SXSWorld
Issue link: https://sxsw.uberflip.com/i/89251
SXSW Eco: A Second Year Filled With Firsts by Kevin Connor T variety of programming it off ered attendees, who came from as far away as Uganda and Singapore. Th ere were 110 sessions and over 250 speakers covering a wide range of issues concerning climate, sustainability and responsible busi- ness. Many "fi rsts" were added to the programming schedule this year, including the fi rst SXSW Eco Startup Showcase, a juried pitch com- petition for cleantech startups that was won by PlanetReuse. Also new this year was the i2i Awards program, celebrating innovations with the greatest potential benefi t to our planet and society. More fi rsts at SXSW Eco 2012 included the NGO Toolkit, a gath- ering of programmers, evaluation specialists and other stakeholders who designed and built a Crisis Response App to give organizations the ability to respond to crises in a collaborative manner. Th ere was also the fi rst SXSW Eco Hackathon, in which volunteer hackers mined new energy data from the Department of Energy released right before the conference to create new tools for energy effi cient choices, all in just 24 hours! SXSW Eco Connect, a career development ses- sion, the SXSW Eco Exhibition for businesses and a volunteer creek cleanup were also new this year. Keynote speakers included architect and author Lance Hosey, who argued that beauty is inherent to sustainability; former U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan, who had a spirited conversation with Jigar Shah, founder of SunEdison; and Annie Leonard of "Th e Story of Stuff Project," who reinforced the call to activism from her latest fi lm, Th e Story of Change. Distinguished Speakers included Bill McKibben of 350.org, author Anna Lappe from the Small Planet Institute, Penn State's Dr. Michael Mann and SmartGirls Way Founder/CEO Jean Brittingham. Panels were well attended, as were special nighttime events such as he second annual SXSW Eco conference, held October 3–5 at the AT&T Conference Center and around the city of Austin, enjoyed signifi cant growth in attendance and in the the Welcome Dinner at Johnson's Backyard Garden and DJ Spooky's (aka Paul D. Miller) performance of "Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica" at the Stateside Th eatre. Th e quality of the conversations and the enthusiasm of the participants indicate that SXSW Eco is, in a word, sustainable. Th erefore we are pleased to invite everyone to reconvene in Austin, Texas next October 7–9 for SXSW Eco 2013! ■ SXSW Eco Hackathon "Food Anthropology" panel (l to r) Kitty Greenwald, Anna Brones, Constance Okollet and Penny De Los Santos SXSW Eco Exhibition, Boosted Boards SXSW Eco Startup Showcase (left to right) Mitch Jacobson-ATI, Kurt Stogdill- Austin Energy, Sarah Backhouse Showcase MC, Showcase Winners Nathan Benjamin and Willow Lundgren of PlanetReuse, Scott Wilcox-SXSW Eco, Susan Gladwin-Auto Desk and Carolyn Harold-SXSW Eco http://goo.gl/G6xqJ 18 SXSW ORLD / N OVEMBER 2012 RACHAEL MARDIGIAN ALL PHOTOS DAVID FOX UNLESS NOTED