Of the many entrepreneurs recognized, my favorite was Susan V. Daywitt, CEO of SLM-Facility Solutions Nationwide. The feisty exec brought the audience of over 600 to applause and cheers several times as she described what her company does: recycle waste (like cardboard, grass clippings and discarded produce) back into topsoil “so the nation can grow more healthy food,” she said.

Her company also converts grease and cooking oil into biodiesel to power cars and trucks “so the nation can ease its dependence on foreign oil.”

When asked how she deals with adversity, she said she thumbs her nose at competitors and ignores those who tell her she “can’t.”

“Yes, I can,” she says – and her successful track record proves it!

I believe women are uniquely suited to transform the adversity we face into advantage. 

Women have the resilience needed to move beyond crisis-induced paralysis to “full speed ahead.”

Our ability to collaborate, network, manage, juggle, invent and multi-task are the exact 21st century talents needed to transform the old and out-dated business models that led to this predicament in the first place.

If we are to realize the vision for a new society, a new economy, a new environment, and a new future that has been articulated by our new president and so avidly embraced by the American people, women can — and must — lead the way!

At the World Economic Forum in  Davos, Switzerland, Ernst & Young, the global accounting firm, released the results of a study supporting the claims starting to come from many quarters that women and the businesses they run could be the linchpin for the world’s financial Renaissance.

“In troubled financial times, hope for a brighter future resides largely in the world’s potential for renewed economic growth. What many people don’t realize is that achieving such growth depends on the world’s ability to expand women’s participation in the global workforce,” the company notes on its website.

To raise awareness of this “powerful force for growth,” Ernst & Young conducted in-depth interviews and gained insights from leading thinkers in business, government and academia. Their research, Groundbreakers: Using the strength of women to rebuild the world’s economy,” ” demonstrates that the increased participation of women in business could significantly enhance global growth.”

In a complementary op ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, Ernst & Young CEO says, “It’s not that women make better decisions, have a greater sense of risk, or can sniff out fraud better than men. But they tend to approach decisions differently than men, with different frames of reference.

“Not having enough women in positions of power and decision-making capacities has deprived major firms—and the global economy—of the diversity in thinking and resulting positive outcomes, which were desperately needed then, and now,” he added.

In other words, there’s never been a better time – or a more critical need – for women to jump into the business world – and to bring our desire to make that world greener and cleaner as well as more profitable.

Yes, the environment seems on the brink of collapse.

Yes, people are scared of what the future holds.

Yes, things will get worse before they get better.

So what?

I’m not the oldest kid on the block, but I’m definitely old enough to remember that we’ve had bad times before. And you know what I’ve learned? Bad times are inevitably followed by good times.

This is going to be especially true for all of us thinkers and dreamers and entrepreneurs who are inspired by the “yin-yang” dynamics at play in our universe — and realize that in every crisis, there is opportunity.

The opportunity we face right now is borne specifically out of the twin crises of environmental and economic collapse.

This opportunity has a name: it’s called the new green economy.

It’s also got a price tag. Independent analysts predict the value of the new green economy — ranges any where from $1 trillion to $20 trillion dollars over the next few decades.

I don’t call that a crisis.

I call it … an opportunity.

The secret lies in how we take advantage of it.

Big Green Breakthrough has some ideas. Stay tuned.