CONTACT: Andrea Browne-Phillips
The Aspen Institute
(202) 736-3846
abp@aspeninstitute.org
Beth Foster
National Geographic
(202) 857-7543
befoster@ngs.org
Aspen Environment Forum to Draw Leaders in Energy and Environment
for Second Year, March 25-28, 2009
Forum Will Focus on Energy Solutions and Innovation
WASHINGTON (Nov. 18, 2008)—The Aspen Institute and National Geographic have again joined forces to host the second annual Aspen Environment Forum March 25-28, 2009, in Aspen, Colo. Like the inaugural Aspen Environment Forum in 2008, the event will convene leading minds in science, business, policy and journalism for a powerful, three-day exchange of ideas and solutions — this time, around the world’s energy challenges and opportunities.
The forum, themed “Powering the Planet: Energy for the Long Run,” will feature preeminent experts discussing and debating energy use, energy economics, natural resources and extraction, innovation and cutting-edge technologies, efficiency, conservation, climate change, food production and more. Joining the dialogue will be National Geographic researchers, writers and photojournalists, who will bring unique perspectives through stunning images and stories that document global environmental issues. The Aspen Environment Forum also invites members of the public to join in and let their voices be heard. Registration for this public event is now open at www.aspenenvironment.org.
Designed to stimulate open-minded and vibrant intellectual exchange, the forum is part convocation, part festival, part roundtable and part local town meeting. It will present a variety of programming on the world’s energy supply and future, building over three days of forums and dialogue:
- Day One: The Power Challenge
- Day Two: Energy Transitions
- Day Three: New Energy World
Returning in 2009 are the Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Awards recognizing six game-changing businesses and trailblazers in the energy and environment fields. These awards will be presented at a special dinner at the forum. Visit www.aspeneeawards.org for information on the award categories and the 2008 recipients.
“We are now challenged to find new ways to power the planet that can both sustain us and be sustained into the future. The 2009 forum presents a critical opportunity to engage one another, as well as key decision makers, on our shared energy future,” said Walter Isaacson, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute. “We’re thrilled to bring the forum back for a second year with National Geographic, an ideal partner and a global leader in connecting people to a world larger than the one in which they live.”
“National Geographic has a longstanding commitment to showing how people impact life on Earth, and the magazine has led the way in documenting the world’s environmental and energy challenges. Now, more than ever, we need to bring a clear-eyed vision to reporting on the challenges facing us around energy sources and energy use and to exploring solutions,” said Chris Johns, editor in chief of National Geographic magazine. “The Aspen Environment Forum is a powerful way to harness many voices and perspectives around this important topic, and we are excited to join the Aspen Institute for the second year in creating a venue for this important conversation.”
Media interested in covering this event should contact Jennifer Myers at (202) 736-2906 or jennifer.myers@aspeninstitute.org for press pass information. For general registration, contact Deborah Murphy at (970) 544-7960 or deborah.murphy@aspeninst.org, or go to the forum’s Web site at www.aspenenvironment.org. Space is limited; early registration and travel booking are encouraged.
Sponsors for the Aspen Environment Forum, presented by the Aspen Institute and National Geographic, include Duke Energy and Shell.
About the Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, D.C.; Aspen, Colo., and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and has an international network of partners.
The goal of the Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Program is to provide the leadership and a neutral forum for improving policy making through intentional dialogue in the areas of energy and environmental policy. The Program’s neutrality and intentional dialogue method provide an impartial venue for leaders to engage in informed discussion and inquiry on the important issues of our time.
About National Geographic
The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Since 1888, the Society has funded more than 9,000 expeditions around the globe, encouraging conservation of natural resources and raising public awareness of the importance of natural places, the plants and wildlife that inhabit them, and the environmental problems that threaten them. Through various media vehicles, including its official journal, National Geographic magazine, the Society reaches more than 325 million people a month.
National Geographic magazine has a long tradition of combining on-the-ground reporting with award-winning photojournalism to inform people about life on our planet. Published in English and 31 local-language editions, the magazine has a global circulation of around
8 million. In 2007 and 2008 it won a total of five prestigious National Magazine Awards, including the top award for General Excellence both years.
###