Event - AltCar Expo and Conference

AltCar Expo and Conference will be held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium East Wing, 1855 Main St., Santa Monica, CA, Friday September 16 and Saturday September 17, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. AltCar’s Government Fleet & Industry Conference that runs concurrent with Expo

The goal of AltCar is to provide a very accessible and comprehensive setting where both industry and general public can discover existing alternatives to the way they use energy and transportation and motivate everyone to take further action. California leads the nation in alternative vehicles, incentives and fueling stations, with many states now following the state’s example and implementing programs similar to those in California.

Environmental protection activist and attorney, Sharon Duggan, will present the keynote address on Friday, September 16. Duggan has been an attorney for more than 33 years, during which time she has represented local community, state and federal organizations which advocate for protection of our natural resources.

Duggan’s topic for AltCar is “Youth Stand Up for Their Future” against the fossil fuel industry. She will talk about how young people from throughout the United States and beyond are acting to secure a viable future for themselves and future generations. Faced with the dark and foreboding reality caused by climate change impacts, and less-than-robust efforts by politicians and elected officials, youth are engaging with government and in courts to secure scientifically-based action to deal with climate change. As they take on the forces of the fossil fuel industry, they are meant with enormous resistance and influence trying to thwart meaningful efforts to ensure a livable future for young people and future generations. Duggan will discuss what we all can do to give young people their inalienable rights to be treated equally and fairly.

Recognized as an expert in the forestry field, Duggan has spent decades working to protect our forests from bad logging practices. She has litigated to secure protection for old growth redwood forests, fisheries, wildlife and water in California. Duggan helped to create in 2010, and continues as a Board member of, “Our Children’s Trust,” a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the efforts of young people to secure a viable future in the face of climate change. Over the years, Sharon has been repeatedly recognized for her commitment and dedication to the public interest, including with the “William Douglas Award” by the Sierra Club in 2011, the “Kerry Rydberg Award for Excellence In Public Interest Environmental Litigation” by the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference in 2011, and as a “Top Environmental Attorney” by the Recorder, a San Francisco Bay Area legal newspaper in November 2003.