--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Back in 2007, I met this white guy…" description: "\"Back in 2007, I met this white guy [director Peter Byck] with a lot of hair and a video camera, at a conference that I happened to be attending for the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/van-jones-984_attending_back-in-2007-i-met-this-white-guy-direct_2563243.png" --- # Back in 2007, I met this white guy \[director Peter Byck\]… ![“Back in 2007, I met this white guy [director Peter Byck] with a lot of hair and a video camera, at a conference that I happened to be attending for the launch of an organization called Blacks in Green. I had never heard of him and Peter had never heard of me. We just started talking; he liked what…” quote by Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/van-jones-984_attending_back-in-2007-i-met-this-white-guy-direct_2563243.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/van-jones-984_attending_back-in-2007-i-met-this-white-guy-direct_2563243.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/van-jones-984_attending_back-in-2007-i-met-this-white-guy-direct_2563243.png) > “Back in 2007, I met this white guy \[director Peter Byck\] with a lot of hair and a video camera, at a conference that I happened to be attending for the launch of an organization called Blacks in Green. I had never heard of him and Peter had never heard of me. We just started talking; he liked what I had to say, so he asked me if I'd be willing to be in this documentary he was doing about carbon pollution. I said, "Sure!" It was kind of a no-brainer.” [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An unexpected encounter led to a spontaneous invitation to participate in a film about carbon pollution, highlighting how serendipity can spark activism. **In simple terms:** A chance meeting sparked a documentary role on carbon pollution. Key Takeaway Embrace unexpected opportunities. Themes activism environment serendipity Mood enthusiastic inspired Type narrative motivational When to use this quote - conference networking - environmental advocacy - media participation Key Concepts carbon pollution documentary filmmaking networking Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond to sudden invitations? - What role can you play in environmental storytelling? A Different Perspective Opportunities may be fleeting and require quick decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attending/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Carbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carbon/) [Conferences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conferences/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Documentaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentaries/) [Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary/) [Documentary Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary-doing-1626205/) [Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green/) [Green Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green-heard-1626207/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened/) [Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Mets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mets/) [No brainer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-brainer/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peter/) [Pollution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pollution/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Video](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/video/) [Video cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/video-cameras/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-guy/) [White guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-guys/) [Willing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing/) [Willing Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing-documentary-1626206/) ## Related quotes > [“Green heard her voice, murmuring, and Adrian’s, murmuring back. Something inside of him made an actual glass-cracking noise—and before he could convince himself that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lane/green-heard-her-voice-murmuring-and-adrian-s-murmuring-back-something/) [Amy Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lane/) > [“I hope you have a book telling others how you do what you do. If you answered no, then I challenge you to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kytka-hilmar-jezek/i-hope-you-have-a-book-telling-others-how-you-do-what-you-do-if-you/) [Kytka Hilmar-Jezek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kytka-hilmar-jezek/) > [I think conservatives should be confident in our beliefs and go push them everywhere we can and go to non-traditional communities. It's a no-brainer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/i-think-conservatives-should-be-confident-in-our-beliefs-and-go-push/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [Really, darling, it's a no-brainer. You know, I understand not everybody is for gay marriage. But if you're not for gay marriage, don't marry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/really-darling-it-s-a-no-brainer-you-know-i-understand-not-everybody/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [The parents pull you aside and say, 'I have to give credit where credit is due, you really are sacrificing a lot for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-batch/the-parents-pull-you-aside-and-say-i-have-to-give-credit-where-credit/) [Charlie Batch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-batch/) > [If it really was a no-brainer to make it on your own in business there'd be millions of no-brained, harebrained, and otherwise dubiously brained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-rancic/if-it-really-was-a-no-brainer-to-make-it-on-your-own-in-business/) [Bill Rancic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-rancic/) > [Doing 'Magnificent Seven' was a no-brainer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haley-bennett/doing-magnificent-seven-was-a-no-brainer/) [Haley Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haley-bennett/) > [MY FLOW IS TWO INSANE...BRING TWO STR8 JACKETS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/8ighty-8ight/my-flow-is-two-insane-bring-two-str8-jackets/) [8ighty 8ight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/8ighty-8ight/) > [This was a no-brainer, ... When it came down to it, I said to myself, Hey, you can still play, you can still play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-sharpe/this-was-a-no-brainer-when-it-came-down-to-it-i-said-to-myself-hey/) [Shannon Sharpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-sharpe/) > [I think the power of the short film is incredibly underrated. It is way easier to get someone to watch a 15-minute film then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-ozeki/i-think-the-power-of-the-short-film-is-incredibly-underrated-it-is/) [Nicholas Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-ozeki/) > [There are some roles that are a no-brainer. You just have a sure, instinctive 'Yes!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mcteer/there-are-some-roles-that-are-a-no-brainer-you-just-have-a-sure/) [Janet McTeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mcteer/) > [Indiana wanted to go in a different direction, wanted to go younger, and the Lakers wanted me, so I said, who wouldn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-hibbert/indiana-wanted-to-go-in-a-different-direction-wanted-to-go-younger/) [Roy Hibbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-hibbert/) > [Dior is the first fashion brand I've gotten to work with and it really was a no-brainer for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-barbaro/dior-is-the-first-fashion-brand-i-ve-gotten-to-work-with-and-it/) [Monica Barbaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-barbaro/) > [Its a no-brainer for me that at some point our cars will have the ability to drive themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/its-a-no-brainer-for-me-that-at-some-point-our-cars-will-have-the/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) ## More by Van Jones > [Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/right-now-the-government-is-spending-billions-of-dollars-supporting/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [ If \[Donald\] Trump throws 20 million off of health care, that's going to be - if he handles this badly - and it's very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/if-donald-trump-throws-20-million-off-of-health-care-that-s-going-to/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [America should be leading the world in green and clean solutions, and human rights. We shouldn't be leading the world in wars and