What Organizations are Doing for Earth Hour 2012

In 2012, Earth Hour is issuing a simple promise and a challenge - I Will If You Will. Here are a few examples of some of the Earth Hour challenges in 2012:

Earth Hour Video: I Will If You Will

I Will If You Will - Dare the World to Save the Planet. Earth Hour 2012: 8.30pm, Saturday 31 March -- switch off the lights and celebrate your action for the planet with the world.

Official Earth Hour Video 2012

This Earth Hour 2012: 8.30pm, Saturday 31 March, celebrate your action for the planet with the people of world by switching off your lights for an hour, then go beyond the hour. From its inception as a single-city initiative -- Sydney, Australia - in 2007, Earth Hour has grown into a global symbol of hope and movement for change. Earth Hour 2011 created history as the world's largest ever voluntary action with people, businesses and governments in 135 countries across every continent coming together to celebrate an unambiguous commitment to the one thing that unites us all -- the planet.

Participate in the 2012 Green California Summit & Expo

The Green California Summit and Expo is the largest annual event focused on green policy, practice and technology. This event will take place on April 26th and 27th 2012 in Sacramento. For the second year in a row THE GREEN MARKET is proud to be an outreach sponsor for the sixth annual Green California Summit & Expo. Readers of The Green Market get a 20% discount by entering the promotional code GRMARKET.

Video: Moving Planet at the U.N in New York City

Anti-fracking demonstration at Dag Hammarskjold Park in New York City. This speaker reviewed the dangers associated with natural gas from fracking. The overall issue was climate change and the importance of renewable energy, particularly solar power.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Video: Moving-Planet: Bill McKibben on Solidarity

Video: Moving-Planet: Bill McKibben on Solidarity

Bill McKibben addresses Moving-Planet at Civic Center, San Francisco. McKibben talks about Moving Planet around the world and what he refers to a the "great global solidarity." He talks about ways that this solidarity can change things in a big way.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Moving Planet Across Canada

Nearly every province in Canada got involved in Moving Planet. Canadians participated in more than 100 events including a Dene drum circle in Yellowknife, a bike ride in PEI and a massive bicycle march through downtown Vancouver.

Moving Planet Unites the World

Global warming is the one problem that affects everyone everywhere. The idea behind Moving Planet is simple, to win the fight against climate change, we need a global movement. Millions of people on different continents and in different languages, sharing the common idea that we need to move beyond fossil fuels.

Moving Planet: Beyond Fossil Fuels

On Saturday September 24th 2011, Moving Planet, is bringing people together with the message that we need to move beyond fossil fuels. The event is organized by 350.org which is a movement that does more than just sign petitions. Their members have pushed for action on climate change by protesting in front of the White House and picketing outside of embassies and consulates around the world.

International Sustainability Professionals Conference 2011

The 2011, International Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) conference takes place between September 21st and 23rd in Portland, Oregon. This conference is designed to help manage the huge amounts of information on business sustainability. The goal is to help managers oversee their company's sustainability efforts.

ZeDay: The Global Moratorium on Fossil Fuel Combustion

ZeDay takes place on September 21 and it is a day for people all over the planet to strive for zero emissions. In 2011, the fourth ZeDay, has the theme, “Get creative!” How can we all make the most of the moratorium? Rather than feeling disempowered – how might we all feel energized without using fossil fuel energy?

Video: Introduction to 24 Hours of Reality

Between September 14th and 15th, the event 24 Hours of Reality saw people around the globe calling attention to the climate crisis and working to solve it. By the time former Vice President Al Gore finished his presentation on the evening of September 15th, the 24 hour long event had 8.6 million views.

Creating Climate Wealth UK Summit

Creating Climate Wealth (CCW) UK summit, will be held at the University College in London (UCL), on September 13 and 14, 2011. The UK is at a low carbon economy crossroads. A ‘transition to 2050’ requires long term planning, huge infrastructure investments and sustained action on many fronts. Yet it also offers an immediate transformational opportunity to create new wealth, jobs and global competitiveness.

