And they’re not done yet. The EDF Climate Corps will be back at it again in 2012 to find even more energy and cost savings. There are still a few slots left, but they’re going quickly, so sign up now to hire a fellow and realize these tremendous energy and cost savings too. EDF’s deadline is February 23.

Climate Corps is EDF’s innovative summer fellowship program that places specially-trained MBA and MPA students from top-ranking schools in leading companies, cities and universities to build the business case for energy efficiency. 

Some recent examples of the cost and energy savings realized by participating companies include:

• At AT&T, EDF Climate Corps identified opportunities to cut lighting energy use by 80% across 100 million square feet of space.  AT&T is rolling out this project at 250 facilities. Watch a video about this project.
• At New York City Housing Authority, EDF Climate Corps identified the opportunity to save $56 million in energy costs each year through the installation of Wireless Energy Modules in its apartments. Watch a video about this project.
• Data center provider QTS recently announced plans to invest $10 million in the energy efficiency recommendations that resulted from its participation in EDF Climate Corps. Watch a video about this project.

Since the program began in 2008, EDF Climate Corps fellows have found $1 billion in energy savings at their host organizations, enough to avoid 1 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. The most exciting news of all is to date, projects accounting for 86 percent of the energy savings identified by 2008-2010 EDF Climate Corps fellows are now complete or underway.

For more information, please contact Scott Wood at swood@edf.org or (617) 406-1815

“Just Start Something”

“Josh and I get a lot of credit for this great strategy. I think the most important thing we did was start the project, and it allowed other people to come along and help us get it done. In some ways, it was an asset that neither Josh nor I was an architect, landscape architect, or city planner. It forced us to basically go to other people for help. Talking to people who are interested in starting their own kind of project, that’s always the point I try to make: The most important thing that they can do is just start something. That enables other people to come along and help them get it done. 

“You Don’t Have to Have Experience…or Money”

“I have my personal goals for the High Line: one is that it’s a well-loved park by New Yorkers; two is that it gets better after Josh and I leave; and three (and most importantly) is that it inspires other people to start these kind of things — not just elevated rail lines, but any kind of project. You don’t have to have experience, you don’t have to have all the money, you don’t have to have the plans all set. We developed all those things over time. That’s what stymies a lot of people. They think, “Oh, I don’t have the experience,” or, “I don’t have the money.” Those things can come.”

Read the full interview on the ASLA website:

http://dirt.asla.org/2012/02/08/interview-with-robert-hammond-co-founder-of-the-high-line/

And just like that… Newt Gingrich is suddenly the front-runner for the Republican nomination.

It is not surprising that Gingrich’s win of Saturday’s primary in South Carolina was due to his strong backing by conservative voters in the state. While Gingrich is no pauper, voters already alienated by Romney’s wealth, appear to be balking at his reticence to produce his tax returns. Perhaps, the 99% movement is not just a liberal thing after all?

Though I can’t say whether Gingrich will be able to maintain this momentum through the upcoming primary in Florida, I do have a suggestion that I believe would improve his chances significantly:

Gingrich should come clean about his well-documented beliefs on climate change!

Now, before you suggest that this would be political suicide for a “conservative” presidential candidate in 2012, I ask that you please hear me out.

The United States is lagging behind China and Europe in the clean energy race!

The U.S. is the only developed nation where believing in climate science is a political issue. Meanwhile, the rest of the world agrees that climate change is real; and has focused on finding innovative, profitable solutions to mitigate its effects.

When it comes to global investment in clean energy, the U.S. now ranks third, behind China and Germany (respectively). But those numbers understate the issue. In fact, China has actually invested three times more than us. This statistic is even more alarming when combined with the Pew Center study that predicts that the global market for clean energy will reach $2.3 trillion by 2030. Since reviving the sluggish economy and restoring our nation’s competitive edge remain key election issues, why are none of the candidates talking about these alarming statistics?

Read the full piece at the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-p-owens/newt-gingrich-global-warming_b_1229310.html

“People have said to me “what is the most important environmental law we can pass in this country?” and I always say the same thing. Free market capitalism. Because the marketplace promotes efficiency, and efficiency means the elimination of waste…and pollution is waste. A true free market would encourage us to properly value our natural resources. And it’s the undervaluation of those resources that causes us to use them wastefully, and In a true free market you cannot make yourself rich without making your neighbors rich and without enriching your community.“

We hope to have Bobby back with us again soon. But for now I highly recommend watching the video of this great talk from last spring which is embedded below.

Environmentalists working to make New York City a greener place soon will claim a new feather in their caps: The Sustainable Operations Summit, a conference aimed at promoting green business activities, will bring its big annual meeting to the Big Apple in April. Former President Bill Clinton will be the keynote speaker at the seventh-annual summit, planned for the Hilton New York from April 17 to 19.

