As William Gibson said “ The future is here, it’s just not widely distributed yet”. That quote gets at the feeling one has while attending a conference like West Coast Green. Dozens of passionate and charismatic speakers describing extraordinary efforts to create a sustainable world and helping everyone else imagine what that actually looks like. This is all taking place next door to an expo trade-show that’s showcasing 300+ of the most advanced green building, renewable energy, smart transportation, and clean energy technologies on the planet. The suits standing next to the hippies, a synergistic combo of visionary ideal and corporate execution.

The opening keynote was given by Van Jones. If you’ve never seen Van Jones speak before, he’s my generation's Bobby Kennedy or Martin Luther King. He uses his charisma and humor to relax your cynicism then delivers a powerful message of personal empowerment and action. As Paul Hawken said “If you look at the facts, you can’t help but feel depressed, but if you look at the people creating solutions, you can’t help but feel hopeful”. Van Jones and the other WCG speakers are those people.

Van shared that he’s watched our country elect a president on a message of hope and quickly move into despair and cynicism after seeing just how little has changed. He calls for a new kind of hope, a Hope 2.0 that isn’t about Washington creating change, but about “user-generated change”, change coming from you and me. He encourages us that our despair is actually an opportunity to do the “Inside-Out” work of digging deep within ourselves and listening to that small voice that’s been quietly whispering in our ear, pushing us forward, telling us we have a gift to give to the world. It’s listening to and acting upon this voice, of discovering what we truly love and want to contribute to the world that will not only overcome that despair, but lead to an extraordinary and meaningful life. “Your dream isn’t just a dream for yourself. For some reason you have the dream to be prosperous by helping others thrive”.

How many of us believe that we are actually capable of changing the world? How many of us are told that we’re more powerful than we ever realized? On the other side, we usually don’t think about how much harm one small act of greed can cause. One of the main causes for the Deep Water Horizon oil volcano was a bean counter in BP choosing to save some money by not installing the proper seal on the rig. That one small act of greed led to the greatest environmental catastrophe in history. On the contrary “That means that one small act of love can have non-linear, good results. I would ask you to keep that in mind and to act in love. You have no idea how much power you have to change the country and the world. In the context of your enterprise, you have to keep stretching out that heart, just like in yoga. When it gets harder to love, love harder” Have you stretched your heart out today? Have you found the gift you have to give to the world? If not, get busy searching. If yes, get busy sharing.