Newswise — Leaders from the Bush Administration, industry, academia and non-governmental organizations will participate in meetings organized by the United States Business Council for Sustainable Development (US BCSD). The year-end conference and a companion workshop on water resources will be hosted by the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Jacobs School of Engineering and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The afternoon session on Day One will feature a UCSD Forum on Sustainable Development, with university faculty and researchers showcasing UCSD research and education related to sustainable development.
WHAT: US BCSD Meeting & Water Strategies WorkshopWHEN: Thursday, Dec. 11, 8am-10pm (including dinner) Friday, Dec. 12, 8am-6pmWHERE: Dec. 11/Weaver Room, Institute of the Americas, UCSD, La Jolla, CA Dec. 12/Hubbs Hall, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CAWHY:Launched in 2002, the US BCSD is a non-profit association of businesses whose purpose is to create and deliver value-driven sustainable development projects in the United States. The group plays a key role in communicating the benefits of sustainable development to the U.S. business community, and implementing projects that apply sustainable development principles to real world problems. "We are committed to reconciling the environment, economic growth, and social responsibility, because it makes good business sense," says US BCSD Chairman Carlos Guimaraes, who also is VP of Dow Chemical's Environmental Operations Business. "At Dow Chemical we implemented a set of environmental performance targets that required an investment of some $900 million, and so far, that investment has achieved a return of $2.7 billion. More companies need to be aware of the potential benefits of sustainable development."
Sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. "Sustainability is important to the business community for many reasons," says Gordon Forward, Chairman Emeritus of US BCSD and former CEO of Chaparral Steel. "It protects both industries and the ecosystems that comprise the sources of their materials and markets; it enhances understanding of environmental costs, including the benefits of working toward zero-waste; and it encourages long-term rather than short-term objectives."
The first day of meetings, hosted by UCSD's Jacobs School, will focus on expansion of existing US BCSD sustainable development projects, and the UCSD Forum on Sustainable Development.
Day Two's workshop on "Integrated Water Strategies and Solutions" -- at UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography -- will center on opportunities for a new water sustainability project. "The goal of this workshop is to provide a forum for leaders responsible for water strategies and solutions to exchange information and develop partnerships and projects," says Andrew Mangan, Executive Director of US BCSD. "We are especially delighted to be holding this workshop at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and we are counting on academics such as Scripps climate researcher Mike Dettinger to contribute their expertise and guidance."
WHO: Among the speakers currently scheduled to participate in the two-day conference:* Lynn Scarlett, Assistant Secretary of Policy Management and Budget, US Department of the Interior* Alan Hecht, Director for Sustainable Development, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency* Frieder Seible, Dean, Jacobs School of Engineering, UCSD* Ramesh Rao, UCSD Division Director, California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology [Cal-(IT)2]* Dan Cayan, Director, Climate Research, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
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