Sustainable Business Magazine 07/16

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SUSTAINABLE ISSUE 07/16

B U S I N E S S

M A G A Z I N E

MERCEDES-BENZ

STADIUM

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

MEDICAL BRANCH

MITCO WATER

LABORATORIES POND TECHNOLOGIES ALSO FEATURED THIS ISSUE

INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT ENERGY ASSOCIATION

S U S TA I N I N G T O M O R R O W. T O D AY

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M A G A Z I N E

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CONTENTS ISSUE 07/16

Welcome to the latest issue of Sustainable Business Magazine Sustainable Business Magazine aims to spread awareness of the values of sustainability, as well as the brilliant ways in which organizations continue to meet challenges and champion corporate social responsibility.

For our latest edition we spoke to Scott Jenkins, General Manager of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta’s state-of-the-art new multi-purpose stadium and soon-to-be home of the Atlanta Falcons, about an extraordinary building, sustainability in sports structures, and being a catalyst for community development.

Each installment of our ‘District Energy’ series in partnership with the International District Energy Association (IDEA) features detailed profiles of companies demonstrating state-ofthe-art best practices in district energy across North America and is prefaced by a foreword from IDEA President and CEO Rob Thornton.

For the third installment of the ‘District Energy’ series we spoke to Marcel Blanchard, Associate Vice President, Utility Operations at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Dr. Lana Coble CPC, Project Executive at Tellepsen Builders, and Lynn Crawford, Market Leader for Energy and Utilities at Affiliated Engineers, Inc., about how combined heat and power is helping UTMB save money and prepare for future natural disasters. We also spoke to Peter Howard, Vice President for Corporate Sustainability at Pond Technologies Inc., about proprietary technology, partnering with Markham District Energy, and a humble, carbon-sequestering superfood.

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Mercedes-Benz Stadium

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International District Energy Association (IDEA)

12

University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston (UTMB) Tellepsen Builders Affiliated Engineers

20

Pond Technologies

26

Mitco Water Laboratories

30

Caribbean Cement Company

36

Global Events

37

Advertisers Index

To continue our focus on sustainability in the Caribbean we spoke to Stuart Johnson, Managing Director of Mitco Water Laboratories, about growth in challenging economic times, offering a wide array of options to customers, and how water treatment equipment plays an important role in environmental safety. We also recently spoke to Sophia Lowe, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager at Caribbean Cement Company, in Jamaica, about locally-sourced raw materials, improving efficiency, and their community investment programs.

Details of upcoming sustainability events can be found on our events calendar. For more information on Sustainable Business Magazine, or to view our previous editions, please visit www.sustainablebusinessmagazine.net We hope that you find this issue both interesting and inspiring. Thank you for reading.

The Sustainable Business Magazine Team

COVER IMAGE: COURTESY OF MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM.

© SBM Media Ltd 2016. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form for any purpose, other than short sections for the purpose of review, without prior consent of the publisher.

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MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM

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HEART OF

ATLANTA Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Scott Jenkins, General Manager of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, about an extraordinary building, sustainability in sports structures, and being a catalyst for community development.

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MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM CITY PLAZA.

A 71,000 seat capacity, expandable to 75,000. A retractable roof styled after the oculus in the Roman Pantheon. A five-storey, 360-degree HD video board which will be the largest in the world. And one fully transparent wall, a window on the Atlanta Skyline.

“It’s [Atlanta Falcons owner] Arthur Blank’s vision to redefine the stadium experience,” says Scott Jenkins, General Manager of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

He certainly seems likely to do that. The ambition of Mercedes-Benz Stadium goes well beyond the goals of more traditional sports structures. Innovative, environmentally-friendly design features, community involvement, and a focus on fan experience means when the stadium opens in 2017, visitors won’t just have a new venue for watching the Falcons and the new Atlanta United soccer team; they’ll be walking OPEN ROOF AERIAL.

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through a new vision for the role of sports in the community, for urban architecture, and for the future of Atlanta.

OPEN BUILDING “We’re in the final stretches of construction,” explains Mr. Jenkins. “We’re now about 90% there with the fixed roof, which is about 18,000 tons of steel. As soon as we’re done with that, we’re going to put the operable petals up, which will move to open and close the roof. Then we’ll hang our video board from that.”

Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a massive and complicated project. With its falcon-wing-inspired angular facets on the exterior and its oculus, which will be able to open and close the roof in seven minutes, the architecture is striking and inventive. From the early stages of the building’s development, environmen-

WINDOW TO THE CITY BRIDGES.

tal sustainability has been an integrated – and an integral – part of the design.

“We wanted to raise the bar on every part of the stadium experience, whether that means giving world-class service or being as environmentally conscious and high performing as possible,” says Mr. Jenkins.

“Because of our operable roof, and because we’ve used lots of transparent materials, the building takes advantage of natural ventilation and natural light as much as possible.

It’s part of our emphasis on maintaining an outdoor feel. Because we’re a multi-purpose building, we obviously have to be able to close the roof to do indoor events like Men’s Final Four basketball, but we’re primarily an outdoor stadium, and the beauty of all the glass, the ETFE, and the operable roof is that the majority of the time we can play in an open condition. We like to consider the building an open stadium that can close

“WE’RE PURSUING THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE LEED CERTIFICATION – LEED PLATINUM – AND WE FEEL GOOD ABOUT WHERE WE’RE TRACKING RIGHT NOW.”

when we need to, rather than a closed building that can open.”

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN In addition to his role at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Mr. Jenkins is a founder and the Board Chairman of the Green Sports Alliance, a non-profit which advocates for environmentally friendly practices by sports venues, teams, and leagues. It shouldn’t therefore be a surprise that Mercedes-Benz Stadium is pushing the envelope when it comes to environmental sustainability. “We’re pursuing the highest possible LEED certification – LEED Platinum – and we feel good about where we’re tracking right now,” says Mr. Jenkins. “V4 of LEED includes the lifecycle analysis of materials that are going into the building, and Carlie Bullock-Jones from Ecoworks is helping us work with the supply chain to reduce the carbon footprint

associated with the construction materials.

There’s also Chris DeVolder from HOK, the architectural company, who has contributed a lot to the LEED design work.”

