Walking around the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, I often receive the standard question: “Where do you work?” This is one of the easiest queries to respond to for anyone, as it illicits a simple, almost robotic, response of “I work for the Cleantech Group”.

However, it is the follow-up question that often proves to be more difficult than one would think.

“What does Cleantech Group do?”

There are certainly catchphrases, buzzwords, and one-line company descriptions that can satisfy this question. Sure, we track investments, M&A, partnerships, and IPOs within what we have dubbed the “clean tech” sector (others prefer to call it “green tech” or “sustainable technology”). Our database, i3, provides an efficient way for investors, cleantech companies, government agencies, corporations, and research institutes to gain invaluable insights into a sector that is, quite simply, difficult to track.

Sure, Cleantech Group also holds the industry’s most exclusive events, along with various innovation roundtables throughout the year with industry leaders. Not only do these events allow for the propagation of fresh ideas and the fostering of creative collaboration, but they also provide for crucial networking opportunities and key introductions.

And finally, we certainly also have incredibly talented industry analysts that provide top-notch advisory work for large corporations. We have aided in the creation of innovation incubators, helped establish venturing units, and provided air-tight due diligence to numerous global powers in the industry.

While all of these facets of our business certainly paint a pretty solid picture of what Cleantech Group does, I cannot help but find myself dissatisfied with each of those answers. It seems as if there is a larger, more important answer to the question of “What does Cleantech Group do?”

The answer, at least for myself, is found if we step back from the industry all together. If we perform a thought experiment in which we forget about investments, mergers & acquisitions, and partnerships and even stop thinking about biofuels, solar, water, and wind—it is then that we can begin to see the big picture.

Why does clean technology even exist? Why do photovoltaics matter, and why should we care about energy efficiency?

The answer, of course, is that clean technology is vital to the future, not only of the United States, but of the entire globe. Finding sustainable and renewable ways to operate in a high-consumption world is paramount to preserving the world that we all live in. Thus, clean technology is a vital and necessary part of our collective future. This is where I find my answer to our original question.

“What does Cleantech Group do?”

Put simply, we are facilitating the future. And that is an answer that I can hang my hat on.