AGS Annual Meeting 2009
The Alliance for Global Sustainability
is a partnership of four scientific and technological universities – the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The University of Tokyo, Chalmers
University of Technology, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and
their associated partners. It was formed in 1997 in the conviction that closer
collaboration amongst some of the world's leading research institutions would
lead to faster progress towards sustainability.
Sustainability pledge of the AGS Annual Meeting 2009
The AGS Annual Meeting is distinguished by its commitment to sustainability values. The conference organisation has set targets to minimize the environmental footprint of the event.
Co-organisers
The AGS AM 2009 is co-organised by the AGS at ETH and the CCES. Partners include:
World Student Community for Sustainable Development WSC-SD
At the ETH Zurich:
Urban Futures: the Challenge of Sustainability
The AGS Annual Meeting, ETH Zurich 26-29 January 2009
organised jointly with the Competence Center Environment and Sustainability of the ETH Domain (CCES).
'The battle for sustainable development will be won or lost in the urban environment'.
Klaus Toepfer, Opening Statement to UN Habitat Governing Council, April 2005
By 2050, over 6 billion people - three quarters of the world's population – will live in cities. Can this dramatic demographic change be harnessed to ensure progress towards sustainability?
Our propositions:
- cities, properly managed, can be transformative arenas in which natural resources are used more efficiently and economically, contributing to a high quality of life for everyone;
- reinventing cities offers one of the most effective ways of reducing human impacts upon the environment and achieving greater sustainability.
This conference offered a forum for all those concerned about our urban future, from academia, industry and public administration. The programme included keynotes, panel discussions, workshops, posters, and an exhibition.
The AGS recognizes the educational, practical and symbolic value of universities setting an example as models for a sustainable society. The programme, and the sustainability pledge of the conference organisation, highlight this commitment.
The AGS Annual Meeting 2009 kicked off on Monday 26 January with the Student Summit for Sustainability S3, (organised by the World Student Community for Sustainable Development WSC-SD), and the AGSME 2009 workshop on global modeling "Mission Earth - Modeling and Simulation for a Sustainable Future".
Date: 26-29 January 2009
Place: ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
We thank you all for coming to Zurich and participating so actively at the conference.
