Green World – Fresh Dialogues: Recent Episodes
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It was hard to focus on anything else these last two weeks as the Climate Conference took place in my home city of Glasgow. Although the deal isn’t perfect, I have three reasons for hope. This week on Fresh Dialogues, I’m sharing those reasons and a recent conversation I had with Vivienne Nunis on the BBC […]
The Paradise Camp Fire is the deadliest wildfire in California history. Why is that? To date 79 people have died and almost 700 are still missing as the fire still rages on. Here in Silicon Valley, we’re processing the tragic devastation and choking in a blanket of smoke and misleading statements from our president, who blames […]
Why did John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods make such an unexpected and rapid deal with Amazon this month? Alison van Diggelen’s recent conversation with Mackey reveals a glimpse inside the head of this provocative and feisty leader. Days after my interview with John Mackey at the Commonwealth Club on May 1st, he began a courtship with […]
Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard calls himself a “benevolent dictator” who levies a 1% “Earth Tax” from his company to fund environmental activism. Currently Patagonia is funding a campaign to protect Bears Ears National Monument, now under threat from President Trump’s executive order this week. Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues sat down with this revered pioneer of environmental responsibility. Chouinard explains how […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues As news broke about Gov. Jerry Brown’s mandatory water restrictions in California, I joined Roger Hearing on the BBC’s Business Matters program to discuss the state’s historic drought and the governor’s slow response. “We are standing on dry grass, and we should be standing on five feet of snow,” Mr. Brown said. […]
One day after the sweeping new rules to limit power plant emissions were announced by the EPA’s Gina McCarthy, China just announced a major carbon emissions cap. Yet the climate change deniers and the the coal lobby are campaigning to preserve carbon polluting energy. It’s valuable to reflect on why these new rules are critical […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Days before the Global Climate Conference in Durban South Africa, NBC’s Special Correspondent Tom Brokaw delivered a strong message in Silicon Valley for those who deny climate change. “It’s real, we see it in our weather systems,” he said and made a somber call to action, saying everyone needs to take a part. […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues (see November 8 update below) Today Bill Weihl, Google’s Green Czar confirmed that he’s leaving the company as of November 8th. What does this mean for the future of Green at Google? And the future of green innovation in Silicon Valley and beyond? Weihl has been the leader […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues The Economist newspaper has a reputation for world-class reporting, with a sardonic British twist. Is the publication bullish about green innovation? I sat down with Martin Giles, the Economist’s US Technology Correspondent last week to get his global perspective on green innovation and the greening of Silicon Valley tech companies. […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues In this week’s Fresh Dialogues, Mark Platshon, an expert in battery technology with venture capitalists, Vantage Point , provides some Battery Basics. What is a battery? “Throw a dart at (two elements on) the periodic table and you can make a battery out of it…a potato and a penny […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues You’ve no doubt heard about the November ballot measure (Proposition 23) which aims to to scupper California’s landmark climate change legislation, AB 32. In this Fresh Dialogues interview, Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, didn’t pull any punches in his response to those behind the plan. “We’re […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Reid Hoffman’s concept of leveraging the power of entrepreneurship was echoed again this summer when I talked with Lesa Mitchell, VP for Advancing Innovation at the Kauffman Foundation. She shared her enthusiasm that, for the first time, the Federal Government is waking up to the enormous impact entrepreneurship can […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues June 24 marked the 13th annual SDForum Visionary Awards, a celebration of the innovators and chutzpah that make Silicon Valley unique. Although the four visionaries come from diverse backgrounds, Silicon Valley was the common theme for the evening. The visionaries gave a revealing glimpse into the Silicon Valley […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Guy Kawasaki, the renowned Apple evangelist shares his top tips on how to become a great evangelist and how to leverage your success. This segment is part of a longer interview which took place in front of an audience of over 500 on July 7, 2010 at UC […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues On the eve of Tesla’s IPO, Richard Lowenthal of Coulomb Technologies discusses the vital role of charging stations in creating a thriving ecosystem for electric vehicles. Lowenthal, a Silicon Valley based maker of charging stations, argues that a comprehensive network of charging stations is a vital prerequisite for the […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Last night, President Obama addressed the nation for the first time from the Oval office. His subject: the BP oil spill disaster. Although some say he was “vapid”, Obama seized the opportunity to call