Cleanovation 2011: Israel and Texas Working Together for Cleantech

The Texas-Israel Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Government of Israel’s Economic Mission to the Southern Region will host Cleanovation in Houston on Sep 14, 2011. More than 300 participants are anticipated to attend, along with leaders from Fortune 100, select emerging growth companies and the public sector with many having headquarters in Texas or Israel.

Environmental Compliance and Enforcement at INECE’s 9th International Conference

In June, the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE), in partnership with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Netherland’s Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, and other member countries, held its 9th International Conference entitled "Enforcement Cooperation: Strengthening Environmental Governance,” in Whistler Canada

The conference hosted more than150 environmental compliance and enforcement experts from over 50 countries to identify new actions to promote enforcement cooperation to combat environmental crime and support the shift to sustainable development and a green economy.

Lisa Jackson, the Administrator of the US EPA opened the conference with the following remarks: “We all know that environmental challenges don’t stop at our borders – and for that reason, neither can our efforts to ensure environmental and health safeguards. INECE’s collaborations with organizations across the globe are instrumental in strengthening our individual enforcement and compliance efforts and expanding effective environmental governance around the world.”

INECE is a global leader and partner in international cooperation efforts to keep our communities safe from environmental crimes. INECE Conferences, which are held once every three years, provide a unique forum for building capacity for compliance promotion and strengthening enforcement cooperation among government environmental protection agencies and other key stakeholders from international institutions

John Scanlon, Secretary-General of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and Ignacia Moreno Assistant Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice, also addressed the conference. They stressed the importance of strong national institutions to assure compliance with and enforcement of international agreements on the environment. Moreno cited one example of a joint investigation between the US, Canada, and Interpol of the Overseas Shipbuilding Group for violations of MARPOL, which led to a $37 million criminal penalty.

“The reason we can drink our water and breathe our air is because we have dedicated compliance and enforcement professionals working tirelessly around the world to protect the environment,” said Durwood Zaelke, Director of the INECE Secretariat.

Catherine McCabe, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance at the US EPA and Co-Chair of INECE emphasized that, “Every environmental law, policy and regulation – both at the national and international level - is only as strong as its actual implementation. If compliance and enforcement of environmental requirements are lacking, the environment and health of our people is put at risk. Collaboration between law enforcement disciplines at all levels is essential to ensure that laws provide effective protection of public health and the environment.”

Ken Markowitz, Managing Director of INECE stressed, “Compliance with domestic laws and policies forms the critical foundation for achieving the objectives of our international environmental agreements to protect our climate, lands, oceans and biodiversity.”

Chief Gibby Jacob, hereditary Chief of the Squamish Nation and Justice Antonio Benjamin of the High Court of Brazil, a leader in the field of environmental compliance and enforcement, welcomed the participants and, both spoke of the importance of partnership and working together around our shared and common values.

The conference provided recommendations to advance the role of environmental compliance and enforcement in achieving sustainable development objectives as part of the preparatory work for the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio +20.

For more details click here.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Enhanced Geothermal Systems Conference 2011

On June 29th - 30th 2011, eyeforenergy is holding its second annual Enhnaced Georthermal Systems (EGS) Conference in San Jose, California. Geothermal is a promising renewable resource that has a very bright future.

Geothermal energy is a safe and reliable renewable power source that can produce energy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The aadvantages of geothermal power include the fact that it produces little or no greenhouse gases. Geothermal energy will also create high-paying, long-term jobs. In 2008, the geothermal industry accounted for 25,000 jobs.

EGS offers the ability to improve existing geothermal wells to increase productivity. EGS also offers increased energy production by producing geothermal energy in new environments and at various depths.

However, geothermal energy is costly, technically challenging and socially sensitive. So far EGS has relied on government funding worldwide.

EGS claims a big slice of the $600 million of the federal stimulus for geothermal development over the next two years.

