Green in the City events launched by ecoConnect

First debate: “Are bankers worse polluters than steel producers in China?”

16 January 2009, London: ecoConnect, the green technology facilitator, has announced that it will be holding a series of events in the City focused on green technology.

Green in the City events will be held in London’s Square Mile during 2009. The aims of the events are twofold: to provide a forum for discussing and addressing green business issues, specifically in relation to the City and its use of technology, and to connect City-based decision makers with green technology providers.

The inaugural event, on 22 January, will be held as part of a series of Capital Markets Chamber meetings, a joint venture between JWG-IT and the Financial Services Club (FS Club), in collaboration with ecoConnect. The subject of the first debate will be: “Are bankers worse polluters than the steel plants of China?”

Says Robert Hokin, CEO of ecoConnect: “The Green in the City events are an excellent forum for exploring how the City can become more aware of its impact on the environment and be more responsible and efficient in its use of resources. JWG-IT and FS Club are firmly established in the City and I am very pleased that we will be working with them on this event.”

PJ Di Giammarino, CEO of JWG-IT and Chairman of the Capital Markets Chamber, says: “This may be a provocative statement, but the serious, underlying issue is how the sector will respond to the new regulatory environment. Banking operations generate large, and growing, quantities of carbon. The UK’s Climate Change Act (26 November 2008) passes into law an enforceable reduction framework. The risks of non-compliance are fines, extra costs and very publicly being placed in the relegation zone of the planned league tables. Will the industry seize the opportunity or dig in defensively? Hopefully our debate will answer this question.”

Launched last year with a keynote speech by Zac Goldsmith, ecoConnect is at the forefront of promoting real world green technology and how best to commercialise innovative, transformational green solutions for UK’s corporate and business world. It unites the eco technology world: executives responsible for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives; entrepreneurs from green and clean technology companies; political leaders and advisors; government development councils; policy makers, scientists and academics.

For more information on the event and to register please visit Green in the City

ecoConnect is a UK-based green technology business facilitator, building the UK’s most progressive support community for bringing green technology to mainstream business and consumers. ecoConnect unites technology firms, inventors, academics, investors, consultancies, and anyone with a green and CSR agenda through regular events and through its information portal. Visit www.eco-connect.com

Making green technology integral to our world

Source: ecoConnect & Moonlight Media
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EcoConnect Launch at Kew Gardens

by Michael Smith

Kew, London, UK: The evening of Tuesday, October 21, 2008, saw the launch of ecoConnect, a new dynamic, green technology business facilitator, at Kew Gardens, which was probably the best venue for such an event, in more than one way.

ecoConnect’s objective is to help promote and commercialize innovative, transformational green technology to the UK’s corporate and business world.

Such technological solutions will be showcased through regular events in London and across the UK.

The ecoConnect online portal will provide news and information on all aspects of green technology in addition to partnership opportunities, contacts and business reviews.

Robert Hokin, Chief Executive of ecoConnect, says: “Environmentally-friendly technology is the key to reducing our carbon footprint. The launch of ecoConnect will promote creative and innovative technological solutions and make them widely available in the UK and elsewhere. There is clearly a hunger within the UK’s business community to implement eco technology and there are scores of practical solutions and great ideas but unless they find a pragmatic way to market many will disappear without a trace. It is ecoConnect’s job to help integrate green technology into our lives. We may blame past technology for creating today’s environmental challenges but I am absolutely convinced that green technology will help us shape a better future.”

Zac Goldsmith, ecologist, Editor of the Ecologist magazine and also the MP for Richmond, gave the keynote speech at the event.

In his little inaugural address Zac, basically, more or less, said that even if CO2 would have no affect on Climate Change and it be, more or less, a natural even or even a non-event, we still need to do all the things that we are talking about doing now, that is to say, reducing our reliance and dependence on fossil fuels and getting away from this dependence altogether. In the same way that we must reduce the waste mountain as we have (1) run out of holes in the ground and (2) cannot simply carry on wasting resources as we do presently.

