United Technologies Helps Launch Greenbuild 2015 as Sponsor of 8th International Summit
UTC Climate, Controls & Security and Carrier are kicking off the U.S. Green Building Council’s® Greenbuild International Conference and Expo as sponsor of the 8th International Summit, a daylong event highlighting the global issues of sustainable urbanization, energy and water efficiency, transportation and finance. Featuring remarks from Dan Reifsnyder, Co-Chair, Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, a body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Deepak Chopra, pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation, and Dr. Andrew Steer, President and CEO, World Resources Institute, the event is the first of several this week for UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a leading provider of high-technology solutions leading to safer, smarter, sustainable and high-performance buildings and a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
“Green buildings are smart business decisions so we’re seeing the demand continue to grow,” said Bob McDonough, President, UTC Climate, Controls & Security. “The International Summit provides a great opportunity to convene the global green building community around intelligent, connected, high-technology buildings and their key role in a sustainable future.”
The International Summit brings together hundreds of green building professionals from 30 countries to participate in sessions about mega-city transportation, water scarcity, sustainable energy solutions, rapid urbanization and more in advance of the opening of the Greenbuild Conference and Expo.
In addition to educational sessions and planned remarks from government leaders, the International Summit will also feature the release of initial results from a new Dodge Data & Analytics® report. McDonough, as the lunchtime plenary speaker, will highlight the findings from the World Green Building Trends 2016 report, which include the latest data on green building growth, drivers and barriers from a survey of more than 1,000 green building professionals from 69 countries.
In keeping with the summit’s theme “The Road to Paris,” John Mandyck, UTC Chief Sustainability Officer, and co-author of the book “Food Foolish: The Hidden Connection Between Food Waste, Hunger and Climate Change,” will introduce Reifsnyder, who will speak about the upcoming U.N. Climate Change Conference in Paris.
“Today’s event offers a platform for timely conversation as international leaders face critical decisions about how best to address issues including climate change, population growth and rapid urbanization and their effects on the global demand for natural resources,” said Mandyck.
Following the International Summit, on Wednesday, Nov. 18, United Technologies will introduce the findings of new research that builds upon the recently released “Impact of Green Buildings on Cognitive Function” study. Conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Health and the Global Environment, SUNY Upstate Medical and Syracuse University, with funding provided by United Technologies, the study, released Oct. 26, found that improved indoor environmental quality doubled participants’ scores on cognitive function tests.
A closer look at The COGfx Study will be provided during an educational session Friday, Nov. 20 by Dr. Joseph Allen, assistant professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and principal investigator of the study; Dr. John D. Spengler, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Human Health and Habitation, Harvard Chan School; and Piers MacNaughton, doctoral candidate at the Harvard Chan School and project manager of The COGfx Study.
“These results fill important knowledge gaps in existing research about the relationship between green buildings and occupant health,” Allen said. “They suggest that the levels of carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds that we commonly encounter in conventional office buildings are associated with decreases in worker performance compared to when those same workers are in green building environments. When we enhance ventilation and optimize indoor environmental conditions, we see significant improvements in the cognitive function of workers.”
The study will also be a focus during the Greenbuild closing plenary, during which Mandyck will discuss the results’ impact on the future of green building, and the power of non-governmental organizations and businesses to advance progress on critical issues.
To learn more about the above events and announcements, a detailed schedule of presentations and events for United Technologies booth #1905 is available at www.NaturalLeader.com/Greenbuild; or connect with UTC Climate, Controls & Security at Greenbuild by tweeting @UTC_CCS with the hashtag #UTCGreenbuild.
About UTC Climate, Controls & Security
UTC Climate, Controls & Security is a leading provider of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration systems, building controls and automation, and fire and security systems leading to safer, smarter, sustainable and high-performance buildings. UTC Climate, Controls & Security is a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. For more information, visit www.CCS.UTC.com or follow @UTC_CCS on Twitter.