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Cornell Concludes Its Inaugural Global
Forum With Robust Roundtable Discussion From June 1, 2009 to June 3, 2009, the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at the Johnson
Graduate School of Management at Cornell University held its inaugural Global
Forum on Sustainable Enterprise in New York City. More than 100
pioneers/practitioners, representing 20 countries, were split into groups for
two days of working sessions. Each group was tasked with identifying synergies
and next steps related to “The Great Convergence,” the intersection of clean
technology and business development at the Base of the Pyramid. The target areas
included: renewable energy, distributive generation, biomaterials, biofuels,
water (three groups), capacity generation, sustainable materials,
food/agriculture, health and convergence.
The momentum generated during the working sessions carried into the
closing session on June 3rd at the 92nd Street Y which
featured a lively discussion with some of the leading minds in the field,
including the Honorable Al Gore, H. Fisk Johnson, Ratan Tata, and Stuart L.
Hart. Charlie Rose served as moderator and presented the participants with
questions from the live audience as well as those watching via broadcast from
more than 26 locations across the United States.
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The Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management frames the world’s social and environmental challenges as unmet market needs that can be addressed most appropriately through business innovation and entrepreneurship. |
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The Center’s research and teaching programs develop novel approaches for private enterprises to achieve financial success by creatively addressing problems, such as climate change, ecosystem degradation, and poverty. |
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The Center works directly with companies around the world to identify, implement, and evaluate transformational business strategies that help create the sustainable economies of tomorrow. |
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The Center’s focus on sustainable innovation and base of the pyramid (BoP) enterprise development reflects this mandate in its programs and activities, which engage the campus in areas that include renewable energy and carbon markets, life sciences and sustainable agriculture, and health care and hospitality management, as well as finance and international development. |
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Honorable Al Gore, Chairman, Generation Investment Management LLP http://www.cornellglobalforum.org/people/speakers/gore/ “S. C. Johnson & Son is one of the most sustainable companies in the
entire world. We would invest in S. C. Johnson & Son in a nano second.”
“The developing world has a right to the aspiration of having a higher standard of living. An old African proverb says if you want to go quickly go alone, if you want to go far, go together. We need to go fast and far.” |
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Stuart L. Hart, Forum Founder and Co-Organizer & Samuel C. Johnson Chair in Sustainable Global Enterprise, Johnson School, Cornell University http://www.cornellglobalforum.org/people/speakers/hart/ “Two
years ago, it became apparent that clean technology and the base of the pyramid
were not talking to each other. This was the inception for the idea of the
Global Forum”
“Some of the most important clean technology innovations can incubate in the poorest part of the world. Many of these technologies can come into low-income settings where there are real needs.” |
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H. Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO, S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc. http://www.cornellglobalforum.org/people/speakers/johnson/ “We are exploring new business models such as a cleaning service in Kenya. Additionally, we power our Indonesian factory with waste palm oil and our largest factory in the world with landfill gas.” |
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Ratan Naval Tata, Chairman of the Board, Tata Group http://www.cornellglobalforum.org/people/speakers/tata/ “We have
been seriously looking at biofuels and electrical power and also clean diesel.
We’ve even looked at compressed air as a source of powering vehicles and will
have an electric car in the market in September.”
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Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise: www.johnson.cornell.edu/sge/ |
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Cornell Concludes Its Inaugural Global Forum With Robust Roundtable Discussion
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