11th International Conference - The Greening of Industry Network
October 12-15, 2003, Hotel Nikko San Francisco

Innovating for Sustainability

Organized in cooperation with:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Performance Track
and
Environment Canada/Government of Canada

• Who: Professionals from 40 countries: business, research, NGOs, government
• What: 11th International Conference of the Greening of Industry Network
• When: October 12-15, 2003
• Where: Hotel Nikko San Francisco

We organized GIN2003 in cooperation with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Performance Track, and with Environment Canada/Government of Canada. Sponsors include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environment Canada, Baker Petrolite Corporation, and Clark University. Contributors to the Conference Fellowship Fund include Trillum Asset Management, Hotel Nikko San Francisco, University of Twente, CP Thailand Group, Lynda Couch, David Morrow, Thomas Sterr, and Virgilio Panapanaan. Our 2003 university host is San Francisco State University.

We convened the Network in San Francisco for GIN2003 around the theme of Innovating for Sustainability. Our venue, Hotel Nikko San Francisco offers accommodations and full conference facilities in the heart of the city near Union Square and public transportation. GIN2003 is our 11th international conference, a gathering and of professionals from many sectors, disciplines and countries, dedicated to building a sustainable future.

Greening the conference
We start with the premise that the only green or sustainable conference is the one that does not take place. But since the nature of an international conference is meeting in person, we chose San Francisco intentionally, going to the heart of the city where delegates can walk to everything, take public transit, take the subway directly from the airport terminal to the hotel, with no need to rent cars, taxis, or limos. We stayed away from suburban sprawl, and avoided transporting lots of people to smaller out-of-the-way places. Workers and services are all close to the hotel venue, not dispersed across the landscape. We chose a hotel that recycles, composts used food, donates food as permitted by health codes, and uses compact fluorescent lighting. We looked at purchasing carbon offsets for travel, but decided against buying into emissions trading schemes. On conference paraphernalia, we used only a paper pocket folder with 80% post-consumer content, no ink or labels on it, just an embossment of the GIN logo. No three-ring binders, shoulder bags, mugs, or pens. No hardcopy mailings, all communications done by email and Web. The conference secretariat made a donation to the San Francisco Food Bank in the name of all GIN2003 delegates.

What people say about GIN, in their own words:
• A very unique and vitally needed forum.
• Personally, I am impressed with the quality of the people I've met through the Network, and I like the international emphasis and opportunities to continue to broaden my network of contacts beyond the U.S.
• I can't tell you how much I enjoyed GIN2002 - it was all so 'down my street'.
• GIN is, besides a medium for both academic and non-academic sectors, the single most important conference that yearly gathers up all the greening of industry researchers, and thus the place to reflect the status of the field.
• The global community is desperately looking for solutions and partnerships. The Greening of Industry Network is an effective mechanism contributing to fulfill these needs.
• The last GIN conference was without any doubt the most enjoyable conference experience of my life.
• Going to the GIN conference is like going to an intellectual spa.
• GIN conferences are always so inspiring, especially in these trying times.

Join us in San Francisco, and be part of Innovating for Sustainability.
Register here for the GIN2003 conference

Visit the Benziger Family Winery on Saturday, October 11. This specially designed site visit at the Benziger Family Winery will be hosted and conducted by Chris Benziger and Matt Atkinson to explain and demonstrate features of their sustainable processes, environmental management system, and Biodynamic Agriculture Certified techniques. Make your reservation by email to winetour@greeningofindustry.org. This is an optional activity with a $35 charge per person for motor coach transport (no food provided). We will gather at 1:30pm and depart the Hotel Nikko by 2:00pm, returning by 7:00pm. We are offering this special excursion for GIN2003 delegates thanks to Professor Murray Silverman of San Francisco State University, Benziger Family Winery, and the California Wine Community.

- Kurt Fischer, GIN2003 Conference Chair
- Bruce Paton, GIN2003 Program Chair

... for the GIN2003 Program Committee and the GIN Planning Board.

