The sustainable energy summit on Saturday at UMass-Amherst went splendidly! Just about everyone we talked to was enthusiastic about the project, and feel it is about time something like this happened. Everyone is tired of a society that can't get its priorities straight, and are glad to see an organization dedicated to financially empowering communities.

We did a presentation to a group of about ten people and got some important feedback on the project, mostly positive and some constructive. It's interesting how sometimes those who seem like your greatest foes can be your biggest allies. This guy at the presentation critiqued the project pretty heavily, saying people want simplicity and it seemed too complex. Later on though, he congratulated us and talked about putting us in contact with many businesses who would be interested in helping Common Good Finance.

Coop Power did a great job organizing the event, and are working closely with Common Good Finance to transform society one community at a time. We are both converging on the same issue from different angles, energy and the economy.

Movements in the past have always worked because there is a coalition of organizations all converging on one ideal - in this case, sustainable communities.

We found at least one partner during our time there, EarthAction.org, and several other organizations are very interested in the project. We also got 30 more people to sign up and many more checking us out. And, we found another potential investor! Our visibility is certainly increasing, and we are moving fast to capitalize on the gains made on Saturday, by following up with everyone.

There is another conference coming up in August, which we're really looking forward to. We're also talking to a few potential investors. We'll keep you posted on any progress.

Lesson learned at the summit: when you passionately do what you love and reach out to people, they will reach back.