One of the ways Mercedes-Benz Stadium is pursuing LEED Platinum is through energy efficiency measures. “In addition to the natural light and ventilation,

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MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM OWNERS CLUB.

the front-of-house lighting and the sports lighting is LED, so it’s super efficient,” says Mr. Jenkins. “From an energy standpoint, we’re about 29% more efficient than a typical stadium. We’ll also have about 4000 solar panels deployed as part of the project, which will generate about 1.6MW of renewable solar energy each year. What I like about that is it’s incorporated into part of the design that fans are going to see

and benefit from. There’s a new 6-storey parking garage adjacent to the building that’s covered all in solar and is going to provide shade. And when fans come in, solar canopies will cover the ticketing and security screening process. If we just put a bunch of solar panels on the roof and you didn’t see it apart from the drone shots, it’s not something that becomes part of your game experience, but our solar is visible

and it’s serving a function.” Some of the solar energy will be used for 10 electric vehicle parking stations with the capacity to charge up to 36 vehicles simultaneously.

Then there’s the stadium’s water conservation measures. “We’re going to achieve every available water credit under LEED, and we’ll be the first sports facility to obtain that,” says Mr. Jenkins. “That’s important, especially on the stormwater side. With all

EXECUTIVE SUITE.

PIEDMONT CLUB.

NORTH CHAMPIONS LOUNGE.

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100 YARD BAR.

this urban development, when there’s a lot of rain, you have these big storm surges.

So to do our part in the effort to reduce storm surges, we’re going to capture all the rainwater on site. We have a 1.1 million gallon storm vault that we’ll use to collect water off the site and off the building, which will feed to a 680,000 gallon cistern. We’re going to store that water, and we’ll use it to irrigate our landscaping. To us, that’s a really meaningful environmental initiative which also makes us a good neighbor.”

FAN-FRIENDLY FOOD Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s commitment to sustainability extends to the food that fans

will be eating. “We’re going to have edible gardens as part of our landscaping,” says Mr. Jenkins. “We’ll grow food there and use it in some of our recipes in the stadium.

We’re also looking into incorporating that into our educational programs for kids, educating folks about producing healthier food. We’ll also have things like blueberries and apples planted along the entries and perimeters of the building, which will be a fun part of the experience, so folks can walk to the stadium and pick a few blueberries on their way.”

Meanwhile, the food served inside the stadium will include farm-to-table and organic offerings, and will feature

fan-friendly pricing, a major push for the stadium. “We’re committed to making it affordable to bring your family to an event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” says Mr. Jenkins.

“A hot dog is just $2, popcorn $2, a refillable soda is $2. Nachos or a piece of pizza is $3. It’s about raising the fan experience.”

Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s concession prices will be among the lowest in major team sports, and for a family of four to consume typical game-day purchases will be roughly 60-70% cheaper than at other stadiums.

IN THE COMMUNITY Mercedes-Benz Stadium is being constructed a little way south of the current Georgia

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MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM

“WE WANT TO ENGAGE WITH THE PUBLIC AND ENGAGE WITH OUR FANS, AND I THINK THAT’S THE BIG PAYOFF OF SPORTS ADOPTING SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES.”

Dome, in Atlanta’s Westside neighborhood.

“Placing us in the heart of Atlanta is the best way we can make an impact on the community,” explains Mr. Jenkins. “We’re across the street from historic neighborhoods where Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders lived, so the location has a tremendous history, but today there are issues with crime, poverty, and a lack of opportunity. Arthur looks at this new stadium

as an opportunity to make a difference for the community in the Westside. Over the last two years, we’ve trained over 200 local people to participate in this construction project, and those folks can now work on other construction jobs in the area. Our food service partner, Levy Restaurants, have created a culinary training program, teaching people from the community about the food service industry and employing them.

There’s also a focus on creating affordable housing, improving the housing stock, and reducing crime. We view this stadium as a catalyst to make a difference and provide opportunity here.”

A key to these development programs’ future success is the emphasis the Blank Foundation has placed on listening to local concerns and needs. “Frank Fernandez at the Blank Foundation, who is the point person on the Westside initiative, has been having conversations with the community,” says Mr. Jenkins. “Listening and responding are the key points there. We’re here for the long haul, and we’re going to work with the community and provide resources to help accomplish those goals. So I’m very optimistic that in five, ten years, the Westside is going to look a lot different.”

A GAME-CHANGER In Mr. Jenkins’s vision of the stadium, each part of the whole combines to create a unique and extraordinary experience for fans and visitors. “We’re building a worldclass stadium – there’s no question about

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INTERIOR BOWL.

CONCERT CONFIGURATION.

that,” says Mr. Jenkins. “We’re attracting world-class events, with the NFL, with our new soccer team Atlanta United, with MLS, with the SEC, and with the lineup of the college football championship game in ’18, Super Bowl in ’19, and the Final Four in ’20.

But on top of that, it’s delivering an experience no-one has had before in the sports entertainment world. That commitment that you see in the architecture and in sustainability is also going to show itself in the experience, from the fan friendly pricing, the food offerings, to the level of service that you get when you come to Mercedes-Benz stadium, and the entertainment technology that’s in the building.”

As for the sustainability component, Mr. Jenkins sees it as essential that the stadium put its innovations in the foreground for

everyone to see. “We want to engage with the public and engage with our fans, and I think that’s the big payoff of sports adopting sustainable practices. Most of the time when people do things that are environmentally friendly, the folks who pay attention are really a pretty small sliver of society.

When you go to a beautiful, high-performance building like this that has this kind of visibility, I like to think people will see that and say: ‘You know, I could probably do that at home too. I can have more water efficient fixtures at home. I could put in LED lighting.

I might even drive an EV, or I might think about putting PV on my roof so I can create some of my own energy.’ I think we’re making some of that technology mainstream and exposing people to it, so folks start to adopt that at work, at home, and at play.” c

MLS BOWL.

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INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT ENERGY ASSOCIATION UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN COOLING TOWERS.

“DURING THIS ERA OF HISTORICALLY LOW FUEL COSTS, THE IMPORTANCE OF ENERGY AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY IS ESCALATING.”

DISTRICT A foreword to the ‘District Energy’ series by Rob Thornton, President & CEO of the International District Energy Association (IDEA).

ROB THORNTON, PRESIDENT & CEO OF THE INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT ENERGY ASSOCIATION (IDEA).

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On behalf of the board of directors and over 2100 members of the International District Energy Association (IDEA), I am pleased to support this special focus on district energy and combined heat and power

(CHP) for Sustainable Business Magazine. In light of the growing interest and investment in district energy/CHP as a more efficient and sustainable energy solution for cities, communities, and campuses, we applaud

SBM’s interest in sharing successful case studies from our industry. In particular, IDEA institutional members at colleges, universities, and healthcare campuses are demonstrating highly valuable and innovative approaches to reducing energy and carbon footprints while enhancing operational resiliency and economic sustainability.

