In between pool volleyball and the Electric Slide, I'm sure the conference attendees on this floating temple to humanity's excessive indulgences will be hard at work finding ways to be more consumptive in a more sustainable manner. I'm certain that something good will come out of the event, because Chip Giller, Grist's founder, will be there, hobnobbing with
lots of smart, highly successful, digitally wired superstars, all with an interest in making the world a better place.
As I was saying here, a bunch of us working these precincts in the blogosphere like to tell you when we're heading off to rad events and luxe destinations. I forgot to mention that we also like to tweet the moment when we're there. So just in case you're not "following" any of the attendees gathering on the planet's behalf in the middle of the sea, here's the hashtag, where you can receive wish you were here sentiments, like this one:
sorry folks, but this summit is incredible.
If you browse the twitter feed, you'll see why it's so incredible, with tweets like this:
according to the PA, yoga with Russell Simmons is happening on the main deck
I guess not everybody on twitter got the tweet on this NYT article about the hazards of flaunting. But back to Giller and Grist. Besides the all-you-can-eat midnight buffet, what is he hoping to get out of the cruise?
For me, the opportunity is to talk with many leading tech and social-good entrepreneurs about how to tackle climate change, the foremost challenge of our time -- how to make true strides to cut back on emissions, surmount the communications challenges related to the issue, and push back against political intransigence. And also to discuss new ways to shine a light on all the amazing innovations occurring in the fields of energy, food, transportation, and design. Sometimes I feel as if a revolution is taking place, but not enough people are aware of the momentum and the revolution hasn't yet been named.
Hmm, I bet more people would get with the revolution if they could attend posh events like this one. Giller also informs us that he's going aboard the mega-liner with eyes wide open:
...being the curmudgeon that I am, I'll also try to bone up on the cruise industry and its environmental record.
If Giller wants to really know what the industry is all about--especially as it relates to the cruise line he's traveling on--he ought to read this definitive Harper's article by David Foster Wallace. It goes down best with the conch fritters and slippery nipple.
