Sustainable Brands ’09: May 31-June 4, 2009, Monterey, CA. Forward looking business thinkers, brand strategists, designers, sustainability executives and communications experts will gather to craft new strategies, solutions and stories that will better serve the needs of today's - and tomorrow's - global marketplace.

Lean and Green Summit 2009: June 8-9, 2009, Savannah, GA. This Summit will bring together advocates of operational excellence who see the implications lean principles have in sustainability and environmental advocates wanting to move industry toward sustainability to address the growing demand for sustainable business.

Carbon Finance North America 2009: June 11-12, 2009, New York, NY. This annual event – the eleventh in the series – will draw together the key players in the US carbon finance industry to explore the implications of the proposed federal cap-and-trade program and other emerging market developments.

EDF/Ashoka Green Innovation for Business unConferences: June 11, 2009, Washington, DC; June 22, 2009, Boston, MA. Environmental Defense Fund and Ashoka are hosting series of unconferences in DC, Boston, Austin and SF/SV. The events are focused on corporate environmental innovation. Unlike traditional conferences, there will be no formal panels or speeches; rather an "open space" format will be used where all participants will have an opportunity to share, discuss, network, collaborate and learn throughout the day.

Business and Sustainability Conference: June 17-18, 2009, Washington, DC. Hosted by the Conference Board, participants at the Business and Sustainability Conference will hear corporate leaders share how corporations working in tandem with governments and NGOs are redefining business success. GEMI members will receive a $1400 registration rate, use code EM1 when registering for this event.

Virtual Energy Forum: June 24-25, 2009, Online Only. The Virtual Energy Forum is a free two day online-only event focused on how leading companies can adopt better energy management practices to cut costs, while at the same time adopting clean energy alternatives -- presenting alternative energy technologies, policies, and best practices in a live, interactive environment.

The Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chain Summit 2009: June 23-24, 2009, Chicago, IL. This Summit is designed to help key stakeholders across the retail, food and beverage sectors assess, develop and implement sustainable strategies across their agricultural raw material supply chains that will deliver tangible business benefits.

BioPower Generation USA: July 8-9, 2009, Chicago, IL. GreenPower’s 5th BioPower Generation conference will bring together leading experts from across the value chain to examine the latest developments in the biomass power generation industry.

Sustainability Summit ’09: July 14-15, 2009, Santa Clara, CA. Sustainability Summit ‘09 will bring together global corporate visionaries, policy makers, environmental advocacy groups, and many others to discuss how industry can work together to meet the needs of a planet in crisis.

2009 GreaterThan Conference: July 26-28, 2009, Portland, ME: The GreaterThan Conference is a new conference focused on cross-sectoral partnerships between businesses, non-profits, governmental organizations and institutions of higher learning. Bringing together a dynamic mix of the country's most innovative partnerships and thought leaders of today. GEMI members are eligible for a discount registration rate of $795 (for-profit) and $395 (non-profit).

Energy and Sustainability 2009: August 9-12, 2009, Newark, DE. The conference, organized by the NSF-sponsored Sustainable Energy from Solar Hydrogen IGERT program at the University of Delaware, aims to offer the opportunity for people to come together and share and learn about topics in Energy and Sustainability.

Cleantech Forum XXIII: September 8-10, 2009, Boston, MA. Attendees will explore latest developments in climate change and resource scarcity driving markets for clean technologies, and measure the current global economic climate and its relationship to cleantech.

Biopolymers Symposium 2009: September 28-30, 2009, Chicago, IL. This conference will encapsulate the entire life cycle of biopolymers in industrial and packaging applications. Through case studies and presentations from industry leaders; attendees will appreciate the bigger picture, from production through to the waste stream.

On May 20-21, 2009, GEMI members Abbott and JohnsonDiversey co-hosted GEMI Meeting #2 in Chicago, IL, as well as a tour and dinner at the Museum of Science and Industry and the museum’s "Smart House".

The Forum Day focused on Water Sustainability and was led by Angie Grooms, Duke Energy and facilitated by Audrey Bamberger and Harry Ott.

The Forum included a water sustainability exercise as well as presentations by three guest speakers: Bob Holt, GE Water & Process Technologies, on GE’s water technologies; Tracy Mehan, The Cadmus Group, on regulatory and stimulus water issues; and, Martin Felsen, UrbanLab, on “Growing Water in Urban Street Design”. In addition, Bert Share and Angie Slaughter, Anheuser-Busch Inbev, gave a presentation on the company's water sustainability strategy and the organizations it has partnered with, and Bob Accarino, Abbott, shared with the attendees an overview of Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics.

The purpose of the Forum was to provide the attendees with the understanding, scope and magnitude of the water challenges we face as a civilization, provide current information regarding competing (or additive) approaches to solving the problem, then knit it together using a common element, providing a take away framework or tool members can use to devise their own solutions back in the office.