Now in our 107th year of operation, IDEA members are witnessing a profound paradigm shift “back to the future” in the way energy is produced, distributed, and consumed locally. In fact, the district energy renaissance marks a return to local generation of power and heat, reminiscent of the era of Thomas Edison when cities first turned to district energy/CHP to cut emissions, reduce fire risks, and improve urban air quality. Today, the convergence of generating electricity and useful heat and cooling is a proven technology that can reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions and help to optimize the grid. As our cities expand in population and the need for more resilient energy services increases, the value and appeal of district energy/ CHP widens.

Even during this era of historically low fuel costs, the importance of energy and resource efficiency is escalating. Conserving water, recovering surplus heat, and balancing renewable energy supplies are all possible when multiple buildings are interconnected and a district energy system provides the thermal network scale to optimize production and distribution. We appreciate SBM’s interest in advancing understanding and providing insight to these

useful technologies, business practices, and integrative strategies.

For his 2016/2017 term, IDEA Chair Tim Griffin has established “Sustaining our Success” as his theme to represent the importance of continued relevance, attention to environmental performance, and building on our legacy of collaboration and knowledge-sharing. We believe the ensuing articles and case studies to be shared in SBM will strengthen our outreach and support our mission. We are pleased to engage with the readers of SBM and welcome your inquiries at www.districtenergy.org. c

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY CO-GEN PLANT.

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UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH IN GALVESTON

UTMB IN GALVESTON CONSISTS OF THREE HOSPITALS AND 90 BUILDINGS ACROSS 85 ACRES, NEARLY 3200 STUDENTS AND MORE THAN 900 FACULTY.

PHOTO COPYRIGHT: AEI/AFFILIATED ENGINEERS, INC.

MISSION CRITICAL Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Marcel Blanchard, Associate Vice President, Utility Operations at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Dr. Lana Coble CPC, Project Executive at Tellepsen Builders, and Lynn Crawford, Market Leader for Energy and Utilities at Affiliated Engineers, Inc., about how combined heat and power is helping UTMB save money and prepare for future natural disasters.

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston consists of three hospitals and 90 buildings across 85 acres, nearly 3200 students across the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Health Professions, and 12 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Graduate Biomedical Sciences, and more than 900 faculty. Even at 125 years old, UTMB remains at the forefront of global medicine, housing one of just three Level I Trauma Centers in Southeast Texas, and one

of only two national labs dedicated to the study of infectious diseases in the Galveston National Lab, which includes a Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) facility.

But all this was under threat in 2008, when Hurricane Ike made its final landfall on Galveston Island. One million square feet of UTMB buildings were flooded with seawater, causing campus power and utility systems to fail. UTMB’s two heating and cooling plants were badly damaged, and the steam distribution system was destroyed. “Quite honestly, we thought we were well-prepared for hurricanes,” says Marcel Blanchard, Associate Vice President, Utility Operations

PHOTO COPYRIGHT: AEI/AFFILIATED ENGINEERS, INC.

at UTMB. “This institution has been on the coast for a very long time. But what we had was something we could not have expected, which was a storm surge of historic levels.

For that reason, we knew we had to start thinking outside of our norm.”

MITIGATION STRATEGY After the damage wreaked by Hurricane Ike, UTMB was forced to close their doors for over ninety days. Once basic services had resumed, the institution began putting to-

gether a team to conduct a formal mitigation study. “The big question was: How do we restore the institution?” says Mr. Blanchard.

“But the other question was: How do we protect the institution to ensure this doesn’t happen again? The strategic approach we chose was elevation and protection above the storm surge impact levels we had seen.

Once we’d identified that basic strategic approach, we hired Affiliated Engineers.”

Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (AEI) has longstanding expertise in sustainable

PHOTO COPYRIGHT: AEI/AFFILIATED ENGINEERS, INC.

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UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH IN GALVESTON

THE NEW THERMAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS AND CHP PLANT AT UTMB WERE SPECIFICALLY BUILT TO BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND FUTURE HURRICANES OR DISASTROUS WEATHER EVENTS.

design, having designed over 200 LEED certified projects, with 24 million square feet certified either LEED Gold or LEED Platinum. As part of their work at UTMB, they conducted their own assessment of the damage to the campus utility system, and they made recommendations based on the broad mitigation strategy the institution had set out. “Everyone agreed we didn’t just want to put the systems back like they were before,” says Lynn Crawford, Market Leader for Energy and Utilities at AEI. “If we had done that and another hurricane came along, FEMA would be paying for all of this all over again.”

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INNOVATION AND REGENERATION AEI’s proposed package of changes was an ambitious one. The chilled water production and steam production systems were to be partially housed in a new East Plant elevated high above the flood plain for protection and partially in an existing West Plant that was to be enclosed by a new flood wall. The ruined underground steam system would be eliminated and replaced with hot water piping. Wherever steam was necessary, the system was to be lifted out of the ground and raised overhead.

Finally, two brand-new combined heat and power (CHP) systems would be

installed and a new dedicated high-pressure gas line would be constructed, serving only the university. “AEI recommended 15MW of onsite power,” says Mr. Crawford. “We concluded that two CHP systems powered with natural gas, making steam with the waste heat and then making more electricity with that steam, would be about twice as efficient as power generation from the grid.

So there would also be substantial financial savings of about $3 million a year for UTMB, and huge environmental benefits.”

“The CHP systems were where Affiliated Engineers brought us their great value,” says Mr. Blanchard. “We knew for sure we didn’t

want to put back the infrastructure that had been there before, because it wouldn’t improve our resiliency. We wanted a replacement which provided an increased level of resiliency and protection. AEI recommended that three-step approach. First, to elevate and protect everything critical. Second, to use on-site generation to be self-sufficient.

Third, to convert from underground steam to heating hot water. At the same time, we said we wanted to do this in as sustainable and energy-efficient a manner as possible.

So when we were presented with an option which was 50% more energy efficient and greatly increased our resiliency and our ability to rapidly return to service, we jumped at the opportunity.”

TELLEPSEN BUILDERS Houston-based Tellepsen Builders was ultimately selected to work with AEI and UTMB to execute the ambitious project. “Through a qualification process, we chose Tellepsen Builders as the construction manager,” says Mr. Blanchard. “The firm was well-suited to deliver on our needs.”