for a clean energy future and end our addiction to fossil fuels. He underlined China’s […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues This week, we feature an interview from the archives with Guy Kawasaki, Apple evangelist and venture capitalist at Garage Technology Ventures He shares his candid thoughts on why he thinks the venture capital model is broken and delivers a bullish pitch for a $500 Million VC Fund. On the VC […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Today, President Obama announced his nominee for Supreme Court to replace Justice Stevens. No surprise to Fresh Dialogues readers: it’s Elena Kagan. So what might she mean for the environment and green tech? On April 1st, just days before Justice Stevens announced his retirement, I sat down […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues On the Eve of Earth Day, it’s telling to look at the green motivations of one of Silicon Valley’s leaders in solar technology: CEO of Akeena Solar, Barry Cinnamon. He’s been a solar advocate since the 1970’s when he studied the science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Fresh Dialogues (TM) is an interview series with a green focus: Fresh Questions, Fresh Answers. This video interview took place at Foothill College Celebrity Forum on April 1, 2010, just one week before Justice Stevens announced his retirement. Check out the new Fresh Dialogues YouTube Channel more exclusive interviews. […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues I sat down with Supreme Court expert, Jeffrey Toobin, to discuss the court’s environmental record and Obama’s likely pick for the Supreme Court to replace Justice Stevens. Without skipping a beat, Toobin said his No. 1 pick is Solicitor General, Elena Kagan. Just one week later, Justice Stevens […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Last week, President Obama announced a surprise decision to allow oil and gas drilling off the East Coast of the United States. The world was at once outraged and confused. What many analysts overlooked is that Obama also said in his speech, “For the sake of the planet and […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues There are countless Silicon Valley wannabes all over the world, from Silicon Wadi in Israel to Silicon Glen in Scotland, but none rival Silicon Valley’s track record. Why is Silicon Valley the premier center of innovation? What is the secret of Silicon Valley’s success? I joined Morton Grosser, a Silicon […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Ask Akeena Solar CEO Barry Cinnamon about the current brouhaha on repealing AB 32 and he’s likely to “get political.” Since the 1970’s, he’s been a strong advocate for solar power and is an active member of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. I met with Barry at the […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues I sat down with Pulitzer Prize winner, Tom Friedman, just before he delivered a lecture to an expectant Foothill College Celebrity Forum audience at the Flint Center in Silicon Valley. We discussed his bestselling book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded and why he thinks the U.S. government MUST jump-start the green economy. According to […]
By Alison van Diggelen, Host of Fresh Dialogues Rolf Papsdorf, President of the Alternative Energy Development Corporation was a recipient of the 2009 Tech Awards in Silicon Valley, for bringing renewable energy (zinc fuel cells) and empowerment to a small community in South Africa. Check out this exclusive interview with Mr. Papsdorf who discusses how to […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues The Obama administration ought to have sent an envoy to the FountainBlue State of Clean Green Conference on January 29, 2010. A panel of Silicon Valley clean tech experts had much to share in response to Moderator Greentech Media’s Eric Wesoff’s question…if you had Department of Energy Secretary, […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Laurie Yoler, a managing director of Growth Point Technology Partners, was a founding board member of Tesla Motors and currently serves on its advisory board. I met with her at the FountainBlue Clean Green Annual Conference on Friday January 29th, the day Tesla announced its planned IPO. […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Check out the new Fresh Dialogues YouTube Channel more exclusive interviews. Robert Ballard, the ocean explorer of Titanic fame sat down with me in Silicon Valley to discuss his expeditions, global warming, and alternative energy. This respected scientist spoke candidly about global warming -“I’ll be honest, it’s […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Transcript: Exclusive Fresh Dialogues interview with Robert Ballard, Ocean scientist of Titanic Fame, January 22, 2010 Watch the video and read the post here Alison van Diggelen: Hello and welcome to Fresh Dialogues. Today I’m interviewing Robert Ballard, ocean explorer and discoverer of the Titanic. Thank you […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Elise Zoli, a partner with Goodwin Procter, is a specialist in energy and clean tech law; and teaches at MIT. I caught up with her at a Fountain Blue Green Transport Event where we discussed two hot areas in clean tech: energy storage and nuclear power. Elise […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Rolf Papsdorf is bringing green power to the people of Africa. Thanks to the Silicon Valley based Tech Awards 2009, the rest of the world is hearing about it. His company Alternative Energy Development Corporation manufactures zinc-air fuel cells to generate off the grid electricity for rural […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host