Following his session, “Innovating Conservation: From Youth Environmental Education to Financial Markets”, Philippe Cousteau Jr held a brief press conference prior to his book signing, discussing a new Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) on the NYSE (symbol GIVE) that supports companies with sustainable initiatives:

On the live stream: Philippe Cousteau Jr Keynote! sxsweco.com/live

Saving the best for last…
Things to do today at SXSW Eco, Wednesday 5th October.

9:00am ECO-nomics: Re-envisioning Financial Services for the 21st Century

10:15am Economics of Nature and Ecosystems

11:30am Life at 2000 Watts

2:00pm Philippe Cousteau, Jr. Keynote

7:00pm The SXSW Eco Closing Party

Current Motors has an electric “Maxi-Scooter” on display at SXSW Eco today.

Specs for the bike are:

Performance
Estimated MSRP $7,500
Top Speed 60+ mph / 95+ kph
Real World Range* 40 miles / 65 km

Motor
Motor Type Hub Motor; Permanent Magnet Brushless DC
Peak Motor Power 12 kW / 16 HP
Peak Motor Current 300 Amps

Batteries
Battery Type Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)
Battery Life 2,000+ discharge / recharge cycles
Number of Cells 24 cells
Max Battery Current 160 Amps
Pack Capacity 4.6kWh
Pack Voltage 76.8V (nominal)
Recharge Time 5 hours

Looks like a great way to get around a crowded downtown during SXSW. Anyone want to chip in?

Check it out at their site.

One day down, two to go! It goes by so fast!

Things to do today at SXSW Eco, Wednesday 5th October.

9:00am Solving the First and Last Mile of Commute Problem

10:15am Building Cleaner, Safer, and Healthier Communities…

11:30am The Networked Grid: The Convergence of IT and Electricity Distribution

3:15pm Building a Better Climate Movement

4:30pm Let’s Stop Talking About Sustainability…

Oliver Campbell from Dell just announced that Dell has driven development and use of a certified recyclable bamboo based packaging for a majority of both it’s personal and business laptops.

Scott Wilcox, the longtime IT champion is the Director of SXSW Eco, and from hearing him speak about the inagural event, he could not be more happy with how it’s come off so far.

One of the nagging questions we had is “Why in October?” Scott was quick to point out the 5,000+ events that took place at SXSW this past March, and it makes sense that you wouldn’t want to drown out the message of SXSW Eco in all that competing information.

The air is charged here in Austin, and it seems as though this new conference is off and running. SXSW Eco has once again successfully leveraged presenting information people are hungry for, passionate speakers, and the magic of Austin.

Cheers Scott!