“Tellepsen has been around since 1909, and Howard Tellepsen and the family have

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UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH IN GALVESTON

always been very involved with the community, so working on this once-in-a-lifetime project was very important to us,” says Dr. Lana Coble CPC, Project Executive at Tellepsen Builders. “We started in May of 2010, and we completed all scope in August 2016.

The first GMP was for emergency repairs.

Then the second dealt with sanitary, storm, walkway, and lighting systems. Those two phases were about getting things in working order immediately post-hurricane. The third phase dealt with new thermal distribution systems, elevated above the storm surge and underground, as well as a new heating and hot water building, and refurbishing their incinerator building. And the fourth and final phase was the actual CHP plant.”

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ELEVATED AND UNDERGROUND PIPING The new thermal distribution systems and CHP plants at UTMB were specifically built to withstand future hurricanes or disastrous weather events. “Twenty-five buildings were converted from steam to hot water,” says Dr. Coble. “The remaining steam distribution system is now elevated twenty feet above grade, as is the central plant.”

“Everything that could be done with hot water, we did with hot water,” explains Mr. Crawford. “Basically, any buildings that didn’t have to have steam, like classroom buildings and administration buildings, we converted.”

“The chilled water and hot water involved insulated underground piping, which we put deep in the ground,” says Dr. Coble. “There was about two miles of underground piping, with asphalt paving totaling two thirds of a mile. That project took 19 months. The soil in Galveston, Texas is very sandy – obviously, since it’s an island – and the water table is quite high. When installing large pipe in the ground, compaction was critical to creating stability to withstand any future catastrophic weather events.”

RELIABLE POWER AND COOLING As for the East CHP plant itself, in addition to being elevated above the flood plain,

the structure is designed to withstand a Category 4 hurricane. “It’s got a 5.5 MW natural gas-fired combustion turbine driven generator and a 2 MW steam turbine driven generator,” says Dr. Coble. “Then there’s a 1MW black start generator. The intention is that if the power goes down they can create electricity in isolation of the power grid, which allows chilled water production even during a national disaster.

The warm climate conditions on Galveston Island necessitate cooling capacity for most of the calendar year.”

“After Hurricane Ike, it took a long time to get the utility back in service from the grid,” says Mr. Crawford. “UTMB wanted to be able to produce enough electricity onsite to be able to keep the hospital in operation and to stabilize their research buildings in the case of another hurricane. The CHP systems we selected use older, proven technology with a long, successful track record of working at colleges and universities and hospitals throughout the United States. We didn’t want anything new or earth-shaking, nothing too cutting-edge or high risk. The number one criterion was reliability.”

CHALLENGES SURMOUNTED The contractors faced some challenging conditions as a result of the physical conditions of Galveston Island. “As Galveston Island is on the coast of Texas, wind levels can get high enough to impact vertical construction, so operations were shut down more than normal during the

project,” explains Dr. Coble. “There are some safety considerations from working directly on the coastline. However, we’re proud to say we have a very strong safety culture, both at Tellepsen and at UTMB. Tellepsen has won the Safest in the Nation award every year for the past four years.” This award is granted by the

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UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH IN GALVESTON

National Association of General Contractors for firms working in the commercial and industrial construction industry.

WORKING TOGETHER The UTMB project was deeply collaborative, involving not only UTMB, AEI, and Tellepsen, but also the Office of Facilities

Planning & Construction (OFPC) for the University of Texas System. “We met weekly at a minimum, particularly during the commissioning operations,” says Dr. Coble. “We conducted a lot of test runs in conjunction with UTMB, OFPC, AEI, and Jacobs the commissioning agent, as well as our two MEP subcontractors,

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Coordinating amongst all the different equipment manufacturers was a bigger challenge than most projects, too. The major equipment was purchased from a variety of vendors, which required a more intense coordination effort and increased the role of building and industrial control systems. Compared to a typical project, the complexity of this project increased the need for collaboration by 175%.”

The critical importance of UTMB continuing to function in the case of another disaster wasn’t lost on the team. “It’s the only hospital on the coast,” says Dr. Coble.

“Particularly when you have a catastrophic event, that operation becomes mission critical to the inhabitants of the island and nearby population. We looked at this project not just as another job but as a key to improving the sustainability of the community in the Galveston Island area. The opportunity to work on a project which benefits the community created a sense of pride, accountability, and collaboration by all the team members.”

“In the fiscal year 2015, we had hospital discharges of 30,000 people,” says Mr.

Tel: 713-568-6188 Jennifer Black: jblack@wayeng.com www.wayeng.com Way’s scope of work for this project included the complete HVAC piping, steam, ammonia, lube oil, reverse osmosis and sheet metal ductwork systems, as well as insulation for the same. Way managed and coordinated the industrial CHP & the building automation control systems.

A significant challenge we overcame was the degree of additional coordination required to integrate multiple complex systems, i.e. Mechanical, Electrical & Controls, into a working power plant.

Our ability to prefabricate 80% of the piping and ductwork increased jobsite safety and reduced overall site congestion.

Blanchard. “We had 943,000 outpatient encounters in our clinics. 6000 deliveries here.

130,000 telemedicine encounters. Plus we manage the inmate population of the Texas Department for Criminal Justice, which is another 117,000 people we provide health-

care for. We have our Level I Trauma Center and our research infrastructure. Thanks to these new mitigation measures, we have no doubt we’re better protected for the next coming storm season, and storm seasons in the future. Our systems are elevated,

they’re protected, and we’re no longer dependent on a connected power utility.

So we’re in a much, much better place to protect the institution and the services we provide nationally, regionally, and for the local community.” c

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POND TECHNOLOGIES

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THE

PERFECT

CONDITIONS Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Peter Howard, Vice President for Corporate Sustainability at Pond Technologies Inc., about proprietary technology, partnering with Markham District Energy, and a humble, carbon-sequestering superfood.

“Algae are a very old type of organism,” says Peter Howard, Vice President for Corporate Sustainability at Pond Technologies Inc. “They’re also a very simple organism.

On a biochemical basis, what they do is really no different from what the grass on your lawn does when it’s growing. They undertake the process of photosynthesis, taking carbon dioxide (CO2), water, and light and turning that into sugars. All Pond Technologies has done is industrialized that process.”

