By Eric McNulty
I had the pleasure of introducing Rep. Edward Markey for his opening keynote at the recent Executive Council Sustainable Cities leadership forum.
Markey has been at the forefront of the Congressional response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, is the co-author of the Waxman-Markey climate change bill, and author of the bill that increased auto mileage standards for the first time in three decades. The League of Conservation Voters calls him the environment’s best advocate in Congress.
Markey gave a fiery address about the need for the U.S. to become the leader in alternative energy. What I found interesting was his view that regulation can be a catalyst to those efforts. While many business leaders think that regulation in anathema to innovation, Markey disagrees. He pointed to his prior work on the Telecommunications Committee that shifted a segment of the broadcast spectrum into commercial use for cellular and other wireless communications. Without that regulatory move, the cell phone and broadband revolutions would have been greatly slowed or might never have happened at all.
The lesson is that the private and public sectors can be catalysts for each other. The private sector organizations pushing for adoption of a carbon cost bill (either a carbon tax or cap-and-trade) are hoping that it will spur another revolution. They are also, to be honest, hoping to seek regulatory advantage by getting a bill that aligns with their competitive position. Public players have their own interests, too. They are hoping to get jobs created in their districts, contributions from companies that do well as a result of the legislation, and have something to point to as accomplishment in the next election cycle.
July 7th, 2010 by Amanda Crater. Posted in Building, Business, Certification, Climate, Energy, Events, News, Transportation
Sustainable Cities Summit
Inside Park @ St. Bart’s
Park Avenue and 50th Street
New York NY 10022 (
map it)
Tuesday, June 8th 2010
8:00am – 3:30pm
See the complete agenda here
WHY THIS MATTERS NOW
Two inescapable trends are coming together: the urbanization of the planet along with climate change and related concerns about the long-term sustainability of the planet. In 2008, the earth’s population crossed a threshold: it became more than 50% urban dwellers and that number is predicted to reach 75% by 2050. Whether you believe that climate change is caused by human activity or not, the evidence that something is happening is undeniable: in just one example, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere increased by approximately 1/3 between 1958 and 2005 with the growth projected to continue to 2020 and beyond.
In this Sustainable Cities Summit, we will explore the challenges and opportunities presented by this evolution. We will look at the systems that undergird a vibrant sustainable city, the sustainable design imperative in the built environment – from buildings to everyday products. We will hear from best-of-breed companies on what they are doing, how they are measuring success, and they are generating ROI right now. They’ll share lessons to help you lead your firm to a greener and more profitable future. We’ll explore the strategic “why” as well as the tactical “how to.”
WHAT IS IT?
· A senior level, high-impact forum to help senior executives understand the opportunities presented by the drive for more sustainable cities as well as how to avoid potential pitfalls.
· A powerful sponsorship opportunity for select companies seeking to develop and strengthen relationships with senior executives charged with delivering value through sustainability.
Who Should Attend
· Chief Sustainability Officers
· Chief Environmental Officers
· CIO; Office of the CIO Executive Management
· Data Center Management
· Chief Environmental Officers
· General C-level
· R&D
· Product Development
· Heads of Green Initiatives
· Heads of Energy Initiatives
· Heads of Environmental Initiatives
· City and State Officials
· Business Development, Sales and Marketing Officers
See the complete agenda here
