Below are some of the points we took from what was discussed over the two days: some real nuggets for anyone looking to start up a business.

Thanks to the speakers and everyone who attended over the two days. We’d love to hear what you thought and took from it.

[In the photo: John Harrington, RealEyes]

Insights from the day:

Over 40 Events Nationwide!

The Convergence Festival is Ireland’s longest running sustainable living festival. The theme for our 16th Festival is Green Jobs & Community Resilience. With events in Dublin, Tipperary, Sligo, Cork, Kilkenny, Limerick and Westmeath there is something for everyone. There are films, forums, workshops and much more all promoting and celebrating sustainable living. Most events are free and all workshops are free for Green Works students.

Catriona McCabe & Mark Nolan, former Start Your Own Green Business students in Cork have taken the plunge in business.  West Cork Country Courses offer a wide range of fun and practical courses including beekeeping, working horses, willow basketry and vegetable growing, with many coming this summer.

by Darren Quick, reprinted from gizmag

The Solar Wind bridge concept combines solar cells and wind turbines to generate power for around 115,000 homes

by Stephen L. Cowell, reprinted from Renewable Energy World's blog

As our economy continues to sputter, one little-noticed industry has been booming for a while now: energy efficiency. The sector is hiring like crazy — a fact that speaks volumes about the close relationship between clean energy and the economic recovery that we’re all waiting for. Energy efficiency could save us all.

Fashion designer Ada Zanditon was profiled in the Guardian on 9 Jan 2011, for her work in fashion design using biomimicry – sustainable design innovation inspired by the natural world.  We really like her quote at the end of the article:  "I'm not doing everything 100% right yet," she says, "but sustainability is about continuing to find out."

According to a recent article, [e]mployment in the solar thermal collector industry jumped 22 percent in 2009 from the previous year, [based on a] report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The number of solar thermal companies increased by 19 percent. Could the same trend begin to emerge in Ireland?  We at Green Works think so.