Pond Technologies, a green technology company, has invented a bioreactor that uses industrial CO2 emissions as a feedstock for growing algae. Founded in 2007 by

Steve Martin, the company has developed several proprietary technologies, and currently run a 25,000-litre demonstration tank at a cement plant, absorbing five tons of the plant’s carbon emissions each year. In addition to the carbon sequestration benefits of the technology, Pond is exploring downstream applications for the algae, including biofuels and nutritional applications.

PUT ON THE RED LIGHT Company founder Steve Martin isn’t a biologist; he’s a physicist, specializing in light.

“Steve’s bet, when he started the company, was that you don’t necessarily need a specif-

ic strain of algae, or a genetically modified algae, or anything like that,” says Mr. Howard. “He consulted with biologists, of course – I’m a biologist. But he bet that all you need to do is create the right conditions for the algae to grow and it will take off. We’ve engineered our closed tank where we’re creating the perfect conditions for the algae to bloom, which means; the right nutrients, the right temperatures, and, importantly, the right amount of light.”

The challenge faced by Pond Technologies wasn’t biological; rather, it was a problem of engineering. “If you’ve ever been scuba diving, you might notice you see very little

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POND TECHNOLOGIES

red underwater,” says Mr. Howard. “That’s because red light doesn’t travel through water very well. In fact, red light will only go 12 to 18 inches through water. Now, that’s a challenge because Chlorophyll A, which is the molecule in photosynthesis that absorbs the

photon of sunlight and triggers the reaction, is very attuned and receptive to red light.

In fact, red light is the most efficient light at generating photosynthesis. In our 25,000-litre plant, you have to make sure that your algae are never more than 12 inches from a source

of red light. That’s the challenge Steve set out to solve with Pond’s technology.”

The core of the company’s technology is the lighting system. “Our company has raised approximately 20 million dollars in debt and equity in its history, and at least half of that has gone into developing our lighting system,” says Mr. Howard. “We’ve built, as far as we know, both the brightest and the most energy efficient LEDs in the world, as well as a patented light distribution system. To distribute the light through the bioreactor, we essentially use something you could describe as a six-inch-thick fibre-optic. Our current light module is about 3000 watts. Bearing in mind a typical household 60-watt incandescent bulb is replaced by a 6 watt LED, that’s roughly equivalent to about 30,000 watts of light in incandescent lightbulbs. We also had to develop a proprietary passive cooling system for the LED array - and the whole thing fits in the palm of your hand.”

ENDLESS HARVEST Pond Technologies also had to develop a system that would allow them to harvest the algae. “We’re not doing a batch processing system where we let the algae grow then

22 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

harvest it all at once,” says Mr. Howard.

“We’re trying to harvest the algae at the same rate it’s growing, so there’s a continuous bloom happening in that tank. We essentially use a flow-through centrifuge, which we actually borrowed from the apple cider industry. That wasn’t the difficult part of the process. What was difficult, however, was allowing for a continuous harvest to occur, while getting a real-time growth measure. The typical way to measure the growth of algae is to remove a sample from the tank and examine it under a microscope (cell counter). That just wouldn’t work for us because it’s not a real-time measurement.

Instead, we relied on our knowledge of optics and physics, and we developed a sensor that shoots a laser through a small sample of the water, and based on how much is absorbed and how much is reflected, we estimate how many algae are in that sample.

We can take many samples per second, giving us the growth rate in real time.”

To develop these technologies, Pond put together a multi-disciplinary team.

“We have a core engineering team consisting of people with knowledge of physics, of optical engineering, and mechanical engineering,” says Mr. Howard. “We also have an electrical engineer, because the whole system needs to be controlled in an automated way, and biologists and chemical engineers, who look at the actual physiology and the biochemistry that’s happening inside the tank. We are very lucky to have put together such a cooperative and capable team.”

CLOSING THE CARBON LOOP The main and direct application of Pond Technologies’ bioreactors is in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of industrial facilities. “We’re working directly with a company called St Marys Cement, whose parent company is Votorantim Cementos North America,” says Mr. Howard. “That’s the site of our 25,000 litre demonstration plant, and that site emits about 350,000 tons of CO2 per year. Now, our demonstration plant is small,

so it only absorbs around five tons per year, but in theory, if we were to scale the technology up and absorb all 350,000 tons of CO2, we would actually create somewhere around 175,000 metric tons of algae, which could then be turned into a solid biomass pellet with about the same energy density as coal, or about 100,000 litres of biodiesel. You could call it closing the carbon loop. We’re not trying to figure out a way to get rid of CO2 emissions, but to find a way to make those emissions valuable. We could actually in theory wean industrial plants off fossil fuels entirely, because we could take their greenhouse gas emissions and turn it back into fuels, which they could then reuse. It’s a massive opportunity.”

Pond Technologies’ bioreactors have been proven in various industrial applications. “We just finished a contract with U.S. Steel Canada using our 8000 litre tanks,” says Mr. Howard. “So we currently have three sources of industrial CO2; in cement, steel, and power generation, and we have proven each can use and benefit from our

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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POND TECHNOLOGIES

technology. Those three industrial sources of CO2 are, not coincidentally, three of the largest industrial sources of greenhouse gases globally.”

GREEN SUPERFOOD The other major potential application Pond Technologies is considering is producing health foods. “Right now, you can buy a lot of health foods that are actually based on algae,” says Mr. Howard. “For example, Omega 3 supplements come either from fish or from algae. There’s also a very interesting compound derived from algae, the world’s most powerful antioxidant, which is called astaxanthin. It’s such a powerful antioxidant that if you take a couple pills per day, it effectively functions as a sunscreen, and you don’t get sunburned. This is the second market we’re looking to access.

This would have nothing to do with industrial facilities; this would be organic-certified, using only food-grade CO2, and then using that to grow superfoods. We’re looking at the nutraceutical angle as a way of growing our revenues and cash flows which will allow us to continue to develop the technology at larger and larger scales, so we can tackle that longer term market.”

The company is looking at algae production in terms of its potential effect on global malnutrition. “The species of algae called spirulina has been available to buy since the 24 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

‘70s, but the technology hasn’t been there before to grow a lot of this stuff quickly,” says Mr. Howard. “It’s dry, powdered algae which is high in protein and has a lot of vitamins and minerals which are difficult to get from other food sources. In terms of things you could do to reduce or eliminate malnutrition, a spirulina supplement is 100% natural, it’s fairly easy for us to grow, and at

the same time it really packs a nutritional punch. What our technology allows us to do is achieve a degree of control and production which hasn’t been available before.”

