BookExpo America, Los Angeles 2008 [Update 2]

Green Is the New Red, White and Blue
Keynote Speaker: Thomas L. Friedman

Friedman is a Pulitzer winner and author of best sellers like The World is Flat and Lexus and the Olive Tree. The New York Times journalist who has been the strongest supporter of globalisation and its merits gave an arousing speech on his new book and the urgency for a green revolution.

The premise of his new book, Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need A Green Revolution – and how it can renew America, (to be published in Sep’08) is that the country has lost its way in the global arena largely because of bad environmental habits.

“Our challenge is to be innovative in the way we take up the environmental cause." Friedman said, "This is the only way we can make America stronger.” He proposed that the U.S. implement a “Code Green” policy as a means of beginning the process of overhauling its energy policies. Friedman goes on to identify the mega-trends facing the world today as energy poverty, climate change, “petro-dictatorship” and biodiversity loss.

Going Green was the indeed the hot topic of Book Expo with 7 dedicated seminars and workshops. Publishers gave out Recycle bags instead of plastic bags. The media played its part as well due to the rising fuel prices and the great returns from investing in alternative and biofuels.