There was lots of passion on display at Tuesday’s Clean Technology event at the Harvard Club (disclosure: sponsored by Beaupre and Brodeur Partners).

• “Cleantech hasn’t had its Netscape moment yet.”
• “The science is so compelling it’s hard to turn back.”
• “This has become personal to them (CEOs). They are, on some level, thinking about their legacies - what kind of world they’re leaving for their children and grandchildren.”
• “This is the growth sector for America.”

• The pace of change isn’t fast enough, but New England is off to “a fantastic start.”
• If Obama is elected, it will be positive for clean technology, “We’ll look back in six months and be amazed.”
• The revolution will occur via 100,000 “small garages” vs. a Manhattan Project-like effort.
• We’ll need unprecedented private sector creativity and public sector political power working together like they’ve never done before.
• Investment and growth for cleantech is markedly different vs. the software industry. 
• The VC industry is ripe for upheaval; a shakeout is looming.

Cleantech VC guru Paul Maeder said “We’re going to have to look at new models of cooperation or we’ll all go the way of the duckbill platypus.”

Our parent company, Brodeur Partners, announced the results of a new survey with clean energy and environmental reporters regarding their industry outlook and use of social media.

 The key takeaways:

• Journalists are skeptical about whether the United States can significantly decrease its dependence on fossil fuel.
• Academic institutions and government bodies are the most trusted sources of information on cutting-edge clean energy technologies. Over 90% of journalists view these as credible news sources.
• Most are influenced by blogs and spend more than an hour each day reading them.

You can read survey results here.

1. Bill Gates believes we’ll “see our way through this.”
2. Congress is finally grilling CEOs about their obscene pay. I’m hoping this is a tipping point. We’ve got to wipe this practice from the face of business forevermore.
3. Through it all, spirited entrepreneurs are launching and growing start-ups in a diverse array of industries from clean tech and biotech to medical device companies and e-healthcare to mobile communications and virtualization. Money continues to flow and people are still being hired.
4. The Oracle of Omaha is re-investing billions in our economy. Thanks Warren.
5. The first Earth Day was in 1970. Last Friday, Congress passed legislation putting energy-tax incentives in place for solar, wind and clean-energy products. For the first time, it feels like clean and green are actually becoming a mandated, lasting fabric of our society.
6. OJ finally got his due (this one’s a bit of a stretch; file it under memorabilia business news).
7. Massive banking consolidation has yielded three powerhouse institutions helping stabilize the market: Bank of America, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase. Yes, BOA profits plunged on Monday, but Kenneth Lewis has his finger on the right buttons.
8. Unemployment is hovering around 3% in South Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, North Dakota and Montana. I know, I know, but we’re looking for rays of sunshine anywhere across this land.
9. The king of spam got jailed.
10. Nothing feels better than a deep belly laugh during a heated, historical, political contest. Tina Fey & SNL are reminding us to keep things in perspective. Only 28 days until a new president is elected; this act will calm the waters going into 09.