The event provided all of those that attended an opportunity to look at a number of exciting examples of green innovation. Among transport innovations on show was the hydrogen fuel cell ENV motorcycle – displayed in the hall - and the Lightning Electric Car, which was stationed just outside the entrance.

In addition to that attendees were able to see the latest e-book readers by Libresco, which are made in the Netherlands.

morsbags.com, sociable guerrilla bagging, also was present with a lovely tote bag made from recycled fabric for every visitor. Not that everyone took up that offer. morsbags.com on their website give away the pattern and instructions for people to be able to make their own bags, for personal use, as well as for sociable guerrilla bagging action on the streets.

Also on display was one of the most innovative hand dryers for lavatories and kitchens that work without heat and such and the warm air is produced by compression – a little like the heat that is cased by compression of air in a bicycle pump.

It was good to see those innovations in the “green” and sustainability field and we need more of those, in order to become sustainable in all we do.

We must make green technology integral to our world and ecoConnect, as far as I can see, is going to be a vehicle to make this happen.

I am sure all of us wish ecoConnect the best and look forward to hear and see more of their work.

© M Smith (Veshengro), October 2008
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Zac Goldsmith to speak at EcoConnect, the new green technology facilitator

21 October 2008, London: ecoConnect, a dynamic, new green technology business facilitator, is launched today. Zac Goldsmith is the keynote speaker at the launch which is being held in Kew Gardens this evening.

ecoConnect’s objective is to help promote and commercialise innovative, transformational green technology to the UK’s corporate and business world. These technological solutions will be showcased through regular events in London and across the UK. The ecoConnect online portal will provide news and information on all aspects of green technology in addition to partnership opportunities, contacts and business reviews.

Robert Hokin, Chief Executive of ecoConnect, says: “Environmentally-friendly technology is the key to reducing our carbon footprint. The launch of ecoConnect will promote creative and innovative technological solutions and make them widely available in the UK and elsewhere. There is clearly a hunger within the UK’s business community to implement eco technology and there are scores of practical solutions and great ideas but unless they find a pragmatic way to market many will disappear without a trace. It is ecoConnect’s job to help integrate green technology into our lives. We may blame past technology for creating today’s environmental challenges but I am absolutely convinced that green technology will help us shape a better future.” He adds, “It is an honour to have Zac Goldsmith as our keynote speaker. He has been a committed supporter of environmental causes for many years and it is a privilege to have him at the ecoConnect launch.”

Zac Goldsmith, environmentalist and director of The Ecologist magazine, comments: “The good news is that every step we need to take is already being taken by someone, somewhere. In energy, buildings, waste, food and farming, there are already examples of genuine best practice. We now need to transform today’s best practice into tomorrow’s norm. EcoConnect is an organisation that will help turn eco ideas into commercial reality, and is very much needed.”

The event will provide an opportunity to look at twenty or so exciting examples of green innovation. Among transport innovations on show will be the hydrogen fuel cell ENV motorcycle and the Lightning Electric Car. These two high end designs look gorgeous, are emissions free and almost silent. There will also be a preview of the prototype wind turbine from Stormblade which is considerably smaller, more efficient and quieter than the current generation.

EcoConnect is a forum which unites the eco technology arena: executives responsible for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives; entrepreneurs from green and clean technology companies and investors; political leaders and advisors; government development councils; policy makers, scientists and academics.

Making green technology integral to our world

ecoConnect is a UK-based green technology business facilitator. It is building the UK’s most progressive support community for bringing green technology to mainstream business and consumers. ecoConnect unites technology firms, inventors, academics, investors, consultancies, and anyone with a green and CSR agenda through regular events and its information portal.
The ecoSystem portal will be a business community and information hub which will provide news, highlight partnership opportunities, investment links, reviews, job postings and a green technology who’s who. For more information visit www.eco-connect.com

Source: Moonlight Media
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