Fresh Dialogues This month Bloom Energy CEO, KR Sridhar was picked as one of Time Magazine’s Tech Pioneers Who Will Change Your Life The Time article references a recent Fresh Dialogues feature, Power to the People SEE A RARE FRESH DIALOGUES VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH KR HERE Read the transcript and […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Silicon Valley’s Kevin Surace has just achieved Rock Star status – of the Green Biz variety. The CEO of Serious Materials was picked as Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. Magazine and joined Time Magazine‘s list of Tech Pioneers Who Will Change Your Life, along with another Silicon Valley Green […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues The catchy title “Cows to Kilowatts” certainly won the attention of the crowds at the 2009 Tech Awards Gala in Silicon Valley, but the project won accolades for more than mere words. Dr. Joseph Adelegan, an Ashoka Fellow is a charismatic engineer who has found an effective way to harness […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues As delegates gather in Copenhagen this week to thrash out a global treaty on climate change, the shrill from skeptics intensifies. It’s useful to listen to wisdom from Nobel Prize winning economist, Paul Krugman. In a recent interview, I asked Paul the question on many lips: Will […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues This exclusive interview with Nobel Prize winner, Paul Krugman was recorded in Silicon Valley. Dr. Krugman was in town to deliver a lecture as part of the Foothill College Celebrity Forum Series. This segment is titled: Will Climate Legislation Kill the Economy? Click here for video […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues On November 17, I attended the CleanTech Open Awards Gala at the Masonic Center in San Francisco and enjoyed keynotes from Lesa Mitchell from the Kaufman Foundation, Bill Weihl, Google’s Energy Czar and Nancy Pfund, of DBL Investors. Minutes after his company was picked as the National […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues This exclusive interview with Nobel Prize winner, Paul Krugman was recorded on November 12, 2009 in Silicon Valley. Dr. Krugman was in town to deliver a lecture as part of the Foothill College Celebrity Forum Series. Here is the transcript of Part Two: On China and Climate Change. […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Here’s the transcript. SEE VIDEO of Part One (Part Two coming soon) In advance of Obama’s trip to China this week, Nobel Prize winner, Paul Krugman gave a short, sharp economics lesson on climate change and China during our exclusive interview in Silicon Valley, November 12. What does […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues On Thursday November 12, I had an exclusive interview with Nobel Prize winning economist, Paul Krugman. Just hours after President Obama announced the Job Summit, I sought out Krugman’s wisdom and he gave some radical advice to the President. Emphasising that “the Job Summit can’t be an empty exercise,” […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues I sat down with Pulitzer prize winning Tom Friedman to discuss his book and the upcoming Climate Summit in Copenhagen. In this part of the interview, we discuss what we can learn from Denmark – dubbed the greenest country in the world; the role of Silicon Valley in energy technology innovation; and where he thinks […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues This is a transcript of Part Two of my interview with Bloom Energy CEO, KR Sridhar. The interview was recorded on September 30, 2009 at the Bloom Energy headquarters in Silicon Valley, California. To listen to the interview and read the original post, click here. SEE THE […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Bloom Energy has been in stealth mode since 2003 and little has been released about the fuel cell company’s technology and timeline. KR Sridhar, CEO of Bloom Energy agreed to sit down with me to discuss the company’s technology and team. We explore the importance of the Bloom […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues This week, we feature an interview with Apple evangelist and venture capitalist at Garage Technology Ventures, Guy Kawasaki. He shares his candid thoughts on the venture capital industry; the fragile economy and why he sees light at the end of the tunnel. On the stock market and VC investing “If you […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues This is a transcript of my interview with Tom Friedman, recorded on September 10, 2009 at the Foothill College Celebrity Forum Series, in Silicon Valley. Check out exclusive Fresh Dialogues Videos: Tom Friedman on Copenhagen “This is a problem that will be solved by innovators, not regulators.” Tom […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues I caught up with Pulitzer Prize winner, Tom Friedman, at the Foothill College Celebrity Forum lecture series last month, where he delivered a spirited argument for why the United States must embrace a green economy. In this second part of our interview, we explore his part in driving the green agenda. This […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues I caught up with David Chen, an executive director at Morgan Stanley, while attending the AlwaysOn Going Green Conference 2009 in Sausalito. Chen, a specialist in the green tech investment sector, discussed the morale of investors; and why he’s expecting a bumpy ride ahead. He also explains the key […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues SEE THE VIDEO INTERVIEW HERE – A FRESH DIALOGUES EXCLUSIVE Bloom Energy: Fuel Cell Technology Bloom Energy: Affordability