I'm excited to see the launch of Connected Urban Development happen here in San Francisco this week. It is fitting that Cisco should jump into the fray with a community building initiative centered on ICT's role in sustainable development. They've been among the vanguard of companies innovating in IT and in International Development since their beginning. John Chambers, et al have a long record of prioritizing Cisco's role in bridging the digital divide and investing in our shared future.
But do we need Yet Another Climate Change Initiative? Clearly, Cisco can do great things in fulfilling their commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative and help to reduce carbon emissions, but are they detracting from other important programs already well underway to address the same issues? I hope not, and I certainly will watch this space to see what actually occurs after the conference closes today. If the list of business and government leaders they've assembled for the event is any indication, CUD is already doing much to help foster the all important public-private partnerships that are so hard to sustain over the life of a long ranging initiative like this.
Among the programs whose mission overlaps with CUD are ICLEI and Natural Capitalism Solutions. Both organizations have been at this Sustainable Urban Development business long before global warming entered the business world's conscience. ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) was founded in 1990 to help local governments connect with each other and develop cost effective means of sustainable development. Hunter Lovins and her posse at NatCap Solutions have made available an incredibly valuable resource for urban climate change programs: The Climate Protection Manual for Cities. Neither of these two veteran groups appear to be involved in Cisco's climate_change_initiative_come_lately. Hopefully the connections will be made soon enough and some real efficiencies can be gained in collaborating on development of environmentally sustainable cities. I'll see if I can run over to the conference at lunch time and help Cisco build their network. Maybe I'll even get to meet my new business idol, Robin Chase, TEDster and CEO of GoLoco, who is on the conference agenda today.
