The first worldwide Advancing Sustainability conference convened the Alcoa Foundation’s Conservation and Sustainability Fellowship program's academic partners, sustainability institutes, fellows, and internal and external advisors with representatives from business, government, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The invitation-only event marked the launch of a global network of future leaders and premier institutions-called the Advancing Sustainability Alcoa Foundation Global Conservation & Sustainability Network-to leverage research and share innovative and interdisciplinary work in conservation and sustainability. In an intensive three days, participants learned details of the research being carried out by those involved with this program and explored new opportunities for collaboration on priority issues of climate change, conservation, and sustainability, including water.
"It was an exciting opportunity that, for the first time, brought together the best young minds-the future leaders in sustainability-with the leaders and decision makers of today into a single network," said Meg McDonald, president of Alcoa Foundation. "The leverage gained from shared insight, expertise, and goals will be a significant step in the conservation and sustainability field."
Conference Speakers
The conference featured a host of international speakers, including:
- Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel laureate in economics
- Alain Belda, Alcoa Chairman and CEO
- John Elkington, Founder, SustainAbility (U.K.)
- Magnus Johannesson, Secretary General of the Ministry of the Environment of Iceland
- Thomas E. Lovejoy, President of the Heinz Center in the U.S.
- David O'Connor, Chief, Policy Integration Branch, UN Division for Sustainable Development
- Leena Srivastava, Executive Director of The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi
In his speech, Alcoa Chairman Alain Belda, highlighted key global sustainability issues of climate change and water, detailing ways in which Alcoa is addressing these and also joining the other participants in seeking greater policy and governance emphasis around the world on these pressing issues.
"To be true catalysts for change, we must work on all fronts across all sections of society," Belda told the attendees. "The Alcoa Foundation's Global Conservation & Sustainability Network will bring together many of the world's best minds from academia, government, non-governmental organizations, and industry to find new paths toward sustainability. Simply put, our commitment is to work for step change through innovation and concerted action."
To view the presentations, click here.
To download speech by Alain Belda, Chairman Alcoa, click here
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View presentations from the 2006 Advancing Sustainability Conference, Brussels Belgium, November 29 to December 3, 2006
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