Westporters Experience on Day 1 of GLOBE 2012

 

Last week, we mentioned that some Westport employees (Westporters) would be attending the GLOBE2012 conference from March 14-16.

Westporter Teresa Ko, a member of our Sustainable Futures team reflects on the opening day of the conference:

The common theme on day one of GLOBE 2012 has been collaboration and innovation.  Christy Clark, Premier, Province of BC spoke to the increasing opportunities in the green-tech sector, including employment, technology innovations, and exploration in renewable energy..  Clark’s Welcoming Remarks at the Opening Plenary of GLOBE 2012 mentioned that Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is the cleanest burning fossil fuel and the Government of BC makes plan to invest in this natural resource. 

One of the keynote speakers at the Opening Plenary, Jim Weigand, President, DuPont Sustainable Solutions introduced DuPont’s sustainability initiative, Global Collaboratory.  Another keynote speaker, Steve Williams, President & COO of Suncor Energy Inc. provided examples on how the companies in the energy sector collaborate to innovate.

At the session “Sustained Growth and Sustainability: Re-engineering the Economic Model”, panellists were presented with some challenging questions from the audience on how businesses, academic institutions, finance leaders, policy-makers and regulators need to work together to take actionable solutions rather than passively proposing ideas.  

Overall the first day at Globe2012 was a huge success, with interesting sessions and a strong overarching theme of Collaboration and Innovation. Day two is looking to be equally thought provoking and inspiring.

Westporters Heather and Duran pose with the Juniper engine on the tradeshow floor.

Westport Goes to GLOBE2012

Every two years, Vancouver plays host to world leaders, experts, and innovators in sustainability during the GLOBE™ three-day series of conferences and trade affairs. From March 14-16 our beautiful city will have a green spotlight shining on it, as GLOBE is North America’s largest and longest running international gathering of senior representatives from the public, private and NGO sectors involved in the business of sustainability, energy and the environment. 

The conference has a schedule chock-full of sessions in corporate sustainability, energy and climate change, finance, and building better cities. Westport CEO David Demers will be a panelist in one of the six key high-level round table discussions.  The “Natural Gas: Fueling the Future” Roundtable sponsored by Encana will see David and other panelists discuss the opportunities and challenges for natural gas as a fuel source for a cleaner energy future.

In addition to holding a prestigious international conference, the GLOBE Foundation also recognizes organizations with their annual Awards for Environmental Excellence. In their 10^th year, the GLOBE Awards recognize outstanding Canadian companies that have successfully merged daily business practices with environmental stewardship. This year, Westport is one of four finalists for the Award for Technology Innovation and Application.  

Westport staff will be attending several sessions, so we look forward to sharing our impressions and experience of the conference in the next coming weeks. If you plan to attend the conference, don’t miss David’s session on Thursday March 14 at 3:30pm. Follow us on twitter @WestportWPRT as we live-tweet our impressions and experiences while at the event