WEC's Greening the Supply Chain in the Honduran press

Casey Troy — 2013-05-30T15:15:00Z

Honduras' La Prensa newspaper has published an excellent overview of WEC's cleaner production project with 12 agroindustrial small and medium enterprises in Honduras. For more details plus quotes from WEC's Latin America director Ernesto Samayoa and WEC supply chain consultant Christian Izquierdo, please visit http://www.laprensa.hn/Publicaciones/Suplementos/Dinero-Negocios46/Retos-empresariales-en-materia-de-medio-ambiente#.UaZ3d3ewXBy

PRESS RELEASE: WEC launches Morocco Green Industries Partnerships

Casey Troy — 2013-05-22T17:44:13Z

Casablanca, Morocco, May 22, 2013 - The World Environment Center (WEC) has today launched an innovative project to expand the sustainable development commitments of Moroccan businesses by reducing energy and water consumption, minimizing waste and raw material usage and lowering operating costs. WEC is partnering with the Moroccan firm RIO (Reduce, Invent, Optimize) to implement the local activities and provide advanced technical expertise for the project. The partnership is funded by the United States Department of State through its “Cleaner Production and Environmental Technologies Private Sector Partnerships” program. This is the fourth partnership of its kind, second in Morocco, spanning six countries, between the U.S. Department of State and WEC.

The overall objectives of the partnership are to enhance sustainable development practices, reduce environmental and societal impact of business operations upon local communities and the global biosphere, improve their environmental, health and safety performance, and grow the businesses through more efficient practices and technologies. WEC has been implementing Cleaner Production Private Sector Partnerships in Morocco since 2010 and, through this current initiative, is continuing to collaborate with local industry associations, primarily the Moroccan food processing association, FENAGRI (Fédération Nationale de l'Agroalimentaire), the textile industry association, AMITH (L’Association Marocaine des Industriels du Textile et de l’Habillement) and the collective zone, CoZInE (Collectif des Zones Industrielles pour l’Environnement).

Please see the full press release for further information.

WEC, China Eco-Efficiency Research Center, & SGM Wuling Launch Partnership to Improve Competitiveness and Performance

Casey Troy — 2013-05-15T19:55:00Z

Liuzhou, Guangxi, China, May 15, 2013

–The World Environment Center (WEC), the China Eco-Efficiency Research Center (CERC), and SGM Wuling (SGMW) have launched the 2013 phase of an innovative environmental stewardship project to provide cleaner production and energy efficiency technology and practices to SGMW suppliers. The project is the extension of an initial project conducted with a select set of suppliers in 2011 and 2012, and has now increased to include 22 participating suppliers, two of SGMW’s own plants, and five of the original pilot project suppliers.

This phase represents SGMW’s extension of its strategy to improve supplier performance and support China’s national commitments to improve energy efficiency and sustainable development. Through the WEC/CERC team, for the next year, participating suppliers will receive direct training to reduce waste, carbon dioxide emissions, material and energy consumption, thereby maximizing efficiencies and cost savings.

For the full press release, visit http://3blmedia.com/News/CSR/World-Environment-Center-China-Eco-Efficiency-Research-Center-and-SGM-Wuling-Launch

WEC launches Egypt energy efficiency project

Casey Troy — 2013-04-10T20:20:00Z

CAIRO, EGYPT, April 10, 2013. WEC, USAID, the Egyptian Industrial Development Authority and the Egyptian Ministry of Industry and Foreign Trade have today launched a pilot project on “Improvement of Environmentally Sustainable Production for SMEs in the Food Processing Sector." The project will initially focus on improving energy efficiency in the food processing sector and is designed to support Egypt’s national objective of improving industrial energy efficiency by 20% by 2022. WEC and its local partner, the Egyptian National Cleaner Production Center, will initially focus on establishing baseline energy use practices for 10-12 food processing firms. Further details (in English and Arabic) can be found in the project overview. For more information, please contact Mr. Ernesto Samayoa, WEC’s Director of Latin American Operations at esamayoa @ wec.org.

