Power Shift: The U.S. Navy and Global Energy Reform 

Ray Mabus, Secretary of the U.S. Navy

Do biofuels really have enough oomph to power jet fighters and battleships? The Department of the Navy is already testing blends of renewable and traditional fuels and sees that as the way of the future. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus outlined an ambitious plan last fall mandating that half of the department's energy consumption, ashore and afloat, come from alternative sources by 2020. And he pledged by 2015 to cut in half the amount of petroleum used in the commercial vehicle fleet by increasing the department's number of hybrid and electric vehicles. The Navy and Marine Corps see dependence on fossil fuels as undermining U.S. national security and oil supply lines as dangerous vulnerabilities in battle. Mabus, a former governor of Mississippi and U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, knows domestic and international energy politics. Join us for a conversation with one of the country's most influential advocates for energy reform.

Location: Fairmont Hotel, Crystal Room, 950 Mason St. (at California)
Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program
Cost: $15 members, $25 non-members, students free (with valid ID). Premium (seating in first few rows) $45 members, $65 non-members
Also know: The speakers and audience will be videotaped for future broadcast on the Climate One TV show on KRCB TV 22 on Comcast and DirecTV