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

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.

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…

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!

Check out his book signing (“World Changing: A User’s Guide to the 21st Century”) at 4:30 on the 4th floor of the Hilton at SXSW Eco.

We did manage to find out more about his project in between coffees:

the livingARK project is a 365 day project living in a 5 x 5.5 metre livingARK in the heart of the national forest in england. we will not live in however like david blaine.

the idea is to track our consumption and creation of energy in the heart of the national forest and use social media channels every single day to talk about our experiences as we aim to live off the grid but in the clouds.

utilizing mobile cellular networks to connect to the internet we will document using service in the cloud and at the same time broadcast the changes and behaviour as a father and daughter live in the middle of a forest.

Incredibly interesting content, and heartwarming project he has going. do give him a look see at his site or follow him on twitter.

Things to do today at SXSW Eco, Tuesday 4th October

1:30pm Austin, TX – The Clean Energy Capital of the World

3:00pm Alex Steffen Keynote: Carbon Zero Cities…

4:15pm Thinking Outside (and Inside) The Box: The Future of Sustainable Packaging

5:15pm Opening day reception

Can’t wait to see everyone!

Back in March the mobile application was a pretty smart way to navigate SXSW 2011 if you hadn’t used a big marker pen on the official program, so it will be interesting to see how well it works in a smaller environment like Eco. In any case it’s a free download we’d recommend.

Our sponsor, the Austin Chronicle, has offered to help us provide grants to cover full and partial registration fees to applicants demonstrating work for social good. Apply by emailing reg@sxsweco.com with the subject “SXSW Eco Grant.” Include your information and a short paragraph demonstrating your interest and your need. Applications are due by September 21st.

An alternate method is to volunteer, below is an excerpt from an email received from the Volunteer Coordinators

Earning perks to this inaugural event is easy! Sign-up to volunteer at least 6 hours, and you can receive a full registration to attend the event when not working your volunteer shift(s). You can sign-up using our new volunteer system and pick the shifts that work for you.

Positions are filling fast, so don’t delay if you would like to become a part of the first-ever SXSW Eco!

Looking at the perk set up for volunteers we found:
Volunteers working 6 hours or less will receive the following:

Volunteers working more than 6 hours will receive the follwing:

This is very generous indeed, and a good option for those that are local.

From the SXSW Eco website:

SXSW Eco will feature three days of diverse, top-level programming organized within three key themes: Solutions for Today, The Social Sphere, and Steps Towards the Future. The cast of speakers is diverse, including officials, CEOs, professors, city planners, entrepreneurs and activists. Drawing from such an assortment of backgrounds and perspectives, SXSW Eco is sure to be a dynamic and engaging experience.

In addition to keynotes, solo presentations, panels and talks, SXSW Eco will feature an opening day reception, as well as a lounge for registrants – both fantastic opportunities to meet fellow attendees and presenters, share ideas, and compare notes on festival content. At Wednesday night’s registrant dinner, SXSW Eco and the Austin Hilton will present a delicious regionally/locally sourced meal, including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.

And at Thursday night’s closing party, unwind with music from Austin sensations The Black and White Years at The Mohawk, one of Austin’s premiere and most popular music venues. Take the opportunity to catch up with the contacts you made during the three day conference, network with the people you missed, or just listen to great music and relax. No need to wait until March!

Sounds like a great time, great food, and great music! Now is your chance to say “I was there when it all started”.

The renowned Austin band The Black and White Years will headline the event, which will take place Thursday night at The Mohawk, one of the premiere music venues in the Live Music Capitol of the World.

Given that SXSW and Austin are both inexorably tied to the music scene, it comes as no surprise to SXSWBaby! that the closing night party should feature a local Austin band that was discovered at SXSW Music in 2007. Indeed, it seems most appropriate.

Now for more on the party:

The party will be hosted by energy platform provider Tendril. Take the opportunity to catch up with the contacts you’ll make during the three day conference, network with the people you missed, or just listen to great music and relax. No need to wait until March!

We wonder how many folks attending SXSW Eco will be SXSW first-timers , and how much cross pollination will happen between SXSW Eco and the main event in March.

Panel Picker voting closes.

Friday. Midnight. Just saying.

