Paul Hawken | Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES)

Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, and author. Starting at age 20, he dedicated his life to sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment. His practice has included starting and running ecological businesses, writing and teaching about the impact of commerce on living systems, and consulting with governments and corporations on economic development, industrial ecology, and environmental policy. (excerpt from Paul Hawkens Biography, www.paulhawken.com)

For our 30th Anniversary Gala event, MRES will be bringing keynote speaker Paul Hawken to St. Paul to speak about his latest (2007) novel, Blessed Unrest. Hawken says in Blessed Unrest that NGOs around the globe, like MRES, share "concerns about worker health, living wages, equity, education, and basic human rights inseparable from concerns about water, climate, and biodiversity." The free market system left alone doesn't provide for these "externalities," so we must collaborate and cooperate to create the solutions for our sustainable future.

Worldchanging Interview: Paul HawkenPaul Hawken Shares His Thoughts with Worldchanging About Optimism, Doomers and What's Next

Above: Paul Hawken Speaking on Blessed Unrest