Presenters

Opening remarks

Tony Livoti
President, Monterey Bay International Trade Association (MBITA). View bio.

FedEx and the Environment - Let's Connect the World in Responsible and Resourceful Ways

Todd Acker
Regional Sales Manager, International Sales, FedEx Services. View bio. View Presentation.

Last November, FedEx Corporation issued its first-ever Global Citizenship Report, designed to communicate how FedEx applies its expertise to make a difference in communities around the world.
 
We want to communicate the possibilities of what we are already doing, and generate even more ideas to bring the FedEx commitment to minimizing environmental impact to life. We literally see the world from 30,000 feet. We see it from the driver’s seat, or from an office building. But as whole, we look at the world from more than 200 countries and territories and through more than 35 years of history.
 
That gives us a unique perspective and insight into the impact FedEx makes on the world. We see how the access we provide contributes positively to people’s lives, business success and nations’ growth. We are committed to connecting the world in responsible and resourceful ways. reducing our environmental footprint.

Masdar City - Building the World's First Carbon Neutral/Zero Waste City in Abu Dhabi

Jim Sandoval
Project Engineer, CH2MHILL. View bio.

Imagine a place where innovation, technology and sustainability meet and create a new kind of city. Imagine a vibrant and beautiful city, powered by renewable energy, innovative building practices and new standards in sustainable living. Welcome to Masdar City - the world's first carbon-neutral, zero-waste city. Currently under construction in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Masdar City will soon become home to 40,000 residents and 50,000 daily commuters and feature all of the modern conveniences, services and benefits of living in one of the great cities of the world, but in a carbon-neutral environment. Mr. Sandoval will provide an overview of Masdar and discuss the opportunities That exist for Green companies with innovative technologies and his experience working for CH2M HILL—the program manager responsible for developing the world’s most innovative city.

Clean Tech China: Market Opportunities and Challenges

Gregory Harris
Commercial Officer, American Consulate General Shanghai. View bio. View Presentation.

Dongtan was presented at the United Nations World Urban Forum by China as an example of an eco-city, and as the first of up to four such cities to be design and built in China by ARUP of the UK. The cities are planned to be ecologically friendly, with zero-greenhouse-emission transportation systems with complete self-sufficiency in water and energy combined with zero energy building principles. 

This presentation will compare and contrast the overall market with substantive opportunities for U.S. exporters. Areas touched upon will be sustainable cities, green developments and green building. Alternative energy opportunities will be introduced as well.

Back to the Future: The 21st Century Village

Barbara Sprenger
Chief Executive Officer, Satellite Centers, Inc. View bio.
View Presentation.

The constraints of global warming coupled with today’s communication tools give us an unprecedented opportunity – and necessity – to rethink the physical infrastructure of our communities. We can work in close collaboration with businesses and co-workers at any distance while physically being anywhere. At the same time, commutes are longer, gas is pricier and the environmental costs of single vehicle driving are more and more severe.

This has led to the movement to create walkable communities, low energy-use environments, neighborhood pocket parks, telework centers, and true 21st Century villages. See how both your business and personal life can benefit.

Another Perspective on the Eco-City, American Style

Tony Livoti
President, Monterey Bay International Trade Association (MBITA). View bio.
Matthew Steiner
Principal, Hygrid Green Energy. View bio. View Presentation.

The U.S. is in the best position to set the global standards to create the 21st Century eco-city model for world consumption, The vision of developing an eco-city that is inexpensive to develop and much smaller in size than ones being established in Abu Dhabi and China and that can be replicated easily to meet the demands of millions throughout the world is possible. 

Independent, efficient and more secure local energy sources utilized in conjunction with the major utility providers are also key elements to new sustainable cities in the U.S. An expanded view of a future power generation model that includes municipal, local and co-op power utilities including a consumer choice for ‘green energy’ options will be discussed.

Examples of new ‘mini-grid’ point of us generation technologies that can bridge technologies and effectively integrate the central grid with regional, municipal and local inputs of power will also be presented.

Sustainable Options for Clean Energy in Indian Country: Generating More and Using Less

Bob Gough
Secretary, IntertribalCOUP.org.
NativeWind.org - NativeEnergy.com
View bio. View Presentation.

