Have you seen examples of the clean economy sprouting up in Barrio Logan?

While some groups are fighting against the clean economy and others are advocating for it many more entrepreneurs and businesspeople are cashing in on it. More power to them!

Recently, I attended an informal dinner at Truluck’s in La Jolla. I was invited by Coronado local Rob Steiner. The dinner was hosted by a national DC-based organization called the Clean Economy Network. In a nutshell, this is their mission:

“CEN is a networking, educational, and advocacy organization shaping a new economy based on clean technology and innovation. Our members are professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers who connect to each other, learn information relevant to business and professional growth, and influence public policies that impact the clean economy.”

The dinner setting was intimate, tucked away in a private room. Both Bachus and Socrates would’ve enjoyed themselves. The dinner table was a mid-sized rectangle that allowed for an easy roundtable-style discussion. Wine was ample. The topics of discussion were broad and current.

Most of the attendees were clean economy entrepreneurs and leaders. I snuck in the back door and made up a fancy title.

As the conversations unfolded and pivoted off-topic and back again, the night’s themes were always roughly aimed at this question: Where is the new, clean or green or whatever-you-want-to-call-it economy going?

One of the most salient comments of the night centered on Proposition 23–the measure that aimed to essentially, depending on your viewpoint, derail or slow down Assembly Bill 32 , which failed election night. Surprisingly, in San Diego County, a more conservative county, the measure failed by 55.8 per cent.

So what does that mean? Are San Diegans ready to embrace a new framwork for the state’s economy?

By killing Proposition 23 California voters arguably endorsed Assembly Bill 32. If that is indeed the case, I’m excited to see what the future has in store for San Diego and California’s economy.

Listening to the business people at this dinner I was inspired by their creativity and the innovative companies they started. In this doom and gloom media atmosphere it was refreshing to see lots of energy, no pun intended, and tons of ideas that are being implemented now and creating jobs right here in San Diego. The animal spirits were roaring at this feast.

I saw a sneak peek of this entrepreneurial energy the other day when I went for a jog.

As I often do, I ran down Cesar Chavez Parkway in Barrio Logan toward the Bay. Along my route, was the fledgling business New Leaf Biofuel (a bio diesel processing plant started by a recent Pepperdine law grad), I was then compelled to wait at the intersection of Cesar Chavez Parkway and Harbor Drive because three trucks were maneuvering massive redwood sized wind turbines from the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal onto Harbor Drive.

The turbines were delivered from the other side of the Pacific Ocean on frigates that lock into the Port and are likely now powered by on-shore power (clean energy – ships no longer have to sit idly pumping diesel into the air before they dock).

Once I slipped passed the trucks and turbines I took a breather at the end of the pier at Cesar Chavez Park. Looking north I saw the Convention Center poised for an expansion with a rooftop covered in solar panels.

When I looked south I saw the South Bay Power Plant that just weeks ago was decommissioned by a state agency. It will soon be torn down, it’s energy no longer needed in the region.

That's me in the upper left hand corner looking out of place in a suit.

Whatever your views on the clean or green economy, whether you believe in climate change or not, the economy is changing and I am thrilled for this bold new economy. I am excited because it means new jobs, more economic opportunity for California’s creative business people and a healthier quality of life.

It’s happening right across the Coronado bridge in Barrio Logan and I think that is a good thing for San Diego, do you?

You can read my other posts at http://thecoronadochronicle.wordpress.com/

Thanks for checking in and reading.