According to the organizers of the EGS event, now is the time to analyze and discuss whether geothermal energy will move away from this reliance and will eventually attract private investment. With the likes of Google.org already heavily encouraging EGS it certainly looks promising.

There are huge opportunities for geothermal contractors wanting to establish themselves in this rapidly growing industry.

The EGS Conference is subtitled "Push your EGS project forward by developing an effective Financial, technological and socio-economic strategy."

At the 2nd Annual Enhanced Geothermal Systems Conference attendees will receive:

• Unique global updates: Learn from the successes and challenges of our global experts to increase the realization of your EGS project
• Latest financial analysis: Listen to the top financiers in the industry to deliver the most powerful business case to secure future investment for your project
• Support from your community: Hear from the key stakeholders to understand how and why you should plan an effective socio-economic strategy
• Maximise profits: Understand the benefits of developing an EGS as an upgrade to your existing plant to effectively utilise all your resources and increase productivity
• Technology breakthrough: Get the latest technology advances for reducing fracturing, exploration and drilling risks to save costs throughout your project

This is a must-attend event for all future and current developers who want to make their EGS projects commercially viable in the future and all contractors who want to establish their EGS position early to give their business first mover advantage when the market explode.

Attendees of the EGS event will benefit from the following:

• The latest case studies worldwide from AltaRock, GreenFire Energy, EGS Energy, GNS
• Science to learn from their challenges and successes to remain at the forefront of the industry.
• A discussion on the discuss future government and private initiatives from BLM, Google and GeothermEx Inc.
• Speak to conventional geothermal utilities including Magma Energy and Southern company
• Meet the key regulators and utilities and hand pick the latest technology from our pool of contractors including URS, Potter Drilling and ThermaSource to drive costs down for your project.
• By all accounts, last years EGS Conference was a success, here are some of the things that people had to say about the event:

"Last year’s EGS Conference and Expo provided an excellent basis for understanding the regulatory snares facing EGS development," said Mark Walters, Senior Geologist, Calpine Corporatio

"That conference was one of the best I have attended in many years all the presentations were spot on and clear," Michal Moor, Senior Fellow, ISEEE

Some of the companies that attended last years event included:

Google

Department of Energy

Thermasource

Geodynamics

Northern California Power Agency

Geothermal Resources Council

Lawrence Berkely National Labs

US Geothermal

Geothermex

Geothermal Advisory Pty

GE Global Research

Milbank

Resourcive Capital

Click here to download two of the keynote presentations from last year (Susan Petty, President, AltaRock and Michael Moore, Senior Fellow, ISEEE).These presentations will provide you with unique insight into the development of EGS in the US and the potential it has for future energy production.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Video: Sustainable Economic Development that Works

In April 2011, more than 100 people convened at Boston University for Development That Works, an all-day conference that brought together leading scholars and practitioners to discuss development ideas that have the potential to lead to sustainable and effective growth worldwide.
The fourth and final session brought together a panel of leading economists that examined evidence on economic development. Chaired by Dilip Mookherjee, a CAS professor of economics and director of the BU Institute for Economic Development, speakers included Abhijit V. Banerjee, a Ford Foundation international professor of economics and director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at MIT; Mark Rosenzweig, a Frank Altschul professor of international economics and director of the Economic Growth Center at Yale University; and Asim Ijaz Khwaja, a professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Panel members discussed the impact of development interventions and highlighted the need for deeper and more systematic enquiries on the matter.

Sponsored by the BU Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, in collaboration with the BU Global Development Program, the conference was organized by Mookherjee, Kevin Gallagher, a CAS associate professor of international relations, Jonathon Simon, an SPH professor of international health and director of the BU Center for Global Health & Development, and Adil Najam, a CAS professor of international relations and director of the Pardee Center. Panel leaders discussed everything from global development policy to local programs that deliver education, health, and poverty alleviation services to rural villages in Africa and Asia.

