Stewart Brand, co-founder of Global Business Network and author of How Buildings Learn, gave a fascinating talk on urbanization and innovation at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club on June 14, 2007. The video of Brand’s presentation, titled How Urbanization Will Drive Innovation on is available on FORA.tv.

Photo credit: Mike Lee

New Ventures (newventures.org) assists sustainable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries with strategic planning and attaining capital for growth. The program is administered by the World Resources Institute’s Enterprise and Innovation Group.

Quoted: The New Ventures program of the World Resources Institute supports sustainable enterprise creation in emerging economies by accelerating the transfer of venture capital to outstanding investment opportunities that incorporate social and environmental benefits.

The World Green Building Council is an important example of global cooperation in support of sustainable building practices.

Quoted: The World Green Building Council is a union of national councils whose mission is to accelerate the transformation of the global property industry towards sustainability. WorldGBC supports member councils’ efforts to adopt and implement market-based transformation tools — such as BREEAM, CASBEE, Green Star and LEED — that meet local needs.

LivingHomes develops LEED® platinum residences that can be built rapidly based on a modular system that reduces waste and accommodates customization. This a fascinating video of a model home being installed in 8 hours.

The Dwell on Design Conference + Exhibition takes place at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco from September 15-17, 2006. Topics include prefab architecture, sustainability, and urban design. Registration and other information can be found on the Dwell Magazine Web site.

Amory Lovins, Chief Scientist at Rocky Mountain Institute, gave an excellent a five-part lecture series on “Advanced Energy Efficiency: Concepts and Practice” at Stanford University in March 2007. The series was organized around the following topics: Buildings, Industry, Transportation, Implementation, and Implications. Embedded above is the first video in the series. The videos from each lecture are available on Google Video and Stanford iTunes.