A packed Forum agenda was ushered in with speeches by representatives fromboth the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns. In his remarkson behalf of Senator John McCain, former Governor of Virginia George Allensaid, "What Senator McCain as president would do is propose a nationalenergy strategy that will amount to a declaration of independence fromenergy insecurity and he'll promote diversification and conservation of ourenergy resources."

In his comments about the need to change energy production incentives,Executive Director of the National Commission on Energy Policy, and advisorto Senator Barrack Obama's campaign Jason Grumet said, "Senator Obamabelieves that we have to decouple the profit motives of the energy sectorfrom energy production." Grumet added that Senator Obama also believes thatwithin the next decade new buildings need to be 25% more efficient thanthey are today, and 50% more efficient by 2030.

Delivering the luncheon keynote address at the Forum was PulitzerPrize-winning author and New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman, authorof the upcoming book, "Hot, Flat, and Crowded:Why We Need a Green Revolution - and How It Can Renew America." Duringhis address, he shared excerpts of the book for the first time in the U.S.Through the reading he offered strong advice about the serious challengeswe face and proposed mobilizing to a "code green." He explained, "What redwas to America in the 1950s and 1960s...we need green to be for today'sAmerica." Friedman went on to say, "I would be less than truthful, though,if I said that America as it operates today is ready for this mission. Weare not."

Immediately following his speech, Friedman lead an engaging paneldiscussion with Robert K. Watson, founder of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED®Green Building Rating System, and David B. Goldstein, co-director of theNatural Resources Defense Council's energy program.