Sustainable Silicon Valley’s WEST 2014: Net Positive Call to Action Begins Wednesday

  PALO ALTO, CA, November 17, 2014 /3BL Media/ — Sustainable Silicon Valley’s annual event, WEST 2014: Net Positive Call to Action, is on Wednesday, November 19th from 1pm-6:30pm at the Lucie Stern Community Center in Palo Alto (registration opens at 12:00pm).   This year’s summit, WEST 2014: Net Positive Call to Action, is exceptionally timely and valuable in the context of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Synthesis Report stating the urgency of significant climate action. This is on top of Republicans seizing the Senate, gaining full control of Congress, thereby diminishing the likelihood of a Federal response to climate change. Climate action is going to require regional action, and Sustainable Silicon Valley (SSV) is at the forefront of coalescing companies, municipalities, researchers, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits around climate issues.   At WEST 2014: Net Positive Call to Action, leaders and experts will connect ideas to climate action. Speakers will share innovative net positive projects ranging from small cities to high-profile national sporting events. Executive Director of Sustainable Silicon Valley, Marianna Grossman, invites attendees to “take part in the mobilization of talent from our region’s leading companies, communities and researchers, and join the movement to foster transformative solutions that achieve breakthrough results.”   Recognized founder of the sustainable business movement and Chief Sustainability Officer of the City of Palo Alto, Gil Friend, will welcome companies, leaders and attendees to WEST 2014. Visionary Keynote Speaker, Mayor R. Rex Parris of Lancaster, CA will demonstrate how he and his community are creating one of the first "Net Zero Cities" in the world. Parris has transformed the small city of Lancaster, with a population of about 150,000, into California’s biggest energy boom town.   Two iconic American institutions will have representatives share their pioneering initiatives at WEST 2014: Neill Duffy, Co-Chair of the Sustainability Subcommittee of the Host Committee for San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 in 2016 will discuss delivering a major event in a Net Positive way. Chief of Earth Science Division at NASA - Ames, Dr. Steve Hipskind, will present the latest climate science and news on NASA Earth Venture missions.   At WEST 2014, SSV is delighted to announce an action-oriented initiative, Net Positive Bay Area. This initiative will catalyze innovation through collaboration and apply technology in ways that can be replicated and scaled. The IPCC report says we must switch mostly to renewables by 2050, and phase out fossil fuels by 2100; Net Positive raises the bar and aims to have the Bay Area lead the way by creating a net positive region by 2050. Initial projects may include:

• An East Palo Alto neighborhood
• NASA Ames research campus
• San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 (Feb. 2016)

At WEST 2014, participants will learn how speakers and panelists are connecting problems to innovative solutions. Director of Strategy for the IBM Venture Capital Group, Drew Clark, will moderate the Solutions Launch Pad, as finalists compete before a panel of experts. Learn about Economic Opportunities: Financing Green Infrastructure from city leaders and innovative finance experts including President of San Mateo Board of Supervisors, Dave Pine, and Director of Environmental Services for the City of Sunnyvale, John Stufflebean.   An Expo of entrepreneurs will showcase their work, as images of SSV's "Call to Art" illuminate the event. Attendees are invited to participate in Conversations for Actions on targeted topics including Transportation, Water, Renewable Energy and more.