Conference organizers chose New York in large part for the Bloomberg administration’s recent green initiatives, which range from supporting green-business incubators to making efforts to slash greenhouse gas emissions, says Michael Owens, vice president of production and marketing for CraigMichaels, the Manhattan-based company running the event. Those considerations outweighed the higher cost of holding the gathering in New York City, where the event will be 20% more expensive than in past settings such as San Antonio.

Read more at: http://www.crainsnewyork.com

NEW YORK, NY – January 3, 2012 – CraigMichaels, Inc., a New York based executive-level events company, today announced that President Bill Clinton will deliver the keynote address at the 2012 Sustainable Operations Summit, which will take place during Earth Week, April 17-19, 2012, at the Hilton New York.

The seventh annual summit will focus on sustainable initiatives and their impact on the bottom line. Key leaders from the world’s most influential organizations will share how green initiatives offer enormous economic opportunities, including creating new jobs, making business more efficient, and most importantly, strengthening the United States’ competitiveness around the world.

“We are honored to announce that President Bill Clinton will be joining us as the Keynote speaker for the 2012 Sustainable Operations Summit, which is being held in New York for the first time,” said Michael P. Owens, producer of the summit and Vice President of Production & Marketing of CraigMichaels Inc. “The timing is perfect as New York is now seen as a global leader in sustainability under the leadership of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. From the High Line to the retrofit of the Empire State Building to improved infrastructure including bike lanes and public parks, New York is home to some of the most inspiring green building, urban renewal, and retrofit projects in the country.”

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, said, “I want to congratulate CraigMichaels for bringing the 2012 Sustainable Operations Summit to New York City, home of the boldest action plan anywhere addressing a growing population, an aging infrastructure, a changing climate, and an evolving economy. In the first four years after we launched PlaNYC, we built hundreds of acres of new parkland, enacted the most ambitious laws of any city in the country to make existing buildings more energy-efficient and reduced our greenhouse gas emissions 13 percent below 2005 levels. But there’s so much more we have to learn from other cities and countries, and I’m thrilled New York will be welcoming so many visitors at the Sustainable Operations Summit.”

Attendees and partners will have the unique opportunity to experience some of New York City’s shining examples of sustainable progress in action and learn from the people that made them possible.
In addition to President Clinton, the speaker lineup at the summit features some of the brightest minds in sustainability who will discuss innovative approaches to reduce our footprint with a focus on energy, the built environment and resource conservation. The confirmed speakers to date include:
• David Bragdon – Director, Office of Long Term Planning & Sustainability
   CITY OF NEW YORK
• Patricia Calkins – Global VP of Environment, Health & Safety
   XEROX
• Beth Colleton – SVP, Corporate Social Responsibility
   NBC UNIVERSAL
• Melissa Fisher – COO
   FRIENDS OF THE HIGH LINE
• Robert Hammond – Co-Founder
   FRIENDS OF THE HIGH LINE
• Heather Henriksen – Director, Office for Sustainability
   HARVARD UNIVERSITY
• John Killey – Global Head of Building Operations
   CITIGROUP
• Peter Malik-Director, Center for Market Innovation
   NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL (NRDC)
• Anthony Malkin – President
   MALKIN HOLDINGS (Owner, Empire State Building)
• Roger McClendon – Global Chief Sustainability Officer
   YUM! BRANDS
• Summer Rayne Oakes – CEO & Co-Founder
   SOURCE4STYLE
• Sukanya Paciorek – VP of Corporate Sustainability
   VORNADO REALTY TRUST
• Christina Page – Global Director, Sustainability & Energy Strategy
   YAHOO!
• Matt Petersen – President & CEO
   GLOBAL GREEN USA
• Curtis Ravenel – Global Head of Sustainability
   BLOOMBERG LP
• Kevin Surace- Chairman & CEO
   SERIOUS ENERGY
• Brad Tomm – Director of Sustainable Operations
   MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL
• Drew Torbin – VP of Renewable Energy
   PROLOGIS
• Wood Turner – VP of Sustainability Innovation
   STONYFIELD FARM
• Andrew Winston – Founder
   WINSTON ECO STRATEGIES

A number of additional high-profile speakers will be announced shortly.

About CraigMichaels Inc.

CraigMichaels launched in 2002 and has become one of the nation’s premier producers of business events. We produce summits that connect the right people with the right content through organic conversations and high-level networking. Our unique event format provides leaders with an intensive yet enjoyable way to better their business that saves both time and money. Our core objective is to initiate and foster relationships that allow you to achieve your business goals. For more information on CraigMichaels, please visit CraigMichaelsInc.com.

My Legacy
In his own lifetime, David Suzuki has witnessed an explosion of scientific knowledge as well as a huge change in our relationship with the planet-a tripling of the world’s population, a greatly increased ecological footprint through the global economy, and a huge growth in technological capacity. These changes have had a dire effect on Earth’s ecosystems and consequently on our own well-being. To deal with this crisis, we must realize that the laws of nature have priority over the forces of economics and that the planet simply cannot sustain unfettered growth. Suzuki believes that change begins with each of us; all it takes is imagination and a faith in the inherent generosity of Mother Earth.