On 18 May 2011, the Rafael del Pino Foundation hosted Woodrow W. Clark II, who gave the Keynote Lecture "The Coming Economy".
Woodrow W. Clark said: "In reality, the coming economy has been with us for a couple of decades. It originated in the European Union as well as in Japan and South Korea and has not yet caught on in America. Basically we are talking about an economy that, of course, has as its objectives the generation of wealth and economic profit but also takes into account social issues: the environment, health, social groups in general... It is a kind of economy that, day by day, is taking hold in more and more parts of the world.
Woodrow W. Clark II also referred to the idea of sustainability: "The concept of 'community' as a human group with shared interests is crucial when talking about sustainability. It's not just about building an energy-efficient house - which is a good thing and generates cost savings for its owners and reduces energy demand - it's about going beyond that: What if we think about a residential area, a shopping centre, or a group of buildings? In short: What if we think in terms of 'community'? Well, we have to think about the integration of water, energy and telecommunications infrastructures? All these actions make a community sustainable. It is not about balancing economic growth and environmental conservation. It is about reducing the impact of growth on the environment - which has already suffered too much punishment - by integrating infrastructures and being truly sustainable by reducing the demand on resources [...]. China, for example, has made a giant leap in this direction, with a considerable effort in the implementation of renewable energies and in the financing of infrastructures necessary to make its economy sustainable. Of course, they have made mistakes, but they are well aware of them.
