I'm traveling with colleagues Carol Newell, Pamela Chaloult, from Renewal, and Heidi Hartman from Social Venture Network.

We are on the familiar pilgrimage to Hollyhock for another blockbuster crafted gathering compliments of Karen Mahon, Rhian Walker and Jennie Reckon of Hollyhock Leadership Institute.

We'll be with over 100 leaders of non profit organizations, mission driven businesses, professional advisors, charitable funders and social investors.

I'm especially looking forward to hearing Billy Parish's keynote tonight. He's making waves with his USA based work on green collar jobs. That refers to the powerful linkage between renewable energy retrofit of society and fair wage jobs for underemployed youth and others left out of the affluence era.

When I think about the number of people needed to install solar panels on every roof, relative to the mega dollar centralized power plant projects, I realize this is another one of those almost too obvious great ideas. Like organic foods 20 years ago seemed quaint and only for the Birkenstock set, there are huge new industries emerging in the solutions economy.

Back to Social Change Institute (SCI), gatherings that bring leaders from across issue areas and geographies together to learn, share, socialize, and make friendships while aligning strategies and tactics are a hallmark of the non virtual social networking the Hollyhock team is so good at.

I can't wait to see what kinds of initiatives and solutions focused alliances will come out of this 3rd SCI.

And I get to spend a long weekend with my honey! Dana is the diva who keeps Hollyhock shining brighter and brighter.