Paul Allen - Chief Environmental Officer, Constellation Energy 
J. David Bamberger - President, Bamberger Ranch Preserve
Dana Bourland - Vice President, Green Initiatives, Enterprise Community Partners 
LaTosha Brown - Executive Director, Gulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal and Ecological Health 
Josh Dorfman - VP, Marketing, GoodGuide 
Trevor Houser - Director, Energy and Climate Practice, Rhodium Group 
Brewster McCracken - Executive Director, Pecan Street Project
Kathleen Dean Moore - Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Oregon State Unviersity 
Bee Moorhead - Executive Director, Texas Interfaith Power & Light 
Colin Mutchler - Co-Founder & CEO, LoudSauce 
Walter Wang - Managing Director, Sunflower Tax 
Andy Ridley - Executive Director & Co-Founder, Earth Hour 
Armando Rayo - Vice President, Engagement, Cultural Strategies 
Susan Hunt Stevens - Founder and CEO, Practically Green
Damon E. Waitt Ph.D. - Senior Director, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Michael E Webber - Associate Director, University of Texas, Center for International Energy & Environmental Policy

Seems like SXSW Eco is making a name for itself by bringing in the highest levels of Business and Academia as speakers. Well done.

At EarthEcho, Philippe’s work focuses on empowering youth to take action that restores and protects our water planet. Through programs like Water Planet Challenge, and STREAM (Students Reporting Environmental Action Through Media), EarthEcho embraces service-learning and the power of individuals to reshape their communities and our world.

Philippe is also co-founder of Azure Worldwide, a strategic environmental design, development and marketing company. And through the University of Virginia, where he is an OpenGrounds Fellow, Philippe is helping develop a revolutionary interactive game that simulates the impact of individuals on critical water resources.

This last bit makes us wonder if there could be some crossover with SXSW Interactive. Convergence indeed.

Tercek will speak on the opportunities and challenges of conservation in the 21st century, and innovative partnerships and ideas that are driving win-win conservation results that are beneficial for people and nature. Tercek will also share his unique combination of experience in financial and environmental markets, global business, and recognized leadership on climate change and other conservation issues with SXSW Eco registrants.

SXSW Eco is definitely shaping up to be the new “must attend” conference for green initiatives. It will be interesting to see the startups that are launched there. Hopefully it will be the type of incubator SXSW Interactive has become.

For those unfamiliar with them The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization, its more than 1 million members working in more than 30 countries around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. Please give them a look and check out the SXSW Eco site for more information on other previously announced speakers.

Tercek will speak on the opportunities and challenges of conservation in the 21st century, and innovative partnerships and ideas that are driving win-win conservation results that are beneficial for people and nature. Tercek will also share his unique combination of experience in financial and environmental markets, global business, and recognized leadership on climate change and other conservation issues with SXSW Eco registrants.

SXSW Eco is definitely shaping up to be the new “must attend” conference for green initiatives. It will be interesting to see the startups that are launched there. Hopefully it will be the type of incubator SXSW Interactive has become.

For those unfamiliar with them The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization, its more than 1 million members working in more than 30 countries around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. Please give them a look and check out the SXSW Eco site for more information on other previously announced speakers.

SXSW Eco today announced the following confirmed speakers and topics (although no correlation between the two). Note: Austinites by their nature are very environmentally conscious, so it does not surprise us at SXSWBaby! that some of these first speakers are local to Austin.

• Andrew Revkin (The New York Times/Pace University)
• Simran Sethi (William Allen White School Of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas)
• Ned Breslin (Water For People)
• Michael E Webber (University of Texas, Center for International Energy & Environmental Policy)
• Scott Edward Anderson (The Green Skeptic)
• Erik Assadourian (Worldwatch Institute)
• Brewster McCracken (Pecan Street Project)
• Rick Thompson (Greentech Media)
• Tim Mohin (AMD)

Announced Panels:

• Building a Knowosphere to Foster Progress on Our Only Sphere
• The Networked Grid: The Convergence of IT and Electricity Distribution
• Consuming Better: What Neuroscience Says about a Sustainable Future
• Bright Green Urbanism
• Life in the Big City: Unlocking smart development
• Trends and Strategies: Employee Engagement and Sustainability
• Let’s Stop Talking About Sustainability: How our current vocabulary is failing us
• Nature’s Operating Manual: Solving our biggest challenges utilizing 3.8 Billion Years of proven R&D
• Texas and China: Non-Obvious Energy and Environmental Bedfellows

What do you make of the first look at the SXSW Eco line-up?

SXSW Eco will provide an open and creative space for experienced, passionate and pragmatic professionals to network with a diverse group of influential organizations and individuals, while contributing to cutting-edge discussion. The conference will feature a mix of sessions, including keynote presentations, panels, and core-conversations. Session ideas submitted via the SXSW Eco website will be considered by SXSW Eco staff as well as the SXSW Eco Advisory Board.

Now this is interesting, initially on two fronts. The first is that there is now a SXSW conference in October, and the second is that it’s an expansion of the brand into a new area. My worry is that it does a "Ted" and devalues the power of SXSW as Spring Break for geeks, filmsters, musicians and hipsters.

Let’s see what happens.