Fast Company Recommended Events November 2009

November

mon, november 02
Exterminate
International Congress on Biological Invasions
Fuzhou, China

Incoming! Every year, the gypsy moth, zebra mussel, and other invaders do more than $130 billion in damage to U.S. agriculture, forests, rangelands, and fisheries. Worldwide, that figure soars past $1 trillion. "Part of the problem," says University of Tennessee ecology professor Daniel Simberloff, who will give a keynote address in Fuzhou, "is that, at most meetings, people tend to focus on what [the invaders] are doing, not how we can deal with them." Case in point: While much ado has been made about New York grappling with Asian long-horned beetles, which have been devouring trees since 1996, Chicago -- which was infested two years later -- has wholly eradicated the bugs by rigorously monitoring the spread and quarantining wood from infected areas. At this first-ever congress, Simberloff plans to share similar success stories in an attempt to shift the focus. "There's no silver bullet," he says, "but there are possible solutions." -- DAN MACSAI

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tue, november 03
Munch
Sandwich Day

On the 291st birthday of John Montagu, fourth Earl of Sandwich, we honor the classic combo named after the British aristocrat who, according to legend, ordered a piece of meat tucked between two pieces of bread. Others soon requested "the same as Sandwich," spawning what is now a $22.7-billion-and-growing business in the U.S. We do wonder whether Montagu would feel comfortable eating at the sector's undisputed giant, Subway, which has nearly 22,000 locations and some $10 billion in annual sales. Maybe we should name Jared the new Earl of Sandwich. -- ZACHARY WILSON

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tue, november 03
Read
Googled
By Ken Auletta

"If we solve search," Google cofounder Larry Page told a class at Stanford in 2002, "that means you can answer any question. Which means you can do basically anything." Googled tells the story of the search rocket's relentless ambition and how it has upended every corner of the media business. Auletta creates an engrossing narrative from this clash between Google's engineering mind-set and old media's grip on the buggy whip of the status quo. Although Google appears indomitable, he identifies several potential Achilles' heels, from naïveté to arrogance to a chaotic management structure. And from the company's myriad initiatives, he hints that the most important to watch is whether Google can successfully monetize YouTube. If it can do so, then, as CEO Eric Schmidt says, "that's the creation of the equivalent of the CBS network in the 1950s." If not, we may remember it as the company's MySpace moment. -- DAVID LIDSKY

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tue, november 03
Grow
Soya and Oilseed Summit 2009
New Orleans

The U.S. expects its largest-ever soybean crop this year: 3.2 billion bushels, enough to make 77 pounds of tofu for each person on the planet. Still, that might not be adequate, given rising demand for meat -- and thus animal feed -- in the developing world, plus new and increasing interest in using soybeans and other oilseeds for biofuels. But we've only got so much farmland, a predicament that will be a hot topic in New Orleans. "If you give more space to corn, you have to take space from soybeans. If you give more space to soybeans, it has to take from another crop," says Soyatech CEO Chris Erickson. "It's sort of like pushing your finger into a balloon. Somewhere else is going to bubble up." -- STEPHANIE SCHOMER

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wed, november 04
Build
World Architecture Festival
Barcelona, Spain

Cars and airplanes may get tarred with a reputation as energy hogs, but the biggest culprits are buildings. Keeping our offices and homes lit, heated, and cooled accounts for a staggering 72% of electricity consumption and 38% of all carbon emissions in the U.S. That explains why green building is now more than just a trend -- it's becoming a requirement. At this year's World Architecture Festival, nearly all of the showcased projects were designed with sustainability in mind. For instance, New Zealand's Yellow Treehouse Restaurant was built halfway up a redwood with locally harvested wood beams. Eco-consciousness is adding a new layer to how we erect structures, says program director Paul Finch: "It's changing the way people fundamentally think about buildings" and how we regard environments -- not just the ones we construct but also those we disrupt in the process. -- ANNE C. LEE

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thu, november 05
Chill
International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Is it ironic or just delightfully apropos that, for four days, the tony Caribe Hilton Hotel will swarm with academics, labor leaders, and HR types studying the vein-popping levels of angst currently afflicting employees? (Some 67% of adults say work is a major source of worry, according to the American Psychological Association, up from 62% a year ago.) We're sure all that anxious chatter will raise attendees' stress levels. Mercifully, they'll be able to soothe themselves in the venue's "beautiful oceanfront swimming pools" and "17 acres of lush tropical gardens," or doze off in "hammocks next to the secluded beach." If only all workplaces were this serene. -- THEUNIS BATES

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