US-China Green e-Letter Vol. 1 Issue 3, August 2009

Editor-in-Chief: John Reinsch, Director of Public Communications

Letter From The Editor:

Something to keep in mind is that the U.S. still does not have legislation on the books mandating emissions caps. The U.S. Senate has yet to release their version of the controversial American Clean Energy & Security Act (ACES) – expected release in September. Even if the bill passes the Senate however, there are concerns that ACES will come up short with regard to avoiding the worst-case scenario projections for climate change. ACES is premised on limiting atmospheric concentration of carbon to 450 ppm (per the latest IPCC). However, recent studies (post-IPCC) suggest that limiting atmospheric concentration to 350 ppm is necessary. If true, it appears that ACES, even if passed, will necessarily come up short. Point being this: our cause still rests heavily on the shoulders of the private cleantech industry. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous words, recently used by Steven Chu during his speech at Tsinghua, are relevant to expressing the potential graveness of our situation:

“We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such thing as being too late.”

Keep up the great work everyone and keep in mind that our cause, although garnering much publicity, is still mostly private. Don’t forget that as Steven Chu reminded us, there is such thing as being too late.

UCGEC NEWS:

2nd US-China Green Energy Forum:

Keep your calendars marked for our upcoming annual conference. Last year’s event garnered thousands of media hits and resulted in countless cleantech deals and alliances. This year’s event will build from and hopefully surpass the success of last year’s event. Please note that we have moved the date back one day. The event will be held at the Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel in Palo Alto on October 22-23, 2009.

The UCGEC-led Delegation to China is Ready to Go!

The UCGEC’s China Business trip is kicking into full gear. The delegation, consisting of a variety of cleantech professionals – both Chinese and American – and UCGEC officers, will travel through Suzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Chongqing and Xi’an. This delegation will pursue projects in these areas in renewable energy (solar, wind, bio-mass, etc.), green vehicles, green buildings, LED and green energy marketing. More updates and news to come about this exciting opportunity for US-China cleantech collaboration. Check out this report (in Chinese) in the largest Chinese newspaper in North America.

Promoting Cleantech in Shanghai:

The UCGEC has teamed up with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Berkeley Club of Shanghai to foster US-China Cleantech initiatives in Shanghai. Of recent note, UCGEC V.P. of China Operations, Binglin Tan, served as an instructor for an energy training series sponsored by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Shanghai’s Min Hang District. Looking to the future, the UCGEC is looking forward to planning additional events in Shanghai including the UCGEC’s 3rd US-China Green Energy Forum in 2010.

Reaching a Consensus on Cleantech: Exploring Green Opportunities in the U.S. and Chinese Stimulus Packages

The UCGEC and the U.S. Department of Commerce recently co-hosted a seminar discussing the U.S. stimulus package and the Chinese 11th Five Year Plan. The seminar divulged the multitude of opportunities between the U.S. and China in cleantech wrought of these stimulus packages. Each country has reached a consensus on the issue of climate change mitigation - perhaps best evidenced by the fact that each country has pledged billions of dollars to the cause. The event was covered by the SF World Journal (The largest Chinese Periodical in North America). Also, Mr. Karl Kailing of the U.S. DOC’s office had the following to say about the event:

"The International Trade Administration (US Department of Commerce Silicon Valley Export Assistance Center) is delighted to have had the opportunity to work with the UCGEC on the seminar, Chinese Stimulus Package Opportunities for Clean Tech. Silicon Valley's Clean Tech companies are a principal driver of growth and job creation for the American economy, and the opportunities for American exports to China are boundless. We applaud the work of the UCGEC in developing this market, and look forward to future collaborations through which to help make Silicon Valley's Clean Tech firms the most competitive and successful in the world. "

The UCGEC looks forward to hosting more exciting events such as this one, but most importantly to further collaboration with the DOC.

Our Green Building Task Force’s Recent Successful Seminar:

Green Building Seminar Series No.1, Jul. 2009The UCGEC’s latest seminar, Co-hosted with HYSTA, was a great success. The seminar provided an overview of green building polices, standards and incentives, providing a contrast between the U.S. and China. One of our speakers, Jacinta McCann stated that she “really enjoyed being part of such a professionally organized and comprehensive seminar…happy to participate anytime.” The UCGEC’s green building task force is looking forward to hosting additional events in the future (and also look forward to future participation from speakers such as Ms. McCann). Pictured below are some of the speakers and organizers of the event: James Caldwell (UCGEC Board Member and Event Moderator); Qi Wang (UCGEC Officer and Event Organizer); Robert Wu (UCGEC Chairman and CEO); Joseph Horwedel (Speaker); Jacinta McCann (Speaker); Mary Davidge (Speaker); Bryant Tong (Speaker).

UCGEC in the Press after the DC delegation (and some pictures from the trip):

 UCGEC Honorary Chairman, U.S. Congressman Mike Honda, Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, and U.S. Congressman David Wu

(from left) U.S. Congresswoman Susan Davis and the Congressional Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition Co-Chair, U.S. Congressman Jay Inslee

UCGEC members with senior officials of the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Secretary's Office

Given the recent coverage of climate change in the wake of the passage of Waxman-Markey the UCGEC’s trip to D.C. to meet with lawmakers understandably garnered some excellent media mentions. The AFP heralded the UCGEC for our mission of facilitating collaboration among heretofore unlikely bedfellows – the U.S. and China – on the issue of green energy. Congressman Honda’s website calls for joint leadership among the U.S. and China – the world’s economic and carbon emission powerhouses – and how the UCGEC is helping to make this a reality (see here for a video). Off the media radar, but what should not go unnoticed was Sandy Chau’s statement during the DC trip about the fervent participants of our cause to mitigate climate change: “the cause is noble, the intentions are genuine and the enthusiasm is from the heart.”