Showcasing all the Big ‘Green’ Apple Has to Offer

Some of the world’s brightest minds in sustainability are in New York City during Earth Week to share innovative approaches to reduce our impact on the environment with a focus on energy, the built environment and resource conservation.

Today kicked off the Sustainable Operations Summit. This three-day event provides a forum for top organizations to share best practices that benefit the environment and the bottom line. Most impressive is the lineup of speakers— former President Bill Clinton; actor Don Cheadle; RMI’s own Amory Lovins; Tom Hicks, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy of the Navy; Anthony Malkin, president, Malkin Holdings; Andreas Schierenbeck, president of Siemens Building Technologies; and Alex Knox, industrial design director of Dyson, to name a few.

The summit will also feature a series of guided tours and receptions that will showcase “sustainability in action” in New York. The opening reception, for example, takes place on the 61st floor of the retrofitted Empire State Building—an award-winning project in which RMI was a partner that has saved $4.4 million in energy costs annually and made the building a worldwide icon for the numerous benefits beyond cost savings of deep retrofits.

In addition to Lovins and the other speakers, RMI Managing Director Robert Hutchinson and Buildings Principal Victor Olgyay, also are speaking at the event on April 18 and 19 (view the full program here).

“We have sat on the sidelines long enough and it is apparent that it is now up to us to address these critical issues,” said the summit’s producer, Michael Owens. “The business community, city leadership and entrepreneurs are coming together to find cost-effective solutions to address climate change. As an American you cannot deny the need to invest in clean energy as a way to strengthen our economy, our national security, and provide a wholesome future for our children.”

Follow the event live on Twitter @SustainableOS using the hashtag #SOSNYC. Also follow @AmoryLovins and @RockyMtnInst for updates.