Alex Steffen at Town Hall

Worldchanging.com Press Release.

World Renowned Green Futurist and Sustainability Expert to Speak in Seattle in November

This fall presents a rare opportunity to see Worldchanging.com's Alex Steffen in person at Town Hall Seattle on Nov. 11 and 12. As a world expert on bright green futurism, Alex spends much of his time traveling and speaking with leading businesses and governments from Norway to New Zealand; he rarely speaks at home in Seattle. But for two nights this November, he'll take the stage at Town Hall and share the latest thinking about how we here in the Emerald City can confront our planetary boundaries and how Seattle citizens can become leading innovators in a sustainable economy.

The future is unfolding as far more dangerous and chaotic than we hoped... and more full of opportunity and reasons for optimism than we imagined. As we lead up to the Copenhagen Climate Summit, a new global consensus is emerging that problems like population, global health, poverty, urbanization, climate change and environmental decline are not separate issues, but symptoms of one giant planetary challenge. The answer to that challenge must be a new kind of prosperity, one that allows billions of people to achieve a better life without destroying the planet.

At the same time, new tools and innovations are redefining the possible and changing what we thought we knew about sustainability. We're seeing potential revolutions everywhere in how we build, eat, move, work, shop and communicate. In this new world of possibilities, Seattle has a unique opportunity to transform itself into a model of sustainable prosperity and to again become a global leader in the process.

Want to know what the future holds for your career and your community? Don't miss this one-time opportunity to explore some of the most important trends shaping our lives, with one of the most sought-after green futurists working today. Alex will share Worldchanging's latest thoughts about the planetary challenges we face and his cutting edge ideas about bright green solutions, sustainability and urban innovation. And after the talks, you'll also get a chance to meet other Worldchangers, make connections and share ideas.

A New Global Future – November 11 - Alex Steffen, introduced by TBA

Nine billion people on a straining planet is a recipe either for catastrophe or transformation. Which future we get - tragic disaster or sustainable prosperity - will depend largely on the choices we here in the developed world make. What is possible for billions of people rising out of poverty will be determined largely by the shape of the economy we create in places like Seattle. How do we understand what a bright green future looks like and how do we propel our region toward it? This first night will explore the breakthroughs in renewable energy, green building, clean technology, smart infrastructure and sustainable design that can enable the Pacific Northwest to not only help lead the planet away from catastrophe, but to become an economic power house.

Seattle's Bright Green Moment – November 12 - Alex Steffen, introduced by Mike McGinn

Cities are the engines of a bright green economy. A new urban way of life is emerging that is not only ecologically frugal, but wealthier, healthier, and more enjoyable. At the same time, smart cities are becoming the hothouses of sustainable innovation, growing the designs, technologies, policies, and start up companies that will thrive in the new global economy. Learn how leading urban regions like London, Copenhagen, Melbourne and Seoul are scrambling to rebuild themselves on bright green lines in order to lead in the economy of tomorrow. Join the conversation on how we can use cutting edge practices such as innovation networks, metropolitan coalitions, and government 2.0 to break through the logjams blocking our region's progress to build a more vital, sustainable and prosperous home.

Both talks will be in the Great Hall at Town Hall Seattle (townhallseattle.org), and start 7:30 p.m. (doors at 7:00 p.m.). Each talk is 90 minutes, no intermission. Presented by Town Hall’s Center for Civic Life. Tickets are $5.00 and the event is expected to sell out.

Purchase tickets at:
November 11: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/85709
November 12: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/85713

About Alex Steffen:

Alex Steffen co-founded Worldchanging in 2003. He is the editor of the site and it's bestselling book Worldchanging: A User's Guide to the 21st Century (Abrams). A sought-after speaker, Alex has taken the stage at leading educational institutions (including Harvard, Yale, and Oxford), international businesses (including IDEO, Nike, Arup) and the world's premier ideas conferences (including TED, Poptech and Design Indaba). Alex has been profiled in the New York Times Magazine and was the subject of a CNN-International documentary. His commentary and writing have appeared in Wired, BusinessWeek, Marketplace, Der Spiegel, the BBC and elsewhere, and he has been profiled or interviewed by hundreds of publications and programs around the world, from the Yomiuri Shimbun, Haaretz and the Times of India to National Public Radio, the Wall Street Journal and the Seattle Times. He is a past president of Allied Arts of Seattle, was co-founder of the Livable Communities Coalition and has served on numerous local boards and committees.

About Worldchanging:

Worldchanging.com is a nonprofit media organization headquartered in Seattle, WA, that comprises a global network of independent journalists, designers and thinkers. Through its multiple-award-winning website, the organization covers the world’s most innovative solutions to the planet’s problems, and inspires its global readers with stories of new models and ideas for building a bright green future. In the six years since its founding, Worldchanging has produced more than 10,500 visionary articles. Worldchanging's book, a winner of the Green Prize for Sustainable Literature, has been translated into French, German, and Korean (with other languages forthcoming). The website and book (with a foreword by Al Gore), have become a new generation's go-to sources for forward thinking, solutions-based journalism that takes a big-picture approach to sustainability. This approach has garnered Worldchanging a large global audience; Nielson Online ranked Worldchanging.com the second-largest sustainability website on the planet in its most recent assessment of the field.

What Others say about Worldchanging:

“Vitally important… not only shows what is already possible but also helps all of us imagine what might be.”
– Al Gore

"This book is the essential guide to creating sustainable solutions for today’s problems."
- Gwyneth Paltrow

"[Worldchanging is] the Whole Earth Catalog retooled for the iPod generation ... a compendium of everything a younger generation of environmental activists has to offer: creativity, digital dexterity, networking ability, an Internet-era optimism about the future, and a deep concern about not only green issues but related questions of human rights, poverty, and social justice."
– Bill McKibben New York Review of Books

"Worldchanging might well be the most complete, compelling articulation of the possible look and feel and actual operation of a sustainable society ever written."
– Denis Hayes, Bullitt Foundation

“The most important website on the planet”
– Bruce Sterling, Wired