Laurie Yolerwas an early enthusiast and angel investor for Tesla Motors, the pioneering electric car maker. She talked to me about her rationale for backing green technology and Tesla. Laurie doesn’t believe we should be green at any cost. Instead she focuses on the great opportunity to find innovative businesses and make (a lot of) money. Laurie points to General Electric which has a long standing history in clean energy innovation, inspired by the profit motive.
“The reason I’m involved in Tesla and I’m passionate about green technologies is I feel you can both be solving the world’s problems and making a profit at the same time.” Laurie Yoler
This is an extract of an interview recorded on October 15, 2008 at the WITI conference in Silicon Valley. For the full interview click here for Part Oneand here for Part Two
Matthew Smithof Greenbox, a maker of web-based energy management systems for homes, sat down with me at the company’s San Bruno based headquarters to discuss how his team plans to change our energy consumption habits, save us money and save the planet. By providing an “energy dashboard” for homes, he claims the company offers consumers the potential to reduce electricity bills by 10-15% by taking small, easy steps. (more…)
Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times columnist, Maureen Dowd, talked to me about her green inspiration – fellow columnist and green energy advocate, Tom Friedman. We had an animated discussion about his book (Hot, Flat and Crowded), his solar house and why she calls him her “office husband.” We also discussed why Maureen is optimistic about the Obama administration and its push for green jobs.
This is an extract of the interview which took place in San Jose on April 2, 2009. For the full interview, click here
In this interview, Mayor Chuck Reed, the Green Mayor, describes how the City of San Jose is helping clean tech startups and established companies grow and thrive in Silicon Valley. (more…)
In the fourth in our series, Fresh Green Minute, we feature Charlie Rose– the acclaimed interviewer and host of the nightly PBS program, Charlie Rose.
We discussed Tom Friedman’s book, Hot Flat and Crowdedand why Charlie thinks that the United States can reassert its leadership in the world by engaging the energy question.