Intertribal COUP envisions a future that puts Tribes on the leading edge of true sustainability, a future in which Tribes can depend on their own natural resources and their own trained workforce to address the critical triple bottom line for sustainable, affordable and efficient homes. Along with tribal wind energy development, the Intertribal COUP Sustainability Center~SAFE Homes Initiative moves into the frontier of sustainable and appropriate technologies for reservation employment in construction of affordable, energy efficient and healthy tribal homes. The SAFE Homes’ “Train the Trainers” program brings together local building trade faculty and students with international expert advisors to combine local talent with leading-edge knowledge and best practices in straw bale construction and other sustainable technologies, and will serve as the basis for broader community planning for sustainability and regeneration. The initiative has direct application to critical tribal housing needs and employment opportunities for young and growing tribal populations in Northern Great Plains and throughout Indian Country.

The New Paradigm Seniors Project
Sustainable Global Models for Senior Care

Edward Martinez
Program Director, New Paradigm Seniors Project. View bio.
View Presentation.

By the year 2050, one in every six people in the United States will be older than 65, (triple what it is today). It is not just in the United States that senior citizens are racing ahead of the general population in growth. In China there are currently 16 elderly for ever y 100 workers. By the year 2050 that figure will grow to nearly 72 elderly to every 100 working age people and these numbers are very similar in  other countries.

The New paradigm Seniors Project was created to deal specifically with this rapidly growing population. It is a blue print for mobilizing younger more mobile seniors as a “care force” for the elderly. Retiring Baby Boomers are motivated, talented and have many skills that can be brought to bear on the looming senior care crisis. The New Paradigm Seniors Project is about creating a socially and environmentally sustainable model that can be quickly and cheaply put into play for any population, in any community, in any part of the world.

New paradigm Seniors Projects bring all of the elements of sustainability into one easy to use format, creating volunteer opportunities that inject vitality into each community they operate in. The New Paradigm Seniors Project is a method of coalescing successful strategies under one program heading so that it works tomorrow as well as it does today for our existing communities and those that are to come in the 21st Century.

Green Jobs and the Global Economy

Kevin Danaher
Co-founder of Global Exchange, Founder and Executive Co-Producer of the Green Festivals, and Executive Director of the Global Citizen Center. View bio. View Presentation.

Kevin Danaher will talk about green careers and educational programs that the Global Citizen Center is accomplishing in San Francisco to create green career pathways, especially for under-served populations.

Low Carbon Footprint Agriculture Production

Deborah Walliser
Executive Director, Solsustech Incorporated. View bio.
View Presentation.

The presence of sustainable cities in the 21st century relies on low carbon footprint models in all aspects of industry. Agriculture and food production requires the heaviest use of finite natural resources and it’s imperative to utilize low energy and minimum water usage agricultural production systems. Solsustech greenhouse technology utilizes proven growing methods in concentrated agriculture centers (greenhouses) to grow superior quality produce in a fraction of the space using a fraction of the resources. Solsustech technology has been successfully employed in one of the controlled environment centers in Abu Dhabi and has been further perfected by Solsustech Inc. to be economically feasible for expanding food needs while minimizing carbon emission footprints and water usage.

The Power of Community Energy

Marty Kurtovich
Senior Business Development Manager, Chevron Energy Solutions (CES). View bio. View Presentation.

As a leading provider of sustainable energy projects for industry, government, and education, Chevron Energy Solutions (CES), a Chevron subsidiary, is working locally in efforts to develop viable models for renewable community energy systems that can greatly contribute to meeting regional goals related to climate change and energy use. While there has been much public attention on building a smart grid and large scale renewable projects in wilderness areas, renewable community energy focuses on indigenous energy resources including energy conservation, efficiency and renewables that can lead to long-term carbon neutrality at a local level. This presentation will discuss some examples that CES has been involved in that demonstrate the advantages of this approach and opportunities within the Central Coast region.

Waste to Energy, the Cornerstone for Any Kind of Eco-City

Daniel Robin
Managing Director, In3 BioRenewables. View bio.
View Presentation.

Renewable raw materials are gaining ground in replacing petroleum as feedstock for industrial materials, fuels and fertilizers. Daniel Robin will highlight examples of how waste from these ventures and from agriculture, food processing, and waste management are used to generate energy. From using beets (Mendota Beet Cooperative) or Onions (Gill's Onions) for methane to produce electricity, or next-generation Fischer Tropsch systems for converting biomass into liquid biofuels (biomass-to-liquids), or through biodigestion, waste has become one of the most reliable and economical sources of energy to date. Mr. Robin will offer success stories that apply to cities heading toward sustainability and trade opportunities worldwide.