incarceration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/america-should-be-leading-the-world-in-green-and-clean-solutions-and/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [ I learned more in those six months \[ in the White House\] than in the prior six years. I don't think that anybody who… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-learned-more-in-those-six-months-in-the-white-house-than-in-the/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Most green-collar jobs are middle-skill jobs. That means they require more education that a high-school diploma, but less than a four-year degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/most-green-collar-jobs-are-middle-skill-jobs-that-means-they-require/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [The problem that we have is that most Americans don't even study American history, let alone Pinochet, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin and all these guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-problem-that-we-have-is-that-most-americans-don-t-even-study/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [ \[Donald Trump\] is a horrible human being, but he ain't worse than Bull Connor. Fannie Lou loved Bull Connor and beat Bull Connor because… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/donald-trump-is-a-horrible-human-being-but-he-ain-t-worse-than-bull/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [The government built the grid to favor one industry over others. But I don't hear any conservatives screaming about that. Folks don't understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-government-built-the-grid-to-favor-one-industry-over-others-but-i/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Keith Ellison is an organizer's organizer.He's one of the only Muslims in Congress, so you have a big statement there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/keith-ellison-is-an-organizer-s-organizer-he-s-one-of-the-only/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Everybody should be mad but anger only takes you so far. At some point, you'll have outrage fatigue and burn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/everybody-should-be-mad-but-anger-only-takes-you-so-far-at-some-point/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [We have to accept that some very toxic stuff was marbled into the Trump phenomenon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/we-have-to-accept-that-some-very-toxic-stuff-was-marbled-into-the/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [All the big ideas for getting us onto a lower carbon trajectory involve a lot of people doing a lot of work, and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/all-the-big-ideas-for-getting-us-onto-a-lower-carbon-trajectory/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I'm the guy that's trying to break up that monopoly to introduce free enterprise and competition to the energy sector.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-m-the-guy-that-s-trying-to-break-up-that-monopoly-to-introduce-free/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I think that America could not become America until it dealt with the disenfranchisement of women and African Americans in the last century. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-think-that-america-could-not-become-america-until-it-dealt-with-the/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I'm learning and changing all the time, and I expect to continue doing so my entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-m-learning-and-changing-all-the-time-and-i-expect-to-continue-doing/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) [Explore all 314 Van Jones quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) ## More Attending quotes > [While I was pregnant, I had dozens of checkups. They covered everything from blood tests to ultrasounds, and I even had the option of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liya-kebede/while-i-was-pregnant-i-had-dozens-of-checkups-they-covered-everything/) [Liya Kebede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liya-kebede/) > [Economists actually disagree about whether there are significant economic returns from attending an elite college versus a less-selective one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/economists-actually-disagree-about-whether-there-are-significant/) [Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/) > [President Obama and Vladimir Putin are both in China attending the same economic summit. Obama saw Putin and said, 'After those midterms, it's nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/president-obama-and-vladimir-putin-are-both-in-china-attending-the/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [I still get excited just attending a final four, because the process is so long, so arduous, so challenging, that when it finally arrives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karch-kiraly/i-still-get-excited-just-attending-a-final-four-because-the-process/) [Karch Kiraly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karch-kiraly/) > [When thou art offended at any man's fault, forthwith turn to thyself and reflect in what manner thou doest error thyself... For by attending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/when-thou-art-offended-at-any-man-s-fault-forthwith-turn-to-thyself/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [A large part of the art of instruction lies in making the difficulty of new problems large enough to challenge thought, and small enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-large-part-of-the-art-of-instruction-lies-in-making-the-difficulty/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [I have been working or attending school full time since I was 13.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-been-working-or-attending-school-full-time-since-i-was-13/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Well, I started conducting kind of by accident. I wanted to give myself a special birthday present for my fortieth birthday, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/well-i-started-conducting-kind-of-by-accident-i-wanted-to-give-myself/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Growing up under the heavy hand of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, it was drummed into me that attending weekly mass was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/growing-up-under-the-heavy-hand-of-the-school-sisters-of-notre-dame/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [Too many of us dissipate our energy by being 'for all good causes,' attending meetings and passing resolutions, organizing and presenting petitions — all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ammon-hennacy/too-many-of-us-dissipate-our-energy-by-being-for-all-good-causes/) [Ammon Hennacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ammon-hennacy/) > [If you feel bored or uncomfortable as you're writing, ask yourself what's bothering you and write about that. Sometimes your creative energy is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-you-feel-bored-or-uncomfortable-as-you-re-writing-ask-yourself/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [It is a matter of public shame that while we have now commemorated our hundredth anniversary, not one in every ten children attending Public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/it-is-a-matter-of-public-shame-that-while-we-have-now-commemorated/) [Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/) > [Washington tends to be full of too many traps. I think reporters there do a lot of attending news briefings and news conferences expecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/washington-tends-to-be-full-of-too-many-traps-i-think-reporters-there/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [A genius is the man in whom you are least likely to find the power of attending to anything insipid or distasteful in itself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/a-genius-is-the-man-in-whom-you-are-least-likely-to-find-the-power-of/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [After a child has arrived at the legal age for attending school,-whether he be the child of noble or of peasant,-the only two absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/after-a-child-has-arrived-at-the-legal-age-for-attending-school/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 223 Attending quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attending/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Back in 2007, I met this white guy [director Peter Byck] with a lot of hair and a video camera, at a conference that I happened to be attending for the launch of an organization called Blacks in Green. 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