--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Did you know, according to the UN, 1.1 billion people do not have access to drinking water today and millions of people die each year from water related illnesses? On World Water Day, Thursday, March 22, GE will host an open panel discussion to explore the increasing economic, social and technological impact water scarcity presents and the growing role industry, sustainable design and technology plays in helping solve this global crisis. Panel topics include: how today and tomorrow's generation can make a difference in increasing access to fresh usable water; sustainable growth practices and designs; global trends affecting the world's water supplies; and social, economic and technological challenges of water scarcity.
WHAT:
World Water Day Open Panel Discussion with Sustainability Experts
WHO:
Andrew Shapiro, GreenOrder, founder and CEO -- moderator Jeff Fulgham, GE Water & Process Technologies, SVP of Sustainability
Alana Libow, Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, analyst Rives Taylor, Gensler Architecture Firm, sustainable design expert
WHEN:
World Water Day, Thursday, March 22, 2007
12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
12:00 p.m. - Presentation of Water Sustainability Sculpture created by Cooper Union artist and student, Lena Imamura. The sculpture, which will be donated to Cooper Union's art gallery by GE, depicts the challenges of water scarcity and what it means to many suffering from the challenges of water scarcity.
12:15 p.m. - Panel discussion open to audience and media participation.
WHERE:
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
The Great Hall 7 East 7th Street at Third Avenue New York, NY
For more information on World Water Day, please visit www.worldwaterday.org. For more information on GE Water & Process Technologies, please visit www.gewater.com.
Panelists Bios:
Andrew Shapiro, GreenOrder
Andrew Shapiro is the founder and CEO, of Green Order, a business that helps companies maximize the value of sustainability - making environmental excellence, energy innovation, and corporate responsibility drivers of profitable growth. Andrew has a diverse background as a consultant, journalist, lecturer, and attorney. He is a an industry expert in the world's sustainability challenges. Recently profiled in a New York Times feature, A Dollars-and-Cents Man with a Green Philosophy, Andrew Shapiro and Green Order was listed as the only strategy firm listed in Inc. Magazine's list of 50 entrepreneurs who are changing the way we live today.
Jeff Fulgham, GE Water & Process Technologies, senior vice president of Sustainability
Jeff Fulgham is a 25-year veteran in water treatment, focusing on global social, economic, and environmental corporate social responsibility efforts. Jeff is expert in sustainable water scarcity solutions for communities and industries at GE Water & Process Technologies -- a business recently listed in Fast Company's the 6th Annual Fast 50 report, which focuses on companies with "imaginative, entrepreneurial business that can address global challenges, like water scarcity.
Alana Libow, Analyst at Innovest Strategic Value Advisors
Alana Libow is an analyst, specializing in emerging market and supply chain risk management analysis. Innovest Strategic Value Advisors is an internationally recognized investment research and advisory firm specializing in analyzing companies performance on environmental, social, and strategic governance issues, with a particular focus on their impact on competitiveness, profitability, and share price performance.
Rives Taylor, Sustainable Design Expert, Gensler Architecture Firm
Rives Taylor is a veteran in the architecture industry and expert in innovative and sustainable design. For the past two years, Gensler Architecture Firm was voted Contract Magazine's most admired architecture firm. And In 2000, the firm was recognized by the American Institute of Architects for its collaborative design practices.
About Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is a distinguished private college of art, architecture and engineering founded in 1859 by Peter Cooper, an inventor, industrialist and philanthropist. Since its founding, all admitted students have received full-tuition scholarships.
About GE Water & Process Technologies:
GE Water & Process Technologies, a unit of General Electric Company, is solving some of the world's most pressing water challenges by providing industrial, agricultural and potable water, while lessening our dependence on fresh water sources. Technologies to accomplish this include desalination, advanced membranes, separation solutions, and water reuse and wastewater management and process technologies. GE delivers value to customers by improving performance and product quality, reducing operating costs and extending equipment life. For more information on GE Water & Process Technologies, visit www.gewater.com.