Can South by Southwest save the planet? On June 27, SXSW Conferences and Festivals announced the latest addition to its portfolio: SXSW Eco, a three-day conference concentrating on sustainability through technology, education, and research. The conference, scheduled for Oct. 4-6 at the Austin Hilton, follows the model of the education-oriented SXSWedu in targeting professionals and advocates in the field. United Nations Foundation associate director and SXSW Eco advisory board member Robert Skinner said SXSW’s experience in “provid[ing] an environment that creates the kind of informal opportunity for the exchange of ideas … could be very helpful in moving the agenda forward on these critical issues of sustainability.” (Full disclosure: SXSW is partly owned and run by Chronicle Publisher Nick Barbaro and Editor Louis Black.) Regis­tra­tion is open, and the conference is soliciting proposals for panel topics and presentations via www.sxsweco.com.

This article appears in July 1 • 2011.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.