mountainfilm
 
 
Symposium Schedule - Friday, May 25th, 2007
 
Note: All schedules, events and presenter participation are subject to change.
 
 
  High Camp (Conference Center)  
Morning Coffee & Snacks - 8:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Time Symposium Topic Speaker Abstract
9:00 AM Symposium Opening Remarks Justin Clifton  
  National Geographic Introduction Dr. John Francis  
  Nexus: Where Energy and Global Warming Meet Dennis Dimick With demand for cheap, available energy expected to double by the middle of this century, the potential for disastrous Global Climate Change will continue to grow beyond our control. The need for renewable, clean sources of energy has never been greater. Through brilliant imagery from national Geographic Magazine, Dennis Dimick will illustrate the realities of Global Climate Change and will draw the connection between renewable energy, a healthy environment and a growing economy.
  The Long Emergency James Howard Kunstler  
  Peak Oil Panel

James Howard Kunstler
Dr. Daniel Nocera
Dennis Dimick

 
  Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future Jeff Goodell America is at an energy crossroads – the dream of clean, cheap energy remains elusive, while gas and oil wells are running dry and prices are rising. What will fuel our future? Increasingly, the answer is coal. In his talk, Goodell will explore the costs and consequences of America’s addiction to coal, including a broad legacy of environmental destruction. Is “clean coal” an oxymoron? And most important, can America continue its romance with coal without sending the planet into a global meltdown?
  Coal Panel Discussion Jeff Goodell
Trey Taylor
Neville Williams
 
  Tackling Climate Change in the U.S. Dr. Chuck Kutscher Meeting our energy requirements while decreasing our carbon output will require a multitude of technologies. Chuck will describe the energy efficiencies and renewable energy technologies that can provide the large reductions in carbon emissions required in the U.S. to help avoid the worst consequences of global warming.
  Localvore Telluride Lunch    
  Power From Flowing Waters... Helping Build Sustainable Communities Trey Taylor Trey Taylor’s company, Verdant Power, has developed a new hydro technology called Kinetic Hydropower, which does not require the traditional damming of rivers. With the potential of producing up to 250,000MW of electricity globally, kinetic hydro could provide a new renewable source of electricity without disrupting the environment. Traditionally, roadblocks to renewable energy sources have been local, state and federal regulatory constraints, but by starting his first US hydro project in New York City, conceivably the toughest US regulatory environment, Trey Taylor has proven the value of kinetic hydro and has become the industry's trail-blazer in changing the regulatory process.
  Making Solar Standard Neville Williams Solar energy is now real; business is booming; and solar power offers Americans a way to reduce their use of fossil fuels, guard against rising utility rates, and provide a secure source of power for homes and businesses. Williams has helped 65,000 families in the developing world to light up their lives with solar electricity, and now his new company is making it easy and convenient for American homeowners to save the planet one solar roof at a time. Williams is the author of CHASING THE SUN: Solar Adventures Around The World (2005, New Society).
  The Global Energy Future Dr. Daniel Nocera Within our lifetimes, energy consumption will increase two-fold, from our current burn rate of 12.8 TW to 28 – 35 TW by 2050 (TW = trillion watts). This additional energy is simply not attainable from nuclear, biomass, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric technologies. The global appetite for energy is simply too much and the environmental degredation from traditional energy sources is unacceptable. Dr. Nocera will explore the preeminent sustainable and renewable carbon-neutral energy source - sunlight.
  Renewables Panel Dr. Daniel Nocera
Trey Taylor
Neville Williams
Dr. Chuck Kutscher
 
  Mountaineering with the Oil Tribe (Keynote Speech) Randy Udall Global oil production has increased 800% since World War II, powering an enormous expansion of human activities, including adventure travel. Cheap energy brought the world's distant mountains near to hand; it was no accident that Everest was first climbed in 1953, or that so many have since trod its summit. As global oil production peaks and begins to decline, the natural world will become bigger again and the fabled summits (and their glaciers) will recede to more distant horizons.
3:00 PM Symposium Wrap Up    
Symposium Wrap - Off to the Gallery Walk