DISTRICT ENERGY PARTNERSHIP In July, Pond Technologies entered the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, in a partnership with the City of Markham, Markham District

“WHAT OUR TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS US TO DO IS ACHIEVE A DEGREE OF CONTROL AND PRODUCTION WHICH HASN’T BEEN AVAILABLE BEFORE.”

Energy (featured previously in issue 05/16 of Sustainable Business Magazine), and the National Research Council of Canada.

The Carbon XPRIZE is a $20 million prize intending to accelerate the development of technologies, which can convert CO2 into valuable products. “Markham District Energy was a natural partner for us because our head office is in Markham,” says Mr. Howard. “We entered in June, and we were selected as one of the 15 semi-finalists. So between now and August 2017, we have to demonstrate a pilot plant that will absorb 60 kilograms of CO2 per day. If this project is successful, not only will Markham District Energy have a source of biomass pellets onsite, they could also provide pellets to their customers: For a little bit of a price premium, you can actually have zero-carbon heat and energy. They understand how this technology can enhance their own business in the long term and we’re really excited to be working with them.”

Currently, Pond Technologies is working with the provisional government in Ontario

to ensure that algae bioreactors are integrated into the upcoming Cap-and-Trade Policy. “We’re making sure you get the appropriate credits and reductions in your emissions if you have an algae system,” says Mr. Howard. “We’re also working with them to build the first large-scale commercial plant here in Ontario.”

THE FUTURE IS GREEN The 25,000 litre plant at St Marys Cement is the culmination of a decade of work by the Pond Technologies team. “We’ve gone through about seven or eight different generations of photo-bioreactors.” says Mr. Howard. “We started out experimenting in buckets with store-bought LED lights. Then, we designed our own lighting system in a 1000 litre tank. After that, we built the first significant demonstration-scale system in an 8000 litre tank. And now, we’ve finally brought all the pieces together and put them in one platform (a 25,000 litre tank).

The 25,000-litre tank is the technology that would be used for a commercial scale

plant (a system of multiple 25,00 litre tanks put together). So we’ve reached the point where we’re probably not going to scale up the size of the tank, we’re just going to scale up the number. It’s one cell of a system, and it’s working exactly as we hoped it would.”

The next step is to produce and install the first commercial plant. “We’re hoping to do that here in Ontario in partnership with the provincial government, and we’re hoping we can announce the project is starting the engineering and design phase imminently,” says Mr. Howard. “We also need to build a dedicated Algae Product Research Centre. The more we can research and understand the wide array of different products and markets that could be made from algae, the more we think we can grow this industry. And of course, we want to further develop our partnership with Markham District Energy. With enough algae plants, there’s no reason that we couldn’t reduce the industrial greenhouse gas emissions of cement plants, steel plants, and power plants by 25, 50, or even 75%.” c SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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MITCO WATER LABORATORIES

WATER TREATMENT IN TRINIDAD Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Stuart Johnson, Managing Director of Mitco Water Laboratories, about growth in challenging economic times, offering a wide array of options to customers, and how water treatment equipment plays an important role in environmental safety.

Mitco Water Laboratories (MWL) was established in Trinidad and Tobago in 1970 as the Caribbean branch of an American company called Mitco Water Laboratories, Inc. Based in Florida, the original company was founded by Donald Mitchell to offer water treatment equipment to the U.S. market.

Mr. Mitchell came to Trinidad and Tobago

26 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

looking for new opportunities and met Sidney Johnson, a local businessman who also saw the potential for a venture offering water treatment equipment in the country. “Mr. Mitchell saw the need for expanding his operations when he came to Trinidad because there are a lot of industrial applications here,� says Stuart Johnston, Managing

Director of MWL, and Sidney Johnson’s son.

“In the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago are the largest manufacturing islands. We manufacture everything. Our location means we have oil and natural gas, so it is very cheap for companies from across the world to set up using natural gas as the main source of fuel running their factories, boilers, and other equipment.”

DIVERSIFICATION AND EXPANSION Mr. Mitchell and the senior Mr. Johnson ran the company together for about 20 years, until the latter bought out the company completely, making MWL a solely Caribbean-based venture. This coincided with Stuart Johnson’s entry into the company in 1991.

Soon afterwards, he was tasked with formally studying subjects such as water treatment equipment engineering, with the intention that he would one day lead the company.

After Sidney Johnson passed away in 2009, his son gained full control of the company. Since then, Mr. Johnson has implemented his studies by diversifying

and expanding MWL’s reach. As a result of these efforts, MWL has developed new chemicals and equipment supplier partnerships, and now engage with new sectors, including the oil and gas industry. Today, MWL supply not just to Trinidad and Tobago but throughout the Caribbean, from Guyana to Antigua.

CUSTOMER FOCUS From the outset, MWL have endeavored to create an environmentally-friendly portfolio of chemicals and equipment. This ethic owes itself to Mr. Johnson’s own interests as a marine conservationist. “I wanted our work to benefit the water systems, rather than damage them,” says Mr. Johnson.

“We support reusing and recycling water, which is an extension of this.”

MWL’s portfolio includes systems for boilers, coolers, and chillers that run the gamut from UV disinfectants and filters to chemical injection methods. They also offer a wide range of water softeners that can be used by everyone from an individual

household through to large scale industrial applications. “Whether it is a small home or a huge plant maintained by a water authority or petroleum company, we treat all our customers exactly the same,” says Mr. Johnson. “MWL carry out an assessment then provide the full range of equipment options suitable to the customer’s location. The customer can choose from cheaper products or more expensive, more efficient, and more environmentally-friendly equipment.”

In this way, MWL has been able to scale their business up and down to effectively meet the needs of all clients.

WASTE WATER TREATMENT A notable example of the company’s work at the large-scale end was a major project with the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) of Trinidad and Tobago. MWL provided WASA with water treatment equipment during 2001 and 2002, outfitting WASA’s five largest treatment plants. “They chose our high-end offerings meaning the equipment, once maintained correctly, does absolutely

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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MITCO WATER LABORATORIES

FROM THE OUTSET, MWL HAVE ENDEAVORED TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY PORTFOLIO OF EQUIPMENT.

no environmental damage at all,” says Mr. Johnson. “We’re very proud of this achievement, and we believe it is in large part because of the way we work with our clients to offer them clear, detailed options.”

