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2012 EE Visionary Awards: Honoring Energy Efficiency Difference-Makers in Buffalo, Tuebingen, Masdar City

At EE Global 2012, the Alliance to Save Energy and Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance will honor three international cities for their groundbreaking energy efficiency work during the March 29 EE Visionaries Awards Luncheon. These cities are: Tuebingen, Germany; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Masdar City, UAE.

EE Visionary Award is bestowed upon recipients from different regions of the world – the Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific and Europe – in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the advancement of energy efficiency. Winners are selected by the 50+ member EE Global International Steering Committee (ISC), chaired by U.S. Senator Mark Warner and Schneider Electric U.S. President Jeff Drees.

Tuebingen, Germany
While the city’s population grew by 5.3% between 2004 and 2009, the absolute energy consumption decreased by 7%, with the per capita consumption decreasing by 12%. Spearheading much of the effort is Green Party Lord Mayor Boris Palmer, who encourages saving energy through a variety of community-based projects, including a local energy conservation campaign called Tuebingen goes blue, which transformed the city’s transportation system to include hybrid, electric and hydrogen buses. Other measures the city has taken are free public transportation on weekends and subsidizing people who exchange inefficient heating systems with more efficient ones.

Buffalo, New York
The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Inc. has become the heart of development in downtown Buffalo. Recognizing the impact the Campus has on the city, stakeholders and campus officials have developed a five-year Energy Innovation Plan that will support economic development and growth in the greater Buffalo Niagara region. The project represents a new approach to energy innovation that integrates energy efficiency, grid modernization, alternative transportation and renewable energy in the context of a growing medical and life science campus, and surrounding residential community.

Masdar City, United Arab Emirates
Masdar City is a small emerging suburb of Abu Dhabi that set an admirable goal to become the world’s only sustainable, zero-carbon, zero-waste city. Developed to house around 40,000 residents and hundreds of businesses, Masdar City’s source for innovation is a top-notch research university with a reputation for being on the forefront of clean technology development. This living and working community has become something of a research lab, where the next big thing in energy efficiency can be showcased, marketed, researched, developed, tested and implemented.

October ISC Meeting Brings Strong Focus to EE Global 2012

October 28, 2011 - Kicking off the latest EE Global International Steering Committee (ISC) meeting on October 26, committee Vice-Chair Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) made a strong statement to the 40+ attendees about the next EE Global. "This is exactly the type of EE dialogue we need to foster," said Congressman Tonko, speaking of the high-level, cross-sector agenda prepared for next March's event.

“It’s not about the next term, but the next generation,” Tonko added. This rallying endorsement from one of the five influential vice-chairs reinforced the power of EE Global 2012 as a vital tool for implementing best practices that will usher in an energy-efficient future.

Tonko joined ISC representatives from around the globe and hosts Alliance to Save Energy and Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance in Washington, D.C. for what Alliance President Kateri Callahan deemed the most productive ISC meeting in the five years of EE Global planning. Members from the business, NGO and government communities – including newcomers Asian Development Bank, World Bank, Department of Energy and State Department – worked to ensure the 2012 agenda will be the most successful to date. The strong support across sectors is unique to EE Global as an international energy efficiency forum. With policy makers and business leaders coming together with the same goal - to advance energy efficiency worldwide - real change is often the outcome.

Playing off Disney's mantra, "If you can dream it, you can do it," especially when EE Global 2012 is held just minutes from the theme park, Tonko emphasized that the reality of energy efficiency can "impact more people than the Disney dream." As the ISC fruitfully discussed ways to engage energy efficiency professionals at the next EE Global, Tonko's words rang especially relevant. The executive dialogue and plenary sessions will reflect the international diversity found on the ISC itself with new members from all five regions of the world such as Israel, Thailand and Scotland.

The ISC will meet again in January while the planning for EE Global continues in full swing.

Four New Tracks Look to Energy Efficiency's Future

October 20, 2011 - This year, the Alliance to Save Energy and SEEA will bring a fresh perspective to the energy efficiency discussion and unveil four brand new executive dialogue tracks at EE Global 2012: Policy, Innovation, Implementation, and Integration. These topics are the cornerstone of the next generation of energy efficiency, a crucial theme at the fifth iteration of the world’s premiere energy efficiency conference. Attendees will learn how to implement best practices, integrate and collaborate between sectors, innovate using existing infrastructure, and dictate the policies that are needed to drive it all forward. This year’s tracks will allow for a different spin on today’s most cutting-edge issues.

The 20 concurrent sessions will drill down into the tracks’ themes and highlight proven regional best practices that can easily be replicated in cities across the globe. Sessions will touch on everything from emerging trends making efficient homes achievable to how Fortune 500 companies are influencing market adoption of energy efficiency through supply chain initiatives. New topics like the military’s role in the fight for a more energy-efficient world and the benefits of municipal watergy will be featured. Each session aims to tackle a relevant topic and highlight replicable practices.

