1.28.2010

Russo Says Toyota Will Restore Confidence After Recall

Bloomberg TV, January 29, 2010

Bill Russo, president of Synergistics and senior adviser at Booz & Co., talks with Bloomberg's Haslinda Amin and Mike Firn about the outlook for Toyota Motor Corp. after recalling 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. to fix sticking gas pedals. (Source: Bloomberg) Bill Russo, president of Synergistics and senior adviser at Booz & Co., talks with Bloomberg's Haslinda Amin and Mike Firn about the outlook for Toyota Motor Corp. after recalling 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. to fix sticking gas pedals.


World Ecological Forum Gotland Summit (Update 2)


January 26, 2010 4:07 AM EST

Note: Bill Russo has been invited to speak at the 2010 World Ecological Forum on the automotive industry and China's increasingly important role in driving the electrification of transportation.

VISBY, Sweden, Jan. 26, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The World Ecological Forum today announced that its first summit will bring together prominent industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and environmental experts to fight climatechange. This inaugural summit will be held in the UNESCO-protected city of Visby on Gotland, Sweden, on 1-2 July 2010.

"Corporations and governments must work together. We don't need another climate summit with thousands of participants but we do need to take action," said Alec Arho Havren, executive chairman of the World Ecological Forum. "Our ambition for 2010 is to provide a platform for responsible business leaders and policy makers, and make it easier for CEOs to share ideas and drive real change toward sustainability."

Reducing carbon emissions is a key priority and will be high on the summit's agenda. As stressed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global emissions must peak no later than 2015, just five years away. Although 73 of the 100 largest companies in the world have set some form of reduction target, few companies have plans in place past 2012, the final year of the Kyoto Protocol.

"If we want to reach the emission reductions targets, corporations need to get far more aggressive," said Havren. "We also need to talk about low carbon investments and best practices. We can no longer afford not to."

To boost green technology transfers, the World Ecological Forum has already launched a Green Market Place in partnership with Tynax, the world's largest technology trading exchange. "It is critical to get the most effective innovations out of the research laboratories and into the hands of the engineers and developers," said Jon Rortveit, CEO of Tynax. "We are delighted to partner with the World Ecological Forum and see this initiative as a significant step in creating a global trading exchange for green technologies."

The World Ecological Forum 2010 will also promote green products with special attention given to the automotive industry. During the summit, a zero and low emission vehicle exhibition will be co-hosted by Gotland Ring, the world's first ecological race and test circuit. Winners of the World Ecological Forum Global Impact Award will also be announced at the event.

About World Ecological Forum

The World Ecological Forum is a non-profit organization that is committed to creating environmental and economic balance in order to achieve sustainable growth, welfare and social justice for all. The Forum's flagship event is the annual summit in Visby. The organization also administers the World Ecological Forum Global Impact Award. For more information, visit www.worldecologicalforum.com.

About Visby

The medieval town of Visby is located on Gotland, the biggest island in the Baltic Sea. The island proclaimed itself an eco-municipality in 1992 and continues to work toward sustainability. More information is available at www.gotland.net/en.