Public vs. Private? Outspoken Congressman mulls government's investment role in green tech

The kind souls at LimeLeap, a technology services company that has donned a green mantle as its new business mantra, have taken an item off my to-do list, which was to follow up on a green business roundtable that they hosted in Washington last month.

As I blogged, LimeLeap is spreading the word to local small businesses near the nation's capital that you don't have to have deep corporate pockets to go green. Apparently the first roundtable, Lime-Aid, drew about 40 businesspeople. The speaker was the outspoken Congressman Dennis Kucinch (D-Ohio), who spoke about several topics including how technology can contribute to a greener world.

The presentation was videotaped, and here are links to all four parts of the roundtable video on YouTube:

Part 1 (Set-up and basic thoughts about sustainability and how business "design" from both a physical and organization standpoint will play a role in green biz.) Part 2 (Opinions about the decentralization of energy technologies and how businesses and consumers will play a role.) Part 3 (Questions for the Congressman, starting with the role of the Environmental Protection Agency, how to inspire entrepreneurial activities and why energy bills that support massive utility companies are the wrong way to go in the future.) Part 4 (More questions, surrounding where green tech funding will come from, the politics of green tech innovation; PLUS the wrap-up.)

Who do you think should pay for this stuff anyway?