As with the previous EE Globals, these sessions will feature high-level speakers from all disciplines and sectors. Attendees have the opportunity to hear presentations on the latest trends as well as tried-and-true best practices. Afterwards, the intimate setting allows for robust discussion and, hopefully, concrete action items. Each panel will bring perspectives from all over the globe to one room for an in-depth discussion on the most relevant topics in EE today. The executive dialogue sessions, and the larger networking opportunities EE Global provides, are the perfect way for best practices to be highlighted, shared and duplicated across the world.

Sen. Warner and Schneider Electric's Jeff Drees to Lead ISC

September 30, 2011 - The International Steering Committee (ISC), the team that drives the overall direction of the world's leading energy efficiency event, now boasts new leadership. Energy efficiency visionaries Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Schneider Electric U.S. President Jeff Drees will lead the planning of EE Global 2012 in Orlando, Florida, and the two appointees could not be more appropriate bearers of how energy efficiency positively impacts our global energy future.

As Co-Chair of the ISC, and honorary Vice Chair of the Alliance to Save Energy board of directors, Senator Warner is reaffirming his commitment to energy efficiency, a cause for which he has illustrated support in his policy initiatives. Senator Warner was a key backer of the HOMESTAR Retrofit Act of 2010 that makes it more affordable for U.S. consumers to undertake home energy efficiency improvements by cutting the upfront costs of these upgrades. At the Alliance’s 2011 Great Energy Efficiency Day, Senator Warner remarked that energy efficiency not only has the power to reduce the United States’ dependence on foreign oil, but to create sustainable jobs. Through his leadership on the ISC, and his belief in the power of energy efficiency as an economic and jobs creation tool, Senator Warner’s vision will play a critical role in the success of EE Global 2012.

In Jeff Drees’ role as U.S. President of Schneider Electric, he is responsible for “driving the growth and profitability within Schneider Electric's Power, Buildings and Energy businesses within the U.S., as well as coordinating the company's energy efficiency and solutions initiatives across all businesses.” Drees has been with Schneider Electric for 10 years now, and the company itself has served key roles in EE Global since 2009. They join Siemens Industry, Inc. and Whirlpool Corporation as Founding Sponsors of EE Global 2012.

Both Drees and Senator Warner co-chair an ISC that is comprised of leaders from five regions of the world – North America, Europe, Africa/Middle East, Asia/Pacific, and Latin America. The 41 current representatives from these regions are committed to improving energy efficiency in their respective corners of the world, and showing their commitment by providing strategic guidance on the planning and execution of EE Global.

See the complete list of the EE Global 2012 ISC to understand the reach of next year’s event, and the many leaders committed to making it the best EE Global yet.

11 Companies Already On Board to Sponsor EE Global 2012

August 8, 2011 – With the excitement surrounding the announcement of EE Global's next installment in Orlando, Florida, March 27-29, 2012, a number of energy efficiency-dedicated companies have stepped up to show their support for the world's premiere EE event. Three companies - Schneider Electric, Siemens and Whirlpool - have already committed as Founding Sponsors, the highest level of sponsorship.

Eight other companies - Best Buy, Bosch, Danfoss, Ingersoll Rand, Johns Manville, Johnson Controls, Inc., Rinnai and Southern California Edison - have pledged support at unspecified sponsorship levels.

Sponsorship of EE Global 2012 not only gives these companies guaranteed booth space to share their latest energy efficiency innovations, it also gives them access to all three days of EE Global, including VIP events, dozens of high-level lectures and a number of best-in-class networking opportunities.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities at EE Global 2012, please read our one-pager and contact Marcia Pappas Devaney at mdevaney@ase.org.

Save the Date: EE Global 2012 in Mickey Mouse's Backyard, March 27-29

July 19, 2011 – Walt Disney once said, "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

And from March 27-29, 2012, Orlando, Florida is the place to get things done for energy efficiency, during the fifth annual relationship-building, innovation-sharing, educational and dare we say it – magical – Energy Efficiency Global Forum.

EE Global is the leading international energy efficiency event, drawing hundreds of delegates from over 40 countries to its Plenary and Executive Dialogue sessions, best-in-class networking events, and one-of-a-kind Solutions Showcase.

Hosted at the luxurious Peabody Resort in Orlando, Florida, minutes from Disney's famed parks, EE Global 2012 will bring together government officials, business decision-makers and NGO leaders to share best practices and discuss steps towards implementation – paving the way for a real "Tomorrowland" where energy efficiency is the global fuel of choice. Join us for this incredible event where EE dreams are sure to come true!