Westport Joins the Clinton Global Initiative

A few months ago Westport was invited to participate in the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). The CGI is a branch of the William J. Clinton Foundation established by former US president Bill Clinton to tackle some of the world’s most pressing development issues. Membership is by invitation only, so when Westport was asked to join it was an opportunity not to be passed up. Membership covers a large gamut from large multinational companies, to government, to non-profit organizations, and celebrities.

Each member is charged with either creating their own unique Commitment to Action (a goal they wish to achieve) or by partnering with other members. To date there are over 2,100 commitments that have helped close to 400 million people worldwide. Here is just a short list of the commitments:

• Using Video Games to Increase Learning Computer Science by Glitch Game Testers
• Sustainable Housing and Community Building – Kansas, MO by Make it Right Foundation
• Green Rewards by Redefining Progress Deploying $1 Billion in Clean Technologies by Ceres and partners
• General Mills/PEPFAR/USAID Partnership for Food Security by General Mills and Partners
• Clean Stoves: Changing the Energy Paradigm in Kenya by The Paradigm Shift Project

Each commitment can address the following tracks:

• The Built Environment
• Education and Workforce Development
• Energy & Ecosystems
• Girls & Women
• Global Health
• Market-based Approaches
• Response & Resilience
• Technology

Descriptions of each track can be found here: http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/aboutus/tracks.asp?Section=AboutUs&PageTitle=Tracks. Although these are broad subjects, there are smaller, more targeted sub-tracks such as Green Mobility, which is where Westport wants to focus its attention.

Currently a small team of Westporters, including Nick Sonntag, Husayn Anwar, Karen Hamberg, Teresa Ko and Ganesh Khanna, are working on developing our Commitment to Action and how we can contribute to sustainable mobility solutions. For more information on the CGI check out their website: http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/. If you are interested in the work we are doing and would like more information please feel free to contact us at media@westport.com.