is Essential Video Bloom Energy: Mission to Change the World Video This is a transcript of Part One of my interview with Bloom Energy CEO, KR Sridhar about fuel cell […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues SEE THE VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH KR SRIDHAR HERE – A FRESH DIALOGUES EXCLUSIVE Part One: Fuel Cell Technology and Efficiency Also Part Two Bloom Energy: Affordability is Essential Video Part Three Bloom Energy: Mission to Change the World Video Bloom Energy CEO KR Sridhar is a man with a mission to […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Vinod Khosla, the green investment guru, was asked to name the company with the greatest chance of becoming the next Green Microsoft while onstage at the GoingGreen Conference in Sausalito. He declined to name his “favorite child” but did praise Calera, the green cement maker he’s backing; and spoke about the […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues I caught up with Tony Perkins, founder of AlwaysOn and Red Herring Magazine, just before he opened the third annual GoingGreen Conference in Sausalito, California. He agreed to talk for five minutes but well, we got talking…about what’s hot in the green sector, the downside of going green, […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues This is a transcript of my interview with Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and author Thomas Friedman. I caught up with Tom at Foothill College’s Celebrity Forum in Silicon Valley on September 10, 2009. To listen to interview highlights, click here Alison van Diggelen: Tom, thank you very much for joining […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Last week, I sat down with Pulitzer Prize winner, Tom Friedman, just before he delivered a lecture to an expectant Foothill College Celebrity Forum audience at the Flint Center in Silicon Valley. We discussed his bestselling book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded and why he thinks it’s imperative that the U.S. […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Earlier this year, I met with Linda Holroyd, CEO of FountainBlue, a Silicon Valley based forum that brings together top experts and entrepreneurs in green tech. We discussed why her company is thriving because of the down economy; and why she has faith in the resiliency of green […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Apple evangelist and venture capitalist, Guy Kawasaki discusses the aesthetics of hybrid cars, Tesla Motors, and nuclear power. He also delivers a very memorable lesson about keeping on the good side of the media in this Fresh Dialogues interview. While discussing the relative merits of his Audi […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Lena Wilson has been described as one of the most powerful women in Scotland. She’s CEO of both Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International, two publicly funded organizations focused on stimulating sustainable growth in Scotland. The country has an ambitious target to provide 50% of its energy from renewable […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Here are the highlights of my discussion with Rob Lamkin, CEO of Cool Earth Solar, a concentrated photovoltaic startup based in Livermore. Why is solar the solution to global warming and energy security? “Solar energy is the only thing we have in near enough abundance to solve […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues I caught up with Twitter officianado, Adam Jackson at SDForum’s Teens Plugged in Conference. He talks about how Twitter is going green and how his new book, 140 Characters, a style guide to Twitter, will be released as an iPhone App – a greener and cheaper option […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues I caught up with Elise Zoli at FountainBlue’s Forum on Clean Green Transportation this month. Elise is a Boston based partner with law firm, Goodwin Procter, but is a frequently in Silicon Valley to serve her local clients. She specializes in energy, climate change and clean tech law. We […]
Mary Vincent, a go-getting green entrepreneur let me know about a cool green event she’s co-hosting in Silicon Valley next month The First Green Software Unconference Silicon Valley When: August 19, 2009 Where: The Computer History Museum in Mountain View Why: Be in the company of entrepreneurs, engineers, venture capitalists, marketers and business strategists, and sustainability […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Kevin Surace is serious about tackling global warming and argues that producing energy saving building materials can go a long way to cutting down CO2 emissions and reducing energy consumption in the United States. He’s CEO of Serious Materials, a Sunnyvale based maker of eco drywall, windows […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Judy Estrin is an influential tech entrepreneur, CEO of JLabs, and author of Closing the Innovation Gap. I caught up with her at SD Forum’s 12th annual Visionary Awards in Atherton, where she was one of four recipients. We talked about whether clean energy solutions can save the planet; […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Our Green Mayor was in fine form at SD Forum’s Visionary Awards on June 25th. He made a convincing pitch about why innovators and visionaries should locate in San Jose. In this photo, he’s pointing out his Economic Development team to the high profile crowd gathered in Atherton; but […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues This is a transcript of my interview with influential venture capitalist Vinod Khosla. The interview was recorded at the SD Forum Visionary Awards on June 25, 2009. To listen to the