NEW YORK - Nearly 1,000 heads of state, CEOs, nonprofit leaders and socially conscious celebrities descended on the Sheraton New York Hotel and Tower last week at the request of former President Bill Clinton. The gathering marked the second annual Clinton Global Initiative, a flurry of discussion and fundraising which raised $7.3 billion in less than 72 hours for a host of socially responsible causes.
Though participants forked out $15,000 to attend (with the exceptions of heads of state and nonprofit folks), most shelled out far more than a few grand by the conference's end. Each attendee made a "commitment" of time or money to alleviate global problems, including climate change, global health, poverty and religious conflict. Those who did not won't be invited back in 2007.
Entrepreneur Steve Bing pledged $40 million for a clean energy campaign in California, Citigroup committed $5.5 million to a microfinance project and Jonathan Tisch donated $40 million to Tufts University for a school of public service.
But Virgin founder Richard Branson's announcement trumped the other 215 commitments and caused even the jaws of jaded reporters to fall open. Branson said all profits collected over the next 10 years from his Virgin airline and train business - an estimated $3 billion - will go toward "tackling global warming."
"No matter how cynical you are, that's serious money," Clinton said.
Still, cynicism about the announcement soon took hold as reporters and members asked whether the Virgin mogul might profit from the move. Rather than donating $3 billion to charity, Branson will invest it in alternative energy ventures, some of which could generate a return.
Though some of the pledges may have been pre-determined and could have happened without a cardboard certificate of validation from the grey-haired president, several did emerge spontaneously over the course of the conference.
In the opening plenary, New York Times Foreign Affairs columnist Thomas Friedman asked the presidents of Colombia, Pakistan and Liberia what wishes their "genie," Clinton, could grant their countries. Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf issued a plea for foreign investment in her nation's post-conflict economy, and by Friday afternoon a group of black participants, including Brown trustee and BET chief executive Debra Lee '76, were on board to do just that.
The group, which included actor Jeffrey Wright, promised to raise $30 million to "renew a link" between the black business community and Liberia, which was founded by freed American slaves.
In another session, Wal-Mart chief executive H. Lee Scott and media baron Rupert Murdoch waxed lyrical about their companies' respective efforts to turn corporate power into good for the masses.
Murdoch said his company, News Corporation, is carbon neutral and provides a $2,000 subsidy for any employee who purchases a hybrid car. In collaboration with Google and others, Murdoch said News Corporation is trying to develop a $100 computer, an idea that "is pretty unpopular with certain well-known people at this conference," he said.
But Scott's description of Wal-Mart's efforts dwarfed Murdoch's account of News Corporation initiatives. Wal-Mart recently began selling compact fluorescent bulbs and has announced it will soon make 291 generic prescription drugs available for $4 in its stores. By the end of the event, Wal-Mart agreed to improve the packaging for one of its toy product lines, a change Clinton said would save 5,109 trees and 66.7 million gallons of diesel fuel by keeping 13,000 trucks off the road.
"We're not finding that there are trade-offs," Scott said of the changes. "If you can harness your size and your relationships - and if (non-governmental organizations) will trust that not everything you're trying to do is evil - you can make partnerships that will take this beyond anything you've ever dreamed of."
Scott continued: "Our size can in fact be used in a way that propels good."
As former Secretary of State Colin Powell challenged Murdoch and Scott to urge their companies' employees to engage in the public sector, former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw quipped to Fox News owner Murdoch: "Rupert, I think some in this room would say that there are people who work for you who are already working for the administration."
Despite Brokaw's joke, the event began with a bipartisan spirit that continued throughout.
In what Fox News' coverage described as a "keynote address," First Lady Laura Bush opened the meeting by recounting the "initiatives" through which the "American people" are helping citizens of developing countries. Though the list sounded remarkably like a laundry list of her husband's ongoing development programs, the first lady's speech kicked off the event with a sincere attempt at bipartisanship.
As the man who ousted her father-in-law from the Oval Office sat with his chin in his hand, Bush unveiled her own "commitment." In partnership with AOL founder Steve Case's foundation, the first lady announced a clean water pump system powered by children on merry-go-rounds for communities in sub-Saharan Africa.
The only political rallying cry - and momentary lapse into less-than-bipartisanship - came with former Vice President Al Gore's call for clean energy policies.
As Gore joined Clinton at the podium to sign a "commitment," not a bill, a few wistful sighs peppered the ballroom as former Clintonistas recalled the days when they were in power.
Though Clinton-mania was not the hallmark of the three-day event, CGI's closing session did feature lengthy praise for the former president. After Nelson Mandela called the former president to the stage via video teleconference, Clinton stood on the circular platform in the center of the audience and asked each of the four discussion track leaders - all former policy aides in the Clinton White House - to report on their respective discussions.
Each former Clinton aide began with an effusive thank you to their former boss for bringing the eclectic group of causes and wealth together. They eventually proceeded to rattle off an impressive list of commitments generated in the discussions as nonprofit leaders with large needs met attendees with even larger pockets.
In the brief interludes between photo ops and certificate signings, Clinton embarked on personal soliloquies that ranged from a call for colleges and universities to take the lead in clean energy use to an endearing account of his own attempt to change all the light bulbs in his Chappaqua, N.Y., home to compact fluorescents.
Still, Clinton spoke to corporate attendees' needs as he promoted commitments that could be easily expanded to other countries or promised "a quick turnaround and high return."
At last, Clinton drew to a close. "All we have tried to do here is create a small piece of common ground in a contentious world, where all these people can stand together and make common cause," he said.
Ruth Simmons, Chris Tucker and
Biodegradable Bamboo
Though last year's celebrity contingent included Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Diddy, this year only a few actors and entertainers strolled the halls.
Still, The Herald spotted Alyssa Milano and Anne Hathaway slipping into the ladies' room. In an effort to reach President Ruth Simmons after her panel, this reporter pushed through crowds of former U.S. presidential candidates and heads of state, only to find Simmons in conversation with Chris Tucker.
"Hotel Rwanda" star Don Cheadle spoke solemnly on genocide in Darfur in one panel session hours before Barbra Streisand, sporting sunglasses in the colorfully lit ballroom, joined Clinton onstage for a photo op commemorating her $1 million donation to his foundation's climate change project.
Despite the obvious irony of men who had arrived in limos discussing the need for hybrid vehicles and Chanel-clad women searching for pet global health causes, the meals, menus and even centerpieces qualified as "sustainable."
As U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Jordan's King Abdullah II repeatedly spouted the words "integrated," "together" and "peace" in consecutive speeches, participants munched on an organic dinner served on biodegradable bamboo plates and cups.