GEMI’s Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Supply Chain Networks met during the meeting, which included presentations by guest speakers: Mr. Roger Williams of Blue Source on offsets and maximizing the GHG value; Ms. Patti Marshman-Goldblatt Senior Vice President, Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) on “Sustainability: What Consumers REALLY Think” (Sustainability Trends in the Marketplace: Global Consumer and Market Trends); and Mondher Ben-Hamida, Associate Partner & Global Electronics Stryker, Supply Chain Strategy - Industrial Sector for IBM on IBM’s approach to supply chain management with its clients and how it has successfully taken that approach internally. In addition, the attendees participated in an interactive ‘live’ survey.

Summaries and presentations from the Network sessions as well as the Forum Day are available on the Members Only portion of the web site.

PICTURED LEFT: Gregg Belardo, Wyeth, conducting a live survey at the GEMI Business Meeting

PICTURED RIGHT:Patti Marshman-Goldblatt, Natural Marketing Institute

• 3M was selected for BusinessWeek's Greener China Business Award, both for the company’s strong green focus reflected in its innovative products and because of its long record and large number of projects specifically carried out in China. The BusinessWeek Greener China Business Awards recognize the achievements of 10 companies, all of them leaders in adopting and promoting environmentally responsible processes. They were selected by a panel of expert judges and by BusinessWeek reporters from a pool of more than 60 candidates. More Information.

• Abbott announced the release of its 2008 Global Citizenship Report entitled, "Advancing Innovation.” The report provides an update on Abbott's progress and results in 2008 in delivering on the company's mission to improve people's lives around the world, focused on four key areas: innovating for the future, enhancing access, safeguarding the environment, and protecting patients and consumers. More Information.

• The National Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response (TRANSCAER) Task Group (NTTG) recently presented the 2008 TRANSCAER National Achievement Award to four companies committed to helping communities prepare for and respond to possible hazardous materials transportation incidents, including BNSF. BNSF's hazmat team provided training to more than 4,500 first responders in 17 states and sponsored more than 200 TRANSCAER events in 2008, including tours in Iowa, Colorado and Washington, according to a TRANSCAER news release. More Information.

• ConAgra Foods announced the winners of its 2009 Sustainable Development Awards. In total, the projects have reduced carbon emissions by over 25,000 metric tons, eliminated 4,000 tons of landfill waste, 7,000 tons of packaging material and conserved 348 million gallons of water during fiscal years 2008 and 2009. One award was given in each of five categories: Climate Change & Energy Efficiency; Water Resources – Conservation & Wastewater Management; Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling; Sustainable Packaging, Product and Process Innovation; and, Sustainable Marketing. More Information.

• Duke Energy will build between 100 and 400 electricity-generating mini solar power plants throughout North Carolina over the next two years in one of the first large-scale initiatives of its kind in the U.S. The North Carolina Utilities Commission issued a decision allowing Duke Energy to proceed with its $50-million proposal to install solar panels on the roofs and grounds of homes, schools, office buildings, shopping malls, warehouses and industrial plants, starting later this year. Collectively, the solar sites will generate enough electricity to power 1,300 homes. More Information. In addition, Duke Energy announced it is the lead investor in "GreenTrees," a program that aims to reforest 1 million acres in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley. The program is expected to generate high-quality, verifiable carbon offsets that Duke Energy believes will help reduce the overall cost of compliance with federal climate change legislation. More Information.

• DuPont has opened a new photovoltaic (PV) technical center at its global R&D Center in Shanghai, China. The new PV facility contains three labs, and provides integrated research, development and technical support for customers in the PV industry in China. DuPont expects to nearly triple its annual photovoltaic sales to more than $1 billion in 2012. More Information.

• Eastman Kodak Company has been named by Frost & Sullivan as the recipient of the 2009 OLED Lighting Enabling Technology of the Year Award in the field of Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) Solid State Lighting (SSL) Technology. According to Frost & Sullivan, the Enabling Technology of the Year Award is presented to a company that has developed a technology that can benefit or revolutionize the industry. Kodak, a pioneer in the OLED field, was recognized for its development of systems and processes that will enable a future generation of low power, cost-effective OLED lighting systems. More Information. In addition, Eastman Kodak Company has been awarded a $1.7 million two-year contract by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop key technologies and processes for OLED lighting panels. During the Product Development phase of the Solid State Lighting project, Kodak will develop an OLED luminaire that meets Energy Star color and efficacy specifications and will address key areas of manufacturing processes to reduce cost. More Information.

• Ecolab Inc. published its 2008 Sustainability Report, which details the corporation's efforts in the areas of economic progress, environmental stewardship and social responsibility; and provides data on related activities for 2008. More Information.