Hosted by the Pardee Center for the Study of Longer-Range Future, in conjunction with the Boston University Global Development Program, on March 31, 2011.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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SolarDay 2011

SolarDay takes place on Saturday June 18 in Canada, the US and the UK (November 19 in Australia). This is the third annual SolarDay event, it celebrates solar energy and its capacity to help protect the planet from global warming. SolarDay includes events by cities, non-profits, companies and the solar industry.

SolarDay 2010 events were held in 26 US cities and included municipal proclamations declaring an Official SolarDay. One 2011 SolarDay event in New Orleans involved multiple non-profit organizations working in concert with the city.

Members of the U.S. Congress Supporting SolarDay 2011 include California Senator Dianne Feinstein. Congresswoman Doris Matsui is also supporting SolarDay with letters on the SolarDay website to encourage public participation and awareness of how solar energy can reduce monthly energy bills - while provided much-need "green" jobs for the US economy.

Event organizers see solar as the next step in the "Greening of America" movement that includes driving a hybrid car, shopping for organic and sustainably-farmed foods, doing business with green companies, recycling, saving energy and avoiding, as much as possible the burning of finite and polluting fossil fuels that play a significant role in the production of greenhouse gases and global warming.

Costly fossil fuels are a finite resource that threaten the planet and all its inhabitants. By some estimates, we have 50 years of oil reserves, 200 years of coal reserves and at least 5 billion years of solar energy. It is clear that our energy future is dependent upon the renewable energy we can harvest from the sun.

For more information, or to find local events in your area, visit the SolarDay site.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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What The Business Community Can Do To Protect Forests

The business community has a vital role to play using forest products wisely and sustainably. Responsible use of forest products implies that businesses develop procurement processes that buy products from sustainably managed forests, such as products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Governments can be expected to develop and implement policies that encourage sustainable use of forests, habitat protection and forest restoration. Civil society can be expected to play an increasingly significant role independently monitoring all parties involved, raising awareness on forests and supporting grassroots initiatives.

Perhaps most importantly to businesses, consumers are making wiser choices about the products they buy, increasingly this involves purchasing forest products that originate from sustainable sources that carry the FSC certification logo.

The world is changing and forests are at the forefront of burgeoning environmental awareness. Businesses that integrate the procurement of sustainable forest products into their supply chain now will reap the rewards. Those that wait to the last minute or ignore responsible use of forest products altogether will not do so with impunity.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The Economic and Employment Benefits of Forests

Forests are crucial to life, this includes providing refuge for many species, and clean air for all but they are also important to the global economy. Forests provide many important natural resources, such as timber, fuel, rubber, paper and medicinal plants.

In 2004 trade in forest products was estimated at $327 billion. However, short-term investments for immediate gains (e.g., logging) are undermining the long term sustainability of forest products. Economists around the world have proven that by not integrating the values of forests into their budgets, countries and businesses are paying a high price. One that ultimately impoverishes us all as harm to our forest life-support system continues each and every single day.

Forests contribute to the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people worldwide. Forests provide a home to more than 300 million people worldwide and they sustain economic growth. Forests also provide homes, security and livelihoods for 60 million Indigenous peoples. Today people who depend on forests for their livelihoods are struggling to survive.

But this trend is not irreversible. It’s not too late to transform life as we know it into a greener future where forests are at the heart of sustainable development and green economic growth.

Conserving and expanding forests needs to be recognized as a business opportunity. An investment of US$30 billion fighting deforestation and degradation could provide a return of US$2.5 trillion in new products and services.

Furthermore, targeted investments in forestry could generate up to 10 million new jobs around the world. Already, many leaders are glimpsing the potential for renewable energy and nature-based assets, but for transformation to happen, forests need to become a universal political priority.

The services forests provide are essentially to every aspect of our quality of life. And the answer to sustainable forest management, moving towards a green economy, lies in our hands.

Despite all of these priceless ecological, economic, social and health benefits, we are destroying the very forests we need to live and breathe.

Continued and uncontrolled deforestation has devastating consequences for the environment, wildlife, communities, and economies around the world.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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