interview or read the summary post, click here Alison van Diggelen: I’m with Vinod Khosla, one of […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues I talked to Alltop cofounder, Guy Kawasaki at his Garage Technology Partners office in downtown Palo Alto and we discussed Amazon’s Kindle. Although he’s not yet a Kindle user, he can see the attraction to users, especially for reference books. What would persuade him to use a Kindle? “I […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Paul O’Brien, renewable energy expert at Scottish Development International discusses details of the Saltire Prize, a Ten Million Pound Prize for the best marine energy technology. “It’s not so much about the money, it’s about the kudos of winning the prize; the recognition from the global marine energy […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues I met with Rob Bernard, Microsoft’s Chief Environmental Strategist, at – appropriately enough – Green’s Restaurant in San Francisco to discuss the company’s green strategy and why it was late to embrace its green credentials. What motivated Microsoft to appoint a Green Czar? Why isn’t Microsoft more […]
by Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Laurie Yoler was 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 […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Matthew Smith of 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 […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues 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.” […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues 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. Why should a clean tech startup relocate to Silicon Valley? What are the key elements of the Silicon Valley […]
By Alison van Diggelen 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 Crowded and why Charlie thinks that the United States can reassert its leadership in the world by engaging […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Andres Wydler is a clean tech executive based in San Francisco, formerly with BPL Global, a smart grid company. He cofounded the Constellation Investment Group of angel investors. In January, he delivered a sold out lecture series on clean tech entrepreneurship at Stanford University and will repeat the series this […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues In the third in our series of Fresh Green Minute, Apple evangelist and Alltop cofounder, Guy Kawasaki gives some insights into how to become a Green Revolutionary. He’s author of the book, Rules for Revolutionaries and I asked him how these rules apply to those in the green […]
By Alison van Diggelen Catherine Cook was a big draw at SDForum’s Tech Titans of Tomorrow: Teens Plugged In Conference last Wednesday at the Hewlett Packard Auditorium in Palo Alto. She is cofounder of MyYearbook a social media network for teens which has raised almost $17 million in funding. She talked to me about the site’s […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Adam Jackson is social media expert and coauthor of the upcoming style guide for Twitter fans – “140 Characters, A Style Guide For The Short Form” which was recently reviewed in the New York Times I met him at the energetic SDForum Teens Plugged In Conference at Hewlett Packard on […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Martin Sheen sat down with me at the Flint Center in Cupertino to talk about what motivates him to be green and actively involved in environmental causes. He supports projects like the Sea Water Foundation, which is using seawater to create rich agriculture land from coastal deserts […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues New on Fresh Dialogues: Fresh Green Minute– one minute bytes of green inspiration First up: Legendary business leader of General Electric, Jack Welch Interview Transcript Alison van Diggelen: “Why is going green so important for business?” Jack Welch: “From a business standpoint, you’ve got a consumer now […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues On the eve of Earth Day, I sat down with Forum host, Michael Krasny, at the KQED studios in San Francisco to discuss his journey from scrappy youth to celebrated interviewer, professor, and author. We talked about his book “Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life” and explored […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Yesterday, I met with the enchanting Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Maureen Dowd. We had an animated conversation during a green-themed morning in downtown San Jose. Over cups of delicious mint tea, we discussed Maureen’s Irish heritage and how that inspires her fiery prose. We also discussed her […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Pulitzer Prize winning Maureen Dowd was a guest of Fresh Dialogues on Friday April 3rd, 2009. The interview was recorded at the Fairmont Hotel San Jose, April 2nd, 2009. Here are some select quotes from the transcript. Check back soon for the full transcript. Are Maureen’s New York Times columns letters […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues My interview with Guy Kawasaki took place at Garage Technology Partners in Palo Alto, April 8, 2009. To read the summary or listen to the interview, click here Alison: Guy Kawasaki is a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, cofounder of Alltop, columnist, author and sought after speaker, but […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues On Monday, I was invited to Greens Restaurant in San Francisco to meet Microsoft’s Chief Environmental Strategist, Rob Bernard. We then joined a small group of researchers and media to discuss Microsoft’s efforts to lower its carbon footprint