“What our work has proved, what we as a company have proved to the Caribbean market, is that you can do anything you want to do with your water,” says Mr. Johnson. “Even in the case of wastewater, which you might think is impossible to reclaim, we offer equipment where you can input the water that comes out of your 28 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

waste plant and make it drinkable at the other end. You can truly reuse any water.”

SAFETY ALWAYS Health and safety is vital to MWL’s business, from the reliability and sturdiness of their chemicals and equipment through to making sure employees receive the best safety infrastructure available. Regular risk and hazard training is provided to staff while risk assessments are always carried out on site.

“We give all employees personal protective equipment,” says Mr. Johnson. “This

is particularly important not just for the employee but also for the integrity of the chemicals and equipment they work with as well. In addition to this, we hold bi-monthly safety meetings, so that everyone remains up-to-date on relevant matters.”

For the past three years, MWL have been certified by the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago under the Safe To Work (STOW) scheme. STOW is awarded to companies working within Trinidad and Tobago’s energy sector, and is intended to bring attention to their commitment

to health, safety, and environmental management systems.

NEW FRONTIERS “Since the crunch it has been up and down for most companies, but in the last two years we have done better each year than the year before,” says Mr. Johnson. “We have been growing as a company. When I inherited the company, we were in a very small office but subsequently we were able to buy a new, bigger building with a warehouse and onsite facilities. Rather than laying people off like

most other companies in the country, we have actually been able to hire more staff, as well as increase the salaries of existing employees. We are a growing company, and I’m very proud of that.”

Building on this growth, MWL intends to continue finding gaps in the market to tap into. Trinidad and Tobago offers a company like MWL good opportunities to access the opportunities offered by the international market. “Right now, we are working with WASA to help them with water quality for residential and commercial customers

across the country,” says Mr. Johnson. “We are helping them with their prices, and advising them on products they can use which may help them change those prices.

At the moment, we are also forming links with companies such as Shell and BP in the oil and gas sector, companies which are known for the quality of their products.

Despite these new areas our philosophy remains the same as ever: To ensure everyone is happy with the performance they get from our products, and to be as environmentally healthy as possible.” c SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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CARIBBEAN CEMENT COMPANY

BUILDING A NATION

Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Sophia Lowe, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager at Caribbean Cement Company Ltd., about locally-sourced raw materials, improving efficiency, and community investment programs.

30 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 31

CARIBBEAN CEMENT COMPANY

CARIB CEMENT HAS INVESTED IN NOT ONLY STATE-OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT AND MACHINERY BUT ALSO IN PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.

Carib Cement is truly a Jamaican company, operating the only cement plant on the island. Located at the foothills of the world famous Blue Mountains, the company manufactures, distributes, and exports high-quality Portland cement using locally produced raw materials. Since opening its doors in 1952, Carib Cement continues to be the leading supplier of world-class cement to Jamaica and the region. The company has seen several changes in ownership over the years where it has been privately and publicly owned. Today, Carib Cement is 32 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

owned by Trinidad Cement Limited Group (TCL). TCL is not just the majority shareholder in Carib Cement but is also the owner of seven other cement companies in Trinidad, Barbados, Anguilla, and Guyana.

UNIQUELY JAMAICAN Over the years, Carib Cement has expanded its market reach from supplying only the local market to exporting to international markets. The addition of its world class kiln and mill, commissioned in 2008 and 2009, has placed Carib Cement in a strategic po-

sition as a major exporter of cement in the region. An added advantage to the business is that the raw materials required in the production of cement are sourced from within 12 miles of the plant. “The limestone is literally in our backyard,” explains Ms. Lowe. “Additionally, the other raw materials used to create the cement such as gypsum and shale, are found in our quarries in close proximity of the plant. Over the years, we have experimented with several imported raw materials. However, we’ve always had to return to using locally-produced raw

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materials, because it has proven to be consistent and of high-quality which can stand up to any market.”

And like the locally sourced raw materials, 90% of the company’s 797 employees, who consist of permanent and temporary staff as well as contractors, are from the surrounding communities. “One of our main thrusts is to make sure that we include the communities in the process,” says Ms. Lowe.

“There’s a great deal of local pride in our products and our people. It’s important that as a country we build and maintain adequate

quantities of products manufactured locally, and ensure that manufacturers are creating jobs for locals. That investment in our indigenous Jamaican product is something the Carib Cement family is very proud of.”

INVESTING IN EFFICIENCY Carib Cement has invested in not only state-of-the-art equipment and machinery but also in physical infrastructure. This is evident in its kiln which had the capacity to produce 2,800 tonnes of clinker per day. With our recent upgrades in August,

2016 we have moved to producing 3,200 tonnes of clinker per day. “The company is also looking at investing in a new coal mill to replace the current one, which should commence operations in 2017,” explains Ms. Lowe These improvements, along with other investments, will allow Caribbean Cement Company to increase the environmental performance, safety standards, and efficiency of the facilities. Noting “Jamaica’s notoriety for having one of the highest energy costs in the world,” Ms. Lowe explains that the SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 33

CARIBBEAN CEMENT COMPANY pact of the company’s actions. According to her, “the new equipment is significantly improving our impact on the environment.

We’ve also seen significant changes in our water usage, dust emissions, and noise levels. These are all due to our company’s strategic plan which was implemented in 2015. The results of these new strategies have been realized by the company, and have found favor, not only with the government, but also with the local communities and our employees.”

process of upgrading their operations to match international standards has resulted in recent investments in machinery and technology which has contributed to a significant decrease in power consumption.

Ms. Lowe was equally enthusiastic when talking about the environmental im-

SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS Caribbean Cement Company adheres to operating at international standards, and competes on the global market. The veracity of this is reflected in being certified to ISO14001, as well as OHSAS18001 and ISO9000. “We pride ourselves on following all the environmental procedures and requirements,” says Ms. Lowe. “These systems and processes are beneficial to our sustainability and efficiency as they allow us to address concerns in a timely manner.

Adhering to these standards also allows us to reduce downtime which results in an increase in productivity.”

Multinational cement manufacturer Cemex recently increased their stake in Caribbean Cement Company’s parent, the TCL Group. “This has resulted in a positive impact on Carib Cement,” says Ms. Lowe.

“The increased relationship with Cemex has given access to a number of global industry leaders, and has assisted in improving our reliability and productivity at least threefold within the last year. The added expertise has enabled our employees, and plant, to perform at international standards. It really does make a difference when you can access people with experience from diverse backgrounds. An example of that is kiln stops. With the training and expertise procedures now implemented at Carib Cement, we’ve been able to drastically reduce stoppage by more than 50% in comparison to previous years. These are largely due to changes in normal operations and from adopting international standards of operation.”

