The Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton issued the following news release:

Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton today announced that for this spring semester, the Business, Environment and Social Responsibility (BESR) Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business will offer "Sustainability Meets Entrepreneurship," a Friday forum series designed to provide UW students and members of the community access to experts on clean technology and alternative energy.

"This new program will give bright entrepreneurs both the vision and tools they need to develop innovative strategies to address the opportunities of developing a green economy," said Lawton. "Local economic growth and job creation begins with sustainable development. I applaud our UW-Madison School of Business and the campus's Wiscontrepreneur initiative for targeting green innovators ready to grow new businesses right here."

The forum series was motivated and inspired by Lawton's Green Economy Agenda, an agenda to empower smart individual and institutional action related to energy, water and climate change while strengthening Wisconsin's competitive position in a global economy

"I am approached again and again by people wanting to start up a clean tech or alternative energy business," said Lawton, who will be the presenter at the Friday, March 27 forum. "Now they can learn from green business experts who will share their experience - stories of the challenges they've met, trends they see and the successes they've realized in this growing sector. We want Wisconsin's entrepreneurs poised to take advantage of the opportunities that can come with a new president who is committed to driving green-collar jobs creation."

The "Sustainability Meets Entrepreneurship" forums are free and open to the public. However, seating is limited and individuals must register at the following link if they want to attend: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=ptMGgmekZufxXmambvPG_dQ

"We are thankful for Lt. Governor Lawton bringing this idea to UW-Madison's Wiscontrepreneur initiative, who in turn engaged Dr. Xun Pan, Assistant Professor of Bioenergy and Bioproducts Engineering in the Dept. of Biological Systems Engineering, and the BESR program," said program co-director Tom Eggert. "We want to highlight some of our amazing entrepreneurs and offer them up as models for others that are seeking to address some of the challenges we are facing while also providing jobs and making money. This community forum is unique in the way it brings the community together with the professionals and students to hear from green business experts and start a dialogue."

The first community forum is scheduled for Friday, January 30 at noon. UW-Madison professors Tom Eggert and Xuejun Pan will be providing a broad overview about cleantech and alternative energy companies, on-going research, and future opportunities. The forum will be held in 5120 Grainger Hall on the UW-Madison campus. Lunch will be provided.

Subsequent forums will be held on the following Fridays: February 13, February 27, March 13, March 27 (Lt. Governor Lawton), and April 17. Interested individuals will need to register for each of these forums separately at the above internet address.

The BESR forum is part of the Wiscontrepreneur Initiative, made possible in part by a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and administered by the UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations. Additional support is provided by the MGE Foundation.

For more information on Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton's Green Economy Agenda please visit: www.ltgov.wisconsin.gov and click on the "Green Economy Agenda" button.

Contact: Ben Nuckels, 608/266-3516; Doug Bradley, 608/263-0238; Tom Eggert, 608/267-2761.

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