Innovating for Sustainability

Setting the Agenda
Accelerating progress toward a sustainable society will require both incremental and radical innovation in every sphere of society. Innovations are necessary to dramatically reduce the resource intensity of industrial activity and consumer demand, to address the massive social inequities that exist today, and to overcome persistent barriers to sustainable development. Complex issues such as climate change, emergence of megacities, resource conflicts and the explosive growth of global trade demand innovative solutions within firms, within and across industries, in educational institutions, in government agencies, in civil society organizations, and in collaborative efforts across all sectors and cultures.

Conference themes
The 2003 Greening of Industry Network conference will catalyze innovation in:

• Collaborating to meet the needs of individuals and communities not well served by current institutions, policies and practices.
• Designing and implementing new institutions, public policies, civil regulation strategies, technologies and business practices.
• Creating new business models to meet basic human needs and serve the poorest segments of the global population.
• Developing and delivering education for sustainability.
• Accelerating the adoption of frameworks and practices to achieve complex objectives.

Presentation categories
Representatives of academia, business, government, NGOs and civil society organizations will make presentations in:

• Plenary addresses and debates
• Structured dialogues
• Workshops, breakout sessions, and panels
• Solutions workshops (roll-up-your-sleeves-and-produce-deliverables sessions)
• Case studies
• Research papers
• Doctoral research papers
• Exhibits, demonstrations, and poster presentations

Research paper and case study breakout sessions will feature speakers from the private sector, civil society, government, education, and research communities who will demonstrate the role that these emerging issues play in the development of specific innovations. Conference documentation will include proceedings published electronically available to GIN2003 delegates and GIN Members, a special issue of the journal Business Strategy and the Environment (John Wiley & Sons), and one or more edited books. Full papers (research papers, case studies, position papers) will be reviewed for Best of Conference citation and as part of the design of the books and the journal special issue.

Conference Program
The Greening of Industry Network provides a platform for people from diverse backgrounds to share ideas and experiences and to strengthen relationships, visions and practices for sustainability. Features of the Network conference include keynote speeches, plenary debates, breakout sessions, research paper workshops, and ad hoc or poster presentations. The conference opens 10:00am Sunday, October 12 with the Welcome and start of presentation sessions, and the first Plenary Session on Framing the Issues will take place on Sunday afternoon. The conference will close 4:00pm Wednesday afternoon, October 15. The response to this Call for Participation and Presentations will help shape the conference program.

Venue
The GIN2003 conference venue is the Hotel Nikko San Francisco, with full facilities for the conference, breakout sessions, small group meetings and exhibitions. Conference participants are entitled to a special rate for accomodations at Hotel Nikko San Francisco for the conference dates as well as three days prior to and after the conference. More hotel information ...

Timetable
• May 23, 2003: Notification of accepted proposals.
• June 1, 2003: Conference registration opens.
• August 15, 2003: Full papers due electronically; presenters' registration deadline.
• October 12-15, 2003: 11th International Conference of the Greening of Industry Network.

Fees
The conference registration fee for the four days includes all sessions, exhibitions, lunches, reception, the annual Network banquet, and conference materials. The registration fee for participants (including presenters) is $525 for GIN Members, $650 for non-members. Registration is now open.

JOIN GIN!
Membership in the Greening of Industry Network includes a year's subscription to the international journal Business Strategy and the Environment (John Wiley & Sons). You can join GIN and register for GIN2003 on line at www.greeningofindustry.org/go2003/.

Travel and accommodations costs are additional and are not the responsibility of the conference organizers.

The Conference Secretariat invites other organizations to hold their annual meetings, member meetings, or workshops in conjunction with this international event. For a reasonable fee, we can provide your organization with additional meeting space and logistical arrangements.

Conference secretariat
The conference chair for GIN2003 is Kurt Fischer, GIN-Americas Coordinator; and the program chair is Dr. Bruce Paton, School of Business, San Francisco State University. Sustainable Industry, a tax-exempt public benefit corporation, is managing the conference. A diverse program committee has reviewed presentation proposals and is designing the conference agenda.

• www.greeningofindustry.org
• tel 781.646.4596 fax 781.646.4189

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