Moroccan press on the Morocco Cleaner Production project

Casey Troy — 2013-03-13T15:23:40Z

Le Soir Echos, a French language Casablanca-based daily newspaper, has reported on the closing ceremony of WEC's cleaner production project in partnership with CMPP, the Moroccan Center for Cleaner Production. Thanks to technical assistance from WEC and CMPP, 18 small and medium sized agroprocessors reduced energy and water consumption, minimized waste and raw material usage and lowered their operating costs. Ms. Hanan Hanzaz, director of CMPP, notes in the article that the 18 Moroccan companies chosen to participate in the project "represent but a pilot sample. The idea is to reproduce this project in other companies in this (agribusiness) sector as well as to spread the initiative to other business sectors." The full article in French can be found here: http://www.lesoir-echos.com/comment-produire-sans-polluer%E2%80%89/environnement/68068/.

WEC celebrates closing ceremony of Morocco Cleaner Production project

Casey Troy — 2013-02-27T17:25:00Z

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO, February 27, 2013. The World Environment Center (WEC) announced today the successful completion of a U.S. Department of State funded project to expand the sustainable development commitments of Moroccan businesses by reducing energy and water consumption, minimizing waste and raw material usage and lowering operating costs.

Through the WEC and CMPP partnership with the Moroccan agro products-canning processor association, FICOPAM (Fédération des Industries de la Conserve des Produits Agricoles), WEC/CMPP’s technical team selected 18 small and medium-sized local member companies to provide technical assistance in Cleaner Production and Energy Efficiency, strengthening their environmental capabilities as they grow.

Learn more about the WEC/CMPP partnership and project next steps in the full press release.

WEC announces 2013 board and new initiatives

Casey Troy — 2013-01-28T20:30:00Z

WEC Announces New Board Leadership and New Initiatives

Washington, DC-- January 28, 2013. The World Environment Center (WEC) today announced the appointment of new leadership to its Board of Directors and the appointment of four new Board members. Assuming the position of Board Chair will be Mike Barry, Head of Sustainable Business at Marks & Spencer. Mr. Barry succeeds Jeff Seabright, Vice President for Environment & Water Resources at The Coca-Cola Company. Peter Schnurrenberger, Vice President and Group SHE Officer at Roche, and Clay G. Nesler, Vice President of Global Energy & Sustainability of Johnson Controls, will serve as Vice Chairs for 2013. Paul Hagen, Principal at Beveridge & Diamond was selected as Board Secretary.

New Board appointments include: Claus Conzelmann, Vice President and Head of Safety, Health & Environmental Sustainability at Nestlé; Linda J. Fisher, Chief Sustainability Officer of DuPont; Liz Maw, Chief Executive Officer of Net Impact; and Beth Stevens, Senior Vice President, Corporate Citizenship, Environment & Conservation, The Walt Disney Company.

“Each of these individuals is an outstanding leader in the advancement of sustainable business across the world, and they will provide the direction and oversight to strengthen the World Environment Center’s role as a premier business solutions organization,” stated Terry F. Yosie, President and CEO of WEC, “I want to especially acknowledge Jeff Seabright’s bold leadership and many contributions to further differentiate WEC’s global strategy during his service as Chair.”

WEC has also committed to expanding the transparency of its governance. It has recently made public its most recent IRS Form 990 filing and will continue to do so in future years. WEC will also make public reports submitted by its independent auditor.

For a complete list of WEC’s Board of Directors and other information, please visit www.wec.org, and for the official press release please visit http://www.wec.org/wec-announces-2013-board-and-new-initiatives-2.

WEC Annual Review 2012 now available

Casey Troy — 2012-12-10T22:55:00Z

From the 10th anniversary of our European operations to the formation of a groundbreaking WEC-IBM innovation council to the launching of an expansive engineering education initiative in Latin America, 2012 has been a banner year in both the scope and depth of WEC's accomplishments. We invite you to learn more about WEC's thematic and geographic expansion this year by taking a closer look at our 2012 Annual Review.

Sustainable Cities: WEC weighs in on interconnected systems [VIDEO]

Casey Troy — 2012-11-29T21:00:00Z

Cities have great advantages. They provide good jobs and are the most efficient form for delivery of services such as waste disposal, power, education, fire protection, and transportation, when compared with rural areas. City dwellers also use less energy than their counterparts in the countryside. Many experts envision that cities of the future will utilize more sustainable water, waste, energy, and transportation infrastructures. But what will drive the innovation needed to create these cities? And what role will government, industry and NGOs play in bringing about this change? Certainly not immune to partisan politics, cities have nonetheless been the proving ground for sustainable development, as ELI's expert panelists, including WEC's Terry Yosie, debated on November 8, 2012.

