old plumbing, we cant get residential and office buildings to add something simple like a heat pump to save 20%-30% of their energy, we cant get ships to sterilize their bildge water when entering the great lakes to prevent invasive species or agricultural/sewage runoff from destroying the largest fresh water fishery in the world.

Its stupid because this city talks a good talk we have been talking for 25 years about projects needed for our city and we cant break out of the control of albany, civil service unions or the extraordinary excellence services and employment numbers of local government.

We cant get Buffalo State to makea commitment to grow, we cant get small high tech business incubators in our city and we cant get additional centers for excellence, much less a new convention center, conference center or light rail extension.

You know what blows me away is that we have revenue from the Buffalo Seneca Creek Casino coming soon and presently all this added revenue is going to go directly into a general budget where it will get consumed with patronage, union demands and confiscated by albany via reductions in state aid....what blows me away is that no one is asking for the casino revenue to be taken off budget for major investment projects in our city.

Which brings me back to why I think all this is stupid.....we need to match up revenue with projects! Until that happens none of this is worth it!

I don't think this is stupid or mind blowing. If nothing were to come of it then we could say this was just another sentence in the big talk but no walk scenario we are all to used to. BUT at the same time getting groups of like minded people together shows support for individual cases and projects. We all know well how one person can change a lot for our city and if that person knows they are not alone and has a social network to feed from then it has helped change things.

Organizations that share ideas, come up with new ones and form strategies for actually getting sh*t done is something we need more of. Was this a lecture about how to live a better life... maybe. Maybe it was nothing more than preaching to the choir. But if these people mingled, talked and had break out sessions to discuss ideas they have to making our region more environmentally friendly then I would again say it is positive.

Also look at how many people actually showed up. There is power in numbers and votes are what matter to politicians. So showing that there might be a significant population, some of them current or potential supporters during the next election, is a good thing. Remember the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Unions do such a good job of securing money and funding for themselves because they have proven that they can move a block of voters.. Maybe we should learn from them and 'unionize' around ideas. Put 2000 signatures on a sheet of paper and say they will only vote for this or that could put pressure on the unions to and the politicians to move money around into other areas. It is worth a shot right? Our votes still count right?

I bet if we had this meeting 5 years ago there wouldn't be half as many people in that room. While maybe nothing has gotten done yet.. I think something like this was beneficial because it was more than just politicians but motivated people who came together. Unlike the Bass Pro ground breaking which will undoubtedly be a bunch of politicians and no one else.

Now if they could just get China to stop opening up a new filthy coal power plant every month, and stop 2 billion Chinese and Indians from buying something they never had before that we take for granted - cars and air conditioning. Then I would be excited!

These environmental summits, like this one at Buff State, sure make people feel good, and they are a positive. But at best they are a +1. And what the Chinese, Indians and other developing countries are a negative. I would rate them a -20. So instead of being at -20, we net out at -19.

And that is nothing I can get excited about.

I can't use others as an excuse not to act. China is building a new city near Dontang.. When fully constructed it will house 500,000 people in a zero emission, zero waste city.. What are WE doing that even compares to that? The closest thing is an old Navy Base in the San Francisco Bay for 6000 people..

We still emit more pollution than china (for now) but have done half of what they are pushing for in future environmental terms. So we don't belong on a high horse to point fingers here...

Pandering....

Wouldn't make sense to have people in the business community involved who actually create the jobs talk about how they do it, instead of having a bunch of liberal organizations and representatives preach their own version of moral justice to us?

Yes, of course this could turn out like so many other "all talk no action" efforts and it does need a more concrete action plan. What I find impressive though is the scale of what is envisioned-- that this could be an effort to fundamentally change part of our local economy. I'm not as interested in the green morals as I am in an effort to learn about and participate in a part of the global economy that is becoming more and more relevant. If this is mostly about community gardens, good vibes and drum circles--count me out. I'm supportive if this is about encouraging collaborations and innovations that can make money and employ people.

carlmalone.. why are these organizations liberal, because they want a cleaner healthier environment for our children. I like to think that we can better our world for our children so they don't have to grow up fearing cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart attacks like people do today. Many of these problems are caused by the chemicals we drink, breathe and consume every single day. They are related to our urban forms and transportation systems. Trying to change this to give out kids a healthy life is important to all. you can go ahead and spend millions of dollars treating these problems spending hundreds of dollars a month. I would rather focus on removing changing the playing field, removing these problems so we don't have to medicate ourselves just to live.

Its surprising the people that will work together when there is a profit to be made.

1. The article explicitly mentions small business owners. They were there.

2. Liberals own businesses.

3. Many of the activist groups represented -- Reuse, Buffalo First, MAP -- are either entrepreneurial or focus on helping build small businesses and local entrepreneurship. These people aren't anyone's dippy tree-hugging stereotype.

Colin: Who cares, where are they on the panel or presenter list?

All I see are government officials and 501(c)3 (i.e.e Reuse, Buffalo First, MAP) which are not for profit. They may be entrepreneurial, but by there very nature are not intended to maximize profits, rather cuase driven. Its like having a bunch cooks telling me how to garden.