After living in D.C. for almost 20 years (Christine and I since moved to Charleston, SC), it was just magical to be there this week and feel the energy and anticipation of the coming inauguration. Never in my time in D.C. was energy level this high, the hope, the expectation. As BetterWorld was founded and continues to be based in the D.C. metro area, this is our home turf and a place where most of us have spent most or all of our lives. We are all excited, as are our nearly 500 customers and partners that call the D.C. area home, who have been working and fighting towards this important moment in history, where social and environmental issues finally make the transition from the edges to the mainstream, where technology and infrastructure can start to help both the environment and the economy by lowering our carbon output and creating green jobs.
To this end, we had some great meetings this week with customers, partners, and potential partners, some highlights:
Busboys and Poets: Busboys and Poets is a restaurant, bookstore, center for poetry readings/slams and events, started by fellow SVN member and BALLE chapter leader, Andy Shallal, and has become the virtual center of the universe in D.C. as the Obama transition takes hold. Check out Andy’s story and the history of Busboys on Wikipedia. We hope to count Busboys and Poets soon as a customer, and help them manage their fast growing and influential dialogue of peace, literature and community.
Bethesda Green: Bethesda, MD is one of the shining examples of a city or town pulling together its resources to influence local businesses towards a more sustainable future and Dave Feldman at Bethesda Green is helping to make that a reality. A new customer and partner of BetterWorld, Bethesda Green is a community-based initiative to promote environmentally conscious living for residents, employees and businesses, their goal is nothing short of making Bethesda and Montgomery Country, MD into the shining example of green and sustainable communities in the U.S. We look forward to working with Bethesda Green to make this a reality.
Select Committee on Global Warming and Energy Independence and the House Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee: BetterWorld continued its meetings with these two important House committees, with telecoms at the intersection of technology and the environment and reducing the world’s carbon emissions. Until recently, both had been chaired by Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA), whereas he has now transitioned to chairing the House Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality to focus the majority of his attention on environmental issues. We look forward to our continued discussions and work with these committees towards helping to focus much greater attention on telecommunications becoming one of the major carbon mitigation strategies in the U.S. for the next decade.
Whew, what a week! Stay tuned and enjoy the inauguration – we look forward to making 2009 the year telecom breaks through as THE new direction for the environmental and green jobs movement.
Matt
Posted in: Customers General Blog Partners
