As an intellectual contribution to the preparations for the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, a.k.a. Rio +20), Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future convened a task force of experts to discuss the role of institutions in the actualization of a green economy in the context of sustainable development. A stellar group of experts from academia, government and civil society convened at the Pardee Center and were asked to outline their ideas about what the world has learned about institutions for sustainable development from the past, and what they might propose about the governance challenges and opportunities for the continuous development of a green economy in the future. The task force members were encouraged to think big and think bold. They were asked to be innovative in their ideas, and maybe even a little irreverent and provocative. They were charged specifically not to come to consensus about specific recommendations, but to present a variety and diversity of views. This report presents their thoughts and ideas.