Podcast

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Music by Chris Keister

Program Notes

To make sure the attendees were awake for this breakfast meeting the morning after election night, first up was a comedian. Yoram Bauman calls himself a stand-up economist. It was clear who in the audience stayed awake through at least a semester of econ -- they were the ones who were laughing.

[Bauman]

Bauman has a great way of using humor to explain the concept of externalities, and segued from there into his more serious message:

[Bauman]

The main event, though, was a brief panel presentation by a utility CEO, a home builder and a banker. Steve Reynolds is CEO of Puget Sound Energy, which serves about a million customers in Washington state.

[Reynolds]

In that morning's news, Puget Energy reported a Q3 net loss. Reynolds had blamed declining new-home construction, among several potential causes.

Panelist Donna Shirey, president of home builder Shirey Contracting, spoke frankly about whether green homes are immune to the downturn.

[Shirey]

But Shirey went on to quote some up-beat statistics about how much easier it is to market a green home, and how an energy efficient house is perceived as being environmentally friendly. Then she explained her company's latest project: a zero-energy idea home.

[Shirey]

[Williams]

That's Dave Williams, CEO of Shorebank Pacific.

[Williams]

Shorebank describes itself as a commercial bank with a commitment to environmentally sustainable community development.

So, how does a sustainable business make a good impression on a sustainable bank?

[Williams]

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