Billed as an event of "maximum celebration, minimal impact," the Green Inaugural Ball was certainly low impact, environmentally. Unfortunately, it will likely have just as little impact on the actions of those who attended.

The event was held in the gorgeous Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in downtown Washington. Enormous stone columns line the main auditorium, while ornate glass fixtures hang from the sky-high ceilings. Blue and green light patterns speckled the walls of the room. Who's who-types arrived in GEM electric cars.

Organizers took pains to live up to their earthy title. Wind energy credits and carbon offsets were bought to neutralize the event's resource use. Food and drink were plentiful and focused on organic and local selections. Disposable products were recycled and composted. Other eco-touches included online-only ticket sales, LED lighting, and soy wax (huh?) candles.

The theme even included the event website, which is hosted with AISO.net, a green IT company in California. Their data center runs on solar power and their hyper-efficient servers use 60% less energy than most.

I was really looking forward to hearing from a range of the biggest names on the green scene. Notable speakers included Treehugger.com founder Graham Hill, eco-model Summer (my parents were hippies) Rayne Oakes, and Margie Alt (Exec. Dir. of Environment America). Heroes star Hayden Panetierre made a brief surprise appearance as well.

I thought these articulate and energetic presenters would put forth a vision that the nation's green leaders - many of whom were in the very room - could grab onto and use in their work and daily lives. Instead, the speeches ranged from vague and flowery to completely incomprehensible in one case.

It all sounded like so many enviro talks I've heard a hundred times, full of idealism but short on substance. Yes, it is important to "build community" and reduce impact in your own life, but we've elected the greenest president in history and nobody was talking about what comes next. What should the environmental policy over the next four years look like to ensure that we arrest climate change, develop new energy sources, and make a societal shift toward sustainability?

The crowd, paying up to $1,000 to attend, seemed neither inspired nor energized by these guests. In fact, it was difficult to hear the speakers at all over the constant chatter on the floor.

I won't even review the stand-up set of retread In Living Color-era bits by comedian Tommy Davidson.

With that said, I don't care what The Washington City Paper says, Wyclef Jean put on an epic one-hour show with the kind of energy and soul you'd expect at an arena concert. And all for around 200 people. He played all the hits like Gone Till November, standards too (No Woman, No Cry), and he brought the fire in every song. I would, however, like to take this opportunity to apologize to the man for countless point blank flash photos.

Wyclef's stage antics included banging bongos, guitar-picking with his teeth, and sporting a sticker reading "Barack My World" on his forehead. During the show, artist Ryan Simmons presented Wyclef with an 8-foot tall painting of Barack Obama; Jean told the crowd to look for it on his wall next time he's on MTV Cribs.

In all, I think the Green Inaugural Ball was a symbolic success, staging a large green event in the nation's capital as America gets set to emerge as a leader on the world's most serious environmental challenges. Unfortunately, the night's 'minimal impact' theme extended into the substance, falling flat as a missed opportunity rather than a launching pad for a new environmental agenda.

Images: Scott Salyer, from his photo gallery.