COMMUNITY COMPANY Surrounding Caribbean Cement Company are several low-income communities.

“We’re very happy to be a part of the

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solution for these communities,” says Ms. Lowe. Carib Cement has always invested significantly in Corporate Social Responsibility. “One way we’ve assisted people from the community in getting better opportunities is through training, which is paramount to our company. We embarked on a significant training program when we commenced our kiln expansion program.

This resulted in training of over 1000 people from the community, in areas such as steelwork, masonry, crane, and operations. The individuals who participated in this program received internationally recognized certification.

Caribbean Cement Company believes in nation-building and has continued to invest in and around surrounding communities through several programs. “Our scholarship program assists children who would not have otherwise been able to afford their education. We have also invested in local schools, and have equally supported women’s entrepreneurship programs by way of investment,” says Ms Lowe.

“One recent program that we are very proud of was one geared towards tackling the Zika virus. Carib Cement was the first corporate entity in Jamaica to sponsor a major Zika eradication program. This program trained over 100 community-based young people to educate others about the virus, to help them identify the mosquito which transmits the virus, as well as how to destroy mosquito breeding sites. Jamaica was previously impacted by Chikungunya, and we’re very proud to say all the communities that we targeted saw less than half the cases of Zika when compared to what they obtained otherwise. We were actually lauded by the Ministry of Health for this program.”

NATIONAL PRIDE Ninety per cent of all concrete structures in Jamaica were made using Caribbean Cement. “For a country of our size and GDP, we have some of the best and strongest buildings in the world. This has allowed us to weather storms, hurricanes, and earthquakes,” says Ms. Lowe. “Many of our

neighbouring islands have not been able to withstand these type of disasters in the way Jamaica has. We’re very proud to contribute to literally building Jamaica.”

Caribbean Cement Company also participates in the compensation mechanism of Jamaica’s Petrocaribe Agreement with Venezuela, providing clinker to Venezuela in repayment for Venezuelan oil. “We were named the Champion Exporter in Jamaica for the last three years by the Jamaica Exporters Association,” says Ms. Lowe. “We now see ourselves growing and expanding into new markets, improving our efficiencies, and bringing more education and training to our people. We also think some of our community programs can be replicated in other parts of the world; we want those programs to soar to new heights.

We’re happy to continue being a positive contributor to the Jamaican economy and the Jamaican landscape. We will ensure that we continue to do well for our shareholders, while doing good for our immediate communities, and Jamaica at large.” c SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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GLOBAL EVENTS

JAN

2017

5th - 7th

The IAFOR International Conference on Sustainability, Energy & the Environment Hawaii, USA

This international and interdisciplinary conference will act as a centre for academics, practitioners, and professionals to discuss new research in sustainability, energy, and the environment. IICSEEHawaii2017 will create opportunities for the internationalisation of higher education and sharing of expertise.

http://iafor.org 10th - 12th

Landscape Ontario’s Congress Toronto, ON, Canada https://locongress.com/

Landscape Ontario’s Congress is Canada’s largest green industry trade show and conference. Rated as one of the country’s top 10 shows with suppliers exhibiting on more than eight acres of show floor, it’s the perfect place to make businesses grow and prosper.

16th - 19th

National Biodiesel Conference: Fueling Our Future San Diego, CA, USA http://bioconf.us

Gathering biodiesel decision makers from throughout the United States and the world in one place and for one purpose. It is a place to see, meet, and interact with those who are leading the biodiesel industry into the future.

24th - 26th

NCSE 2017: Integrating Environment & Health Washington, DC, USA

A decade ago, the 7th NCSE Annual Conference addressed environmental and human health connections. Much has transpired since then, and NCSE 2017 will return to the topic of environment and health to look to our common future.

Energy Mexico 2017 Expo & Congress Mexico City, Mexico

Energy Mexico is the first event in the country to bring together all sectors of the Energy Industry: oil, gas, power, and renewables. Combing an international-level congress with a first-class exhibit area, providing access to new solutions.

http://www.ncseconference.org

31st Feb 2nd

http://www.energymexico.mx

2nd - 4th

New Partners for Smart Growth Conference St. Louis, MO, USA https://newpartners.org

The 2017 New Partners Conference is heading back to the Midwest, to the gateway to smart growth. Honoring the 19th-century explorations of Lewis and Clark and America’s westward expansion, today it’s a beacon for the region’s 21st-century innovations in technology and sustainability.

7th - 10th

ProGreen EXPO Denver, CO, USA

ProGreen EXPO is the only green industry conference in the Rocky Mountain Region of its kind. More than 6,500 green industry professionals will gather to gain vital knowledge and skills to improve business, educate employees, and discover the latest information for the upcoming season.

14th - 16th

The GreenBiz Forum 2017 Phoenix, AZ, USA https://www.greenbiz.com

This annual event covers the trends, challenges, and solutions facing sustainable business today.

20th - 22nd

Energy Design Conference & Expo (EDC) Duluth, MN, USA

Learn about the latest in energy-efficient building and technologies, renewable energy, best practices, and responsible design. Grow your network by exhibiting at the Expo.

Connect with peers and other energy-conscious attendees in a fun and welcoming environment.

http://www.progreenexpo.com

http://www.duluthenergydesign.com

36 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

FEB 2017

ADVERTISERS INDEX A Agreen Tech Expo 2017 C Caldwell Tanks, Inc. G GB Energy Texaco Jamaica

Back Cover

P15

K KenMor Electric Company, L.P. Kissberg Construction Inc. M Mia Green Expo 2018 Midac Equipment Ltd.

P18 P07

Back Cover P33

R Ruff & Tuff Trucking Ltd. W Water Expo 2017 Way Engineering Ltd.

P33

Back Cover P18

P34

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR for these 3 outstanding events in MIAMI, The America’s Business Capital.

Where manufacturers & distributors CONNECT BIG with Latin American, Caribbean & United States HUGE MARKETS 40 countries under one roof!

agreen tec EXPO

www.AGTexpo.com (305) 412-7945

April 18 & 19, 2017

Showcasing Technologies, Products & Know-How for the AGRICULTURAL and GREEN OUTDOORS industries

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Empowering WATER & SANITATION for ALL of The Americas!

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