• Boston Medical Center and Johnson Controls were honored by the New England Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) for the Best Energy Project – Medical Facilities based on their significant energy savings from the infrastructure renewal and energy conservation improvements at Boston Medical Center. The recognition noted their accomplishment of $1.2 million in energy savings during 2008. More Information. In addition, Johnson Controls and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) announced the development of a sustainability module for the Forum’s Executive Leadership Institute (ELI). As part of a three-year sponsorship, Johnson Controls will work collaboratively with the NFBPA and Southern University and A&M College located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to develop curriculum for the program. Johnson Controls will leverage its triple bottom line approach to sustainability to develop the curriculum for the Institute. This approach measures an organization’s economic prosperity through cost savings, environmental stewardship through reduction in energy and social responsibility. More Information.

• Occidental Petroleum Corporation released its 2008 Social Responsibility Report outlining policies that shape Oxy's approach to social responsibility, and highlighting 2008 achievements and programs in the areas of corporate governance; health, environment and safety (HES); economic impact; labor practices; human rights; and stakeholder engagement. More Information.

• LS9, Inc., the Renewable Petroleum Company™, announced a new strategic partnership with Procter and Gamble to support the joint development and commercialization of LS9 technology to produce key chemicals used within the P&G portfolio of consumer products. The partnership includes a multi-year collaboration that will accelerate the adoption of LS9's proprietary technology in the production of a broad portfolio of commercial products - including sustainable chemicals and renewable transportation fuels. More Information.

• Schering-Plough Corporation welcomed local and state officials, and a class of fifth graders, to celebrate the completion of a 1.7 megawatt solar energy system. With panels located atop seven buildings at the company's Summit, NJ site, the system is one of the largest photovoltaic rooftop installations in New Jersey and North America. It is anticipated that the system will provide up to 12 percent of the site's peak energy needs and reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 1.3 million pounds each year, the equivalent to planting 123 acres of pine forest. More Information.

• The Alliance for the Great Lakes and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company announced a multi-year, regional partnership focused on public education about simple lawn care tips to enhance water quality. The educational outreach program engages a variety of communication channels to reach homeowners in the Great Lakes region. As part of the partnership, advertisements, public service announcements, a web site, community outreach events and in-store education materials communicate homeowner proper lawn care, enhancing water quality and benefiting the environment. More Information.

• Southern Company announced plans to demonstrate carbon capture and sequestration on a coal-fired power generation plant to support the development of technologies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Along with the U.S. Department of Energy, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI), the Electric Power Research Institute and other partners, Southern Company will build a demonstration facility to capture carbon dioxide emissions from an existing unit of subsidiary Alabama Power's Plant Barry near Mobile, Alabama. Beginning in 2011, between 100,000 and 150,000 tons of CO2 per year - the equivalent of emissions from 25 megawatts of the plant's generating capacity - would be captured for permanent underground storage in a deep saline geologic formation. More Information. In addition, Georgia Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, announced a request for proposals (RFP) for green energy resources. The company is seeking up to 80,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) annually of green energy, 1,500 MWh annually of which may be solar photovoltaic energy. The energy will be used to help grow Georgia Power's Green Energy program, which was launched in October 2006. The program currently has more than 4,400 customers enrolled who purchase approximately 19,000 100-kilowatt-hour blocks monthly. More Information.

If you have news and notes you would like to share with the GEMI members, please email them to Kellen Mahoney.

• EPA announced the nation’s top green power purchasers and the following GEMI companies were included in the top 50: Johnson & Johnson (#7) and DuPont (#20). Purchase figures are based on annualized Partner contract amounts (kilowatt-hours), not calendar year totals and the rankings are updated on a quarterly basis. More Information.

• The Roberts Environmental Center published its annual analysis of sustainability reports from some of the world’s top corporations in the Energy Industry; Utilities, Gas, and Electric Industry; Motor Vehicles and Parts Industry; Telecommunications, Network, and Peripherals Industry; Forest and Paper Products Industry; Industrial and Farm Equipment Industry; and, Consumer Food, Food Production, and Beverages Industry. The Center analyzed the reports using the Pacific Sustainability Index (PSI) and then awarded each company a grade (A+ to F) based on its overall PSI score. The following GEMI member companies ranked in their respective industries: Johnson Controls (A+), InBev (A), Smithfield Foods (A), Duke Energy (B+), Southern Company (C+) and ConAgra Foods (C). More Information.

• Properly designed climate change legislation will provide companies with the certainty they need to innovate, creating new market opportunities and jobs for workers, DuPont Chair Chad Holliday told the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. According to Holliday, enacting climate legislation, such as that recommended by the United States Climate Action Partnership Blueprint for Action with provisions like “cap-and-trade,” will provide a roadmap for growth across multiple industry sectors. More Information.

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