PANEL - Finance Your Green Project Through Public and Private Sector Resources

Finance organizations in both the public and private sectors have aggressive programs to support the the export of Green products, services and technologies and for direct foreign investment into green projects and ventures in qualified countries. Additionally, vehicles for socially, responsive investments, plus, new and creative micro-finance techniques for green business development projects both here and abroad are now being utilized.

Financing your International Growth in this Challenging Economy
Michael C. Elkin

Assistant District Director – Entrepreneurial Development, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). View bio.
View Presentation.

Michael Elkin is the Assistant District Director for Entrepreneurial Development at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) San Francisco District Office. SBA is an agency of the U.S. government which assists U.S. Small Businesses with financing by guaranteeing loans made by private banks and other financial institutions. Elkin will be providing an overview of SBA's loan guarantee programs with a focus on SBA's export guarantee programs.

Global Warming and Sustainable Cities
Scott Secrest
Financial Advisor, Natural Investments, LLC. View bio.
View Presentation.

Among the most important initiatives in developing sustainable urban environments will be our efforts to combat the potentially disastrous consequences of global warming. Urban areas are major producers of global warming gasses, most notably carbon dioxide, from vehicles and the operation of large buildings. 

Quick action in reducing the amount of carbon produced by our cities will help to avert the most dire consequences of global warming. This presentation will review some of the most serious risks and potential solutions with a focus on the involvement of businesses and government in addressing the global warming issue.

U.S. Government Support for Foreign Investment
Peter H. Ballinger
Director, Business Development, Small & Medium Enterprise Finance, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). View bio. View Presentation.

The Overseas Private Investment Corp. (OPIC), an agency of the U.S. Government that helps U.S. businesses invest overseas, fosters economic development in new and emerging markets, and complements the private sector in managing risks associated with foreign direct investment. Last year OPIC announced an Environmental Loan Initiative to provide U.S. companies with direct loans and investment guarantees for projects that are geared toward environmental protection, preservation, or improvement, including renewable and clean energy projects.  Peter Ballinger Director, Business Development of OPIC will describe how U.S. SMEs in this sector, and their foreign joint venture partners, can leverage OPIC finance programs and political risk insurance to take advantage of overseas opportunities in this growing industry.

Successful Legal Strategies for Green Project Subcontractors

Crystal A. Zarpas, Esq.
Mann & Zarpas, LLP. View bio. View Presentation.

Without adopting new legal strategies for a Green Project, at the end of the day, you may end up in the red! Whether the Green Project is in the US or overseas, a Subcontractor must negotiate to minimize the legal risks on the Green Project by clarifying responsibilities with the Contractor up front and properly allocating the risks between the parties. By adopting new legal strategies for a Green Project, you too can become sustainable!

Open Standards Creates Greater Opportunities for Green Projects

Bettina Skehan
Director of Marketing Communications, LonMark International. View bio.

Bettina Skehan will present an overview of how open, interoperable standards using LonWorks provide enhanced value for project owners and specifiers. Green buildings require smart buildings and the core of a smart building is an intelligent, interoperable control system. You can’t control what you can’t see. LonMark International, a non-profit industry standards development and trade association is at the forefront of my major projects around the world and is helping owners capitalize on the deployment of smart systems. Several case studies will be presented including Masdar City, City of San Jose, New York City Schools all of which have decided to take leadership rolls in the advocacy of open systems using LonWorks. Their objectives: require open, fair competitive bidding, reduce energy costs, improve system integration, reduce operations costs, and improve the short and long term serviceability of their facilities.

Cash for Trash: The Case for Deconstruction, Reuse and LEED

Jordan Daniels
Director of Business Development, BuildingWise LLC. View bio.
View Presentation.

In October of 2006 the developer and design-build team committed to making Uptown Monterey the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified shopping center in California. This was not an easy task when there was no flexibility in the schedule or budget. In August of 2008 the project finally received its long-awaited certification – LEED Silver. This presentation will follow the whole process from the design charette to construction to submitting and appealing for points. One of the key components of the project was the deconstruction of a former building and salvage & reuse of building materials in one of the new buildings. These activities were filmed as part of a documentary film called Cash for Trash – The Case For Deconstruction, which can be viewed online at www.deconstructiondvd.org