Sierra Business Council Announces Peak Innovation Conference In Tahoe City California

TRUCKEE, Calif., June 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Sustainable business leaders, acclaimed writers and science gurus will offer opportunities for in-depth discussion about creative approaches to solving challenging issues at Sierra Business Council's 20th Anniversary Conference: "Peak Innovation – The Next 20 Years" in Tahoe City.

"Peak Innovation brings together an outstanding lineup of thought leaders and practitioners who are designing and implementing cutting-edge solutions to the most difficult social and environmental issues of our time," says Steve Frisch, President of Sierra Business Council.

The conference opens with celebrated writer Terry Tempest Williams who will be interviewed about "The Power of Place." A naturalist and fierce advocate for freedom of speech, she consistently shows how environmental issues are social issues.

"So here is my question," she asks, "what might a different kind of power look like, feel like, and can power be redistributed equitably even beyond our own species?" Throughout the conference, participants will discuss relevant ways that rural regions are defining and cultivating their own unique brand of triple bottom line innovation. Leaders from Patagonia, The Burning Man Project, Interfaith Power and Light and Placer County are among a group of diverse featured panelists.

Sierra Business Council also presents NY Times best selling author Van Jones, a globally recognized innovator of the clean energy economy as well as a renowned human rights activist. Jones is president and co-founder of Rebuild the Dream as well as co-host of CNN's Crossfire reboot. A Yale-educated attorney, he has written two best sellers: The Green Collar Economy and Rebuild the Dream. Jones worked as the green jobs advisor to the Obama White House where he helped run the inter-agency process that oversaw $80 billion in green energy recovery spending. The list of his awards and honors is vast: Rolling Stone's "12 Leaders Who Get Things Done," TIME's "100 Most Influential People in the World," Fast Company's "12 Most Creative Minds on Earth," and Essence Magazine's "25 Most Inspiring African Americans". He is the founder of Green For All, a national organization working to get green jobs to disadvantaged communities, and was the main advocate for the Green Jobs Act signed into law.

"We are committed to leveraging the ingenuity of business owners, conservationists, entrepreneurs, academics, resource managers, non-profit organizations, government officials and committed residents to make the Sierra a great place to live and work," adds Frisch.

Conference sponsors include Sierra Pacific, Granlibakken, Tahoe Trips & Trails, Stella at The Cedar House Sport Hotel, Wild & Scenic Film Festival and CliffBar. For sponsorship opportunities contact Steve Frisch at (530) 582-4800or [email protected].

Follow conference news at #SierraPeak2014 on Facebook and Twitter.

About Sierra Business Council

The Sierra Business Council is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to building a better Sierra through "on the ground" projects that promote, develop and amplify the area's social, natural and economic capital.  www.sierrabusiness.org

Contact: Michael Penwarden, Community Network Director, [email protected], 530.550.8321

SOURCE Sierra Business Council