Rice’s Shell Center to host conference to examine Denmark’s sustainability success

CONTACT: Jessica Stark
PHONE: 713-348-6777
E-MAIL: stark@rice.edu

Rice’s Shell Center to host conference to examine Denmark’s sustainability success
‘Sustainability Pay$’ Nov. 9 on Rice campus

A daylong workshop at Rice University will examine the path Denmark has followed to become the most energy-efficient country in the European Union. “Sustainability Pay$ — The Copenhagen Experience” will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 9 in Shell Auditorium at Rice’s McNair Hall. The free workshop is open to the public.

After welcoming remarks at 9 a.m. from Rice President David Leebron and Peter Taksoe-Jensen, Danish ambassador to the United States, the morning session will focus on the Danish municipalities that are leading the way to carbon neutrality. Panelists from those municipalities will discuss how working together helped them achieve sustainability.

Adm. John Nathman will give the 11:30 a.m. keynote luncheon talk, “Empowering America’s Defense: Energy and the Risks to National Security.” Nathman, a member of the CNA’s military advisory board, was the vice chief of naval operations and commanded all U.S. fleet forces.

After lunch, the workshop will focus on how Danish companies have gained a competitive advantage and added credibility by embracing sustainability and energy efficiency. At 1:30 p.m., panelists will discuss how Denmark kept energy consumption flat while maintaining an economic growth rate of 75 to 80 percent. 

Panelists for the day will include Jorgen Olesen, a member of the Danish Commission on Climate Change Policy; Peter Rathje, CEO of ProjectZero, which received the European Union 2010 award for sustainable energy communities; Soren Hermansen, named one of the 2008 “Heroes of the Environment” by Time magazine and recipient of the 2009 Goteborg Award; Carsten Westergaard, global technology director at Vestas Technology; Rick Fowler, sales manager for Grundfos; and a representative from Evolva.

Other speakers and moderators will include John Anderson, academic director for Rice University’s Shell Center for Sustainability; Laura Spanjian, the mayor’s sustainability director for the city of Houston; Andrew Mangan, the co-founder and executive director of the U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Development; and Marc Epstein, distinguished research professor of management at Rice University.

Nathman, Olesen and Hermansen will be available to speak with members of the media. To arrange interviews with them or other participants, please contact Jessica Stark at 713-348-6777 or stark@rice.edu.

The conference is sponsored by the Royal Danish Embassy, the Royal Danish Consulate in Houston, the American Danish Business Council and Rice’s Shell Center for Sustainability. For a complete schedule and to register, visit http://shellcenter.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=2147483654.

For a map of the Rice campus, 6100 Main St., visit http://www.rice.edu/maps.