Have you had the “Climate Crisis Talk” at the dinner table, yet?

It’s interesting to me how much attention Green Investing has been getting this past year, and how much momentum is behind the movement now. But despite the growth, I’m amazed at how many people are still really in the dark about Green Investing and environmental issues. In talking with people about this, I’ve learned that there is a tremendous interest in Green and that most people do care about the environment, but they feel overwhelmed by the influx of information. They get involved to the extent that they feel they can, but Green still seems like it’s a phenomena that’s beyond them... until they recognize that they can do something about it, that they should do something about it, or they’re pushed to make a change.

One of my favorite examples of a man who was “pushed to change”, and made a major impact in the venture capital community. John Doerr, a highly successful venture capitalist, had a talk one evening with some family and friends around the dinner table about the current climate crisis. It was his fifteen-year-old daughter’s response to the conversation that prompted him to take a stand and be a part of the climate crisis solution. She said, “I’m scared and I’m angry. Dad, your generation created this problem... you better fix it”. Her response “pushed him” and influenced the future of what the firm would invest in. Greentech, also known as Clean Technology, has since become Mr. Deorr’s crusade and passion.

In April 2006, the Washington Post reported the following about Mr. Doerr and his decision to invest in Green:

"Internet Visionaries Betting On Green Technology Boom and that, Doerr, the venture capitalist who invested early in Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., had set up a $100 million fund to invest in ‘green technology.’

‘Greentech could be the largest economic opportunity of the 21st century,’ Doerr said in a February press release announcing that Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the investment fund that helped underwrite many prominent tech start-ups, would raise $100 million for the green technology fund”.

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/17/AR2006041701563.html)

USA Today also reported the following about Mr. Doerr in April 2006:

“As one of Silicon Valley's most respected investors, Doerr's decision to champion green technology as the next big thing is generating buzz in the venture capital community.

‘When John Doerr talks, people listen,’ said Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association. ‘John appears to have an innate ability to spot trends and execute a business plan that is actually able to take advantage of those trends.’ Kleiner Perkins' plan to ramp up investment in green technology is just the latest sign of the sector's growth.

Also known as clean technology, the field includes technologies related to water purification, air quality, nanotechnology, alternative fuels, manufacturing, recycling and renewable energy.

As prices of more traditional energy sources continue to rise, the global market for clean energy sources such as biofuels, hydrogen fuel cells and solar and wind energy rose to $40 billion last year, according to a report released last month by Clean Edge Inc., a Bay Area marketing firm. The figure is expected to more than quadruple to $167 billion by 2015, the report said. Investors are seeing better prospects as technologies advance, more seasoned entrepreneurs enter the field and cleantech companies generate higher revenue.

Besides investing in greentech ventures, Doerr said he and Kleiner Perkins plan to ‘advocate for policies that reduce the climate crisis and increase energy innovation.’

Venture capitalists point to the global forces driving greentech investment: the rising cost of fuel, the economic expansion of China, India and other Asian nations; and growing worries over global warming.

‘In my opinion, it's one of the most pressing global challenges we face,’ Doerr said. ‘It's causing the nations of the world to put an even higher priority than we have now on innovation’.” (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-04-10-green-venture-capitalist_x.htm)

I find it fascinating that a simple dinner conversation about Climate Crisis has led to so much growth in such a short period of time; growth that has greatly impacted the face of an industry. The Green Technology sector is growing rapidly, and green investors who want to see profits should invest now, which will influence the next great change.

* Need help: If you don’t really watch TV or read the papers or you haven’t seen Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” or know that he won the Nobel Peace prize... Watch my favorite YouTube Video and strike up your own conversation tonight.