Driving Innovation to Build Sustainable Cities

When
April 30, 2012 12:27 pm — 12:27 pm
Where
Washington, DC
Co-sponsored by the Environmental Law Institute, World Business Council on Sustainable Development and World Environment Center with major support from IBM

Many experts envision that cities of the future will utilize more sustainable water, waste, energy, and transportation infrastructures. But, what will drive the innovation needed to create these cities? And, what role will government, industry, and NGOs play in bringing about this innovation?

Focusing on case studies related to sustainable transportation and energy efficiency, the workshop brought together representatives from corporations, NGOs, and federal, state and local governments to discuss the various technologies and products that corporations have created for more sustainable cities. Participants discussed what has driven and will be needed to drive innovation and the expansion of these technologies and products across the country and globe.

Please see here for speaker biographies.

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AGENDA

8:00-8:30 am

Registration and Breakfast

8:30-10:00 am

Innovating for Sustainable Cities: The Challenge
This session set the stage for discussions on driving innovation for more sustainable cities, addressing key questions like "How do we move toward technologies and governance approaches that advance sustainability? What role does a systems approach play? What are examples of successes and challenges? How can government, industry, and NGOs work together to drive innovation?"

  • Moderator: Terry Yosie, President & CEO, World Environment Center
  • Speakers: Uwe Brandes, Senior Vice President, Urban Land Institute; Elizabeth J. Heider, Senior Vice President, Green Markets Skanska; Gerry Mooney, General Manager, IBM Global Smarter Cities

10:00-10:15 am

Break

10:15-11:45 am

Moving More, Costing Less
Transportation infrastructure and logistics will play a central role in more sustainable cities. In this session, panelists discussed some recent advances in this area and what is needed to integrate transportation infrastructure into other city infrastructure and to drive further innovation.

  • Moderator: Bill Chernicoff, Manager of Energy & Environmental Research, Toyota Motors North America, Inc.
  • Speakers: Katherine Gajewski, Director of Sustainability, City of Philadelphia; Guenter Hoermandinger, Environment Counselor, Delegation of the European Union to the USA ; Gary Lawrence, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, AECOM; Steve Leffin, Director of Global Sustainability, UPS

12:00-1:00 pm

Lunch and Keynote Speaker

  • The Honorable Edward Rendell

1:00-1:15 pm

Break

1:15-2:45 pm

Innovation in Energy Efficiency
Commercial buildings currently consume about 20% of the country