and leverage information technology globally to address climate change […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Last month, during a lecture trip to Scotland, I sat down for tea at Scottish Development International in Glasgow with Paul O’Brien, senior executive of Renewable Energy Development. We discussed how Scotland is leveraging its expertise and natural resources in the renewable energy sector. Claiming up to 25% of Europe’s offshore wind, wave […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Transcript of Fresh Dialogues interview with Maureen Dowd. The interview took place at the Fairmont Hotel, Silicon Valley on April 2, 2009. To listen to the interview, click here Alison van Diggelen: I’m pleased to welcome Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. Maureen – […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Listen to Cool Earth Solar’s Rob Lamkin on Fresh Dialogues Rob Lamkin is CEO of Cool Earth Solar, a solar energy company -with a difference. The Cool Earth team (which includes several rocket scientists) has developed low-cost balloon shaped concentrators that capture up to 400 times magnified solar energy. […]
by Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues On Thursday, I had the pleasure of interviewing Charlie Rose, the acclaimed journalist and host of Charlie Rose, the nightly PBS program. Charlie has interviewed everyone who is anyone, from Barack Obama to Bono; from Madeleine Albright to Meryl Streep. We had a lively conversation about what he calls […]
By Alison R.G. van Diggelen, host of FreshDialogues Just back from a whistle-stop trip to Scotland where I was invited by Michael Clouser, at the University of Edinburgh, to give a series of seminars to students and entrepreneurs. These included: The state of Clean and Green Tech in Silicon Valley – why green tech is still […]
by Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Today on Fresh Dialogues we talk to Charlie Rose, the acclaimed host of the Charlie Rose Show on PBS. His show has been described as the last refuge of intelligent conversation on television. I interviewed him after his Celebrity Forum lecture at the Flint Center in Silicon […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Hundreds of women descended on the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, January 30 and 31st for the second annual Silicon Valley She’s Geeky Conference. I hadn’t heard about it until Melanie Swan of the MS Futures Group invited me to lead a seminar about Fresh Dialogues podcasts and […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues A capacity crowd packed Sun Microsystem’s historic Santa Clara campus auditorium last Friday. After introductions by hosts Susan Lucas Conwell of SDForum and Linda Holroyd of FountainBlue, a rousing challenge to the green tech crowd came from Mayor Chuck Reed : “We want YOU to make us energy […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of FreshDialogues It only took six days to change the (clean tech) world. On January 20th, while the world stopped to watch, President Obama gave a stoic but very powerful Inauguration Address. Instead of the soaring oratory we’ve grown accustomed to, he was somber in his words and delivery, reflecting the gravity of […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of FreshDialogues If we need any more evidence that clean tech is hot in Silicon Valley, this is it. Last Wednesday, I attended a lecture on Clean Tech Entrepreneurship by Andres Wydler at Stanford University. Originally planned for 20 to 30 students, the class was heavily oversubscribed and extended to 80 […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Last Friday, I met with Linda Holroyd, CEO of Mountain View based FountainBlue to discuss her views on the resiliency of green tech in today’s economy. Given that the oil price has now tumbled to under $50 a barrel and gas prices are half of last summer’s high of […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues In Part Two of our interview with Mayor Chuck Reed, the Green Mayor discusses how the city is changing its rules and practices to move “at the speed of business” to attract clean tech companies like Tesla Motors to Silicon Valley. The interview includes: Why the Mayor’s Green Vision had […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Listen to Fresh Dialogues with Anna Jaeger, TechSoup I caught up with Anna Jaeger, Director of the GreenTech Program at TechSoup Global, during The Green Enterprise UnConference at The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, December 3, 2008. San Francisco-based TechSoup partners with many leading tech companies […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues (12 minutes) Download Fresh Dialogues with Ann Winblad I talked to celebrated tech leader and VC Ann Winblad at Hummer Winblad on December 5th. New jobless figures had just been released, and were reminiscent of the mid 1970’s. Yet, despite that gloom, the views over the Embarcadero to San Francisco Bay […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Former Sun Microsytems Executive, Mary Vincent chaired a panel of green venture capital and entrepreneur experts at the 2008 Women in Technology International (WITI) Conference in Silicon Valley. She talked to me afterwards about the key moment that inspired her to give up her corporate job as […]
By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues Last Wednesday, SDForum, the energetic and prolific nonprofit for techies, hosted an excellent program for those considering a move to the Green and Clean business world. Jennifer McFarlane of Clean Source Power (a solar energy company) did an excellent job as moderator to the panel of clean tech experts, […]