Lynn Scarlett, Former Deputy Secretary of the Interior (Moderator)
Shlomo (Solly) Angel, Adjunct Professor of Urban Planning, New York University
Ken Cornelius, Head-Global Center of Competence Americas, Siemens Infrastructure & Cities
Colin Harrison, Distinguished Engineer, Enterprise Initiatives, IBM
Julia Parzen, Coordinator, Urban Sustainability Directors Network
Carter H. Strickland, Jr., Commissioner, NYC Department of Environmental Protection
Terry Yosie, President, World Environment Center

You can find the full video here.

Justmeans highlights the new WEC- University of Michigan partnership

Casey Troy — 2012-11-12T17:11:30Z

Designed to provide cross-disciplinary curriculum and training for eight graduate student fellows in 2013, the WEC-Erb Institute (University of Michigan) partnership is an exciting new step in equipping the next generation of business leaders with on-the-ground sustainability experience: http://www.justmeans.com/MBA-MS-Students-Get-Sustainability-Training-Opportunity/56742.html

The imperative need for smarter buildings

Casey Troy — 2012-09-06T20:28:04Z

"Buildings emit more harmful carbon dioxide emissions into the environment than cars... What's more, up to 50 percent of energy and water used in buildings is wasted." So states Wayne Balta of IBM and member of the IBM-World Environment Center Innovations in Environmental Sustainability Council. The need for greater efficiency in buildings is imperative, says Balta, the smart technology exists, and the opportunity to act is now. See his full article in Earth Times here.

WEC launches major new sustainability initiative in Latin American universities

Casey Troy — 2012-09-06T16:15:58Z

San Jose, Costa Rica – September 5, 2012 - The World Environment Center (WEC) today announced the launching of a major new initiative with universities in seven Latin American nations to improve the teaching and application of sustainable development. The initiative is supported by the U.S. Department of State in partnership with Higher Education for Development (HED). The “Pathways to Cleaner Production in the Americas: Educating Future Professionals” (Pathways) project spans seven countries – Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Peru – to combine environmental and engineering education with access to local private companies.This collaboration will provide students the opportunity to assist micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in cleaner production initiatives, while companies gain the opportunity to develop young talent and key skills that are needed in sustainable industrial development.

See the full press release here: http://t.co/lYH5holR

WEC sustainable cities article published in ELI Forum

Casey Troy — 2012-09-04T21:54:22Z

"Cities both consume the natural environment and regenerate it." The September-October issue of The Environmental Forum, a publication of the Environmental Law Institute (www.eli.org), has featured a piece by WEC CEO Terry Yosie on the livable city of the future. Yosie's eloquent thoughts wrap up the section on page 9 of the Forum.

May 4 Colloquium summary now available

Casey Troy — 2012-05-17T22:21:22Z

More than 100 professionals from business, government and NGOs participated in the World Environment Center-hosted Gold Medal Colloquium on May 4, 2012. This year's theme was "Practical Business Solutions to the Climate-Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Initiatives to Build an Integrated System of Practices." For a useful look at the day's discussions and key take-aways from the event please see our Colloquium Summary.

WEC remarks from OAS dialogue on private sector environmental performance

Casey Troy — 2012-05-14T21:05:00Z

WEC President & CEO Terry Yosie was invited by the Department of Sustainable Development of the Organization of American States (OAS) to speak in its Dialogue Series "Improving Environmental Performance of the Private Sector through Law and Institutions." The dialogue, held at the OAS in Washington, DC, on May 17, 2012, is part of a larger framework to prepare for the Rio+20 conference in June.

The Dialogue discussions analyzed contributions of the private sector throughout Latin America and also explored the following issues:
•    Shared experiences and sustainable development challenges faced by the private sector;
•    The contribution of law and policy to improve private sector performance;
•    Creation of a space for constructive   dialogue   to identify and support opportunities for strengthening the capacity of the private sector towards sustainability; and
•    Dissemination of successful examples of public-private partnerships in environmental matters and sustainable development.

Full remarks about WEC's recent initiatives throughout Latin America are available here.

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