21st to 23rd August 2019
Theme: Renewable Energy Solutions for a Sustainable Future
Valedictory Address: Friday 23rdAugust 2019 at 14.00 hrs
Prof Colin Coulson-Thomas*
I was born and grew up in a village on the Cornish coast a short walk away from the most southerly point in the UK. In my early years, my Auntie’s cottage and surrounding farms were still lit by oil lamps as electricity cables had not yet reached them. Around the village there were frequent reminders of the importance of energy and water. Individual homesteads had tiny wind mills that generated electricity. Fresh water springs fed small reservoirs. Today when I go home I can look across the downs at large wind turbines slowly rotating and the first thing I do on arrival is turn on the water main.
Energy and water are two fundamentals of all our lives. We are 60% water and to work, cook and be comfortable we need a supply of energy. Over these three days it has been a great privilege to spend time with you and to learn of what you are doing to safeguard and ensure the availability of sustainable energy and water for future generations. There is no calling and no activity more vital than yours. Too many people are distracted and oblivious to the wonder of just being alive and being alive now and here.
We need you to stay focused to ensure that what you do is renewable and sustainable. We need humility. In hotter climates, might traditional cooling towers be less resource intensive than modern air conditioning? Can we learn from ancient practices for capturing water and using it sparingly? Rhetoric must be matched by reality. We need to remember the natural resources that are used in the manufacture of the physical offerings you produce and the environmental consequences of their end-of-life disposal.
We need imagination. Like good directors we need to challenge. We need to continue to ask questions. We need continuing innovation to ensure the physical infrastructure of renewable energy and the supply of water are recyclable and make minimal demands on limited natural capital. We need economic innovation in the sharing and circular economies. We need social innovation in saving energy and water and living simpler, less stressful and healthier lives.
As a child living by the sea, I saw people drown. I have visited current and past war zones as an adult and seen the consequences of conflict. Water shortages threaten major cities and many communities. Unless urgent action is taken, water is increasingly likely to be a cause of future wars. We should never take being alive for granted and never take energy and water for granted. I salute and thank all of you for what you are doing and will continue to do. I have enjoyed being with you and I look forward to celebrating today’s award winners.
*Prof. (Dr) Colin Coulson-Thomas, President of the Institute of Management Services, has helped directors in over 40 countries to improve director, board and corporate performance. He leads the International Governance Initiative of the Order of St Lazarus, is Director-General, IOD India, UK and Europe, chair of United Learning’s Risk and Audit Committee, Chancellor and a Professorial Fellow at the School for the Creative Arts, an Honorary Professor at the Aston India Foundation for Applied Research, a Distinguished Professor and President of the Council of International Advisors at the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management-Research, a Visiting Professor of Direction and Leadership at Lincoln International Business School, and a member of the advisory board of the Aravind Foundation and ACCA’s Governance, Risk and Performance Global Forum.
An experienced chairman of award winning companies and vision holder of successful transformation programmes, Colin is the author of over 60 books and reports and he has spoken at over 300 international events. He has also held public appointments at local, regional and national level and professorial appointments in Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East, India and China. He was educated at the London School of Economics, London Business School, UNISA and the Universities of Aston, Chicago and Southern California. He is a fellow of seven chartered bodies and obtained first place prizes in the final exams of three professions. He obtained the CSR Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 CSR Leadership Summit. Details of his most recent books and reports can be found on: http://www.policypublications.com/
10th World Renewable Energy Technology Congress 2019
21st to 23rd August 2019
Theme: Renewable Energy Solutions for a Sustainable Future
Valedictory Address: Friday 23rd August 2019 at 14.00 hrs
Prof Colin Coulson-Thomas*
I was born and grew up in a village on the Cornish coast a short walk away from the most southerly point in the UK. In my early years, my Auntie’s cottage and surrounding farms were still lit by oil lamps as electricity cables had not yet reached them. Around the village there were frequent reminders of the importance of energy and water. Individual homesteads had tiny wind mills that generated electricity. Fresh water springs fed small reservoirs. Today when I go home I can look across the downs at large wind turbines slowly rotating and the first thing I do on arrival is turn on the water main.
Energy and water are two fundamentals of all our lives. We are 60% water and to work, cook and be comfortable we need a supply of energy. Over these three days it has been a great privilege to spend time with you and to learn of what you are doing to safeguard and ensure the availability of sustainable energy and water for future generations. There is no calling and no activity more vital than yours. Too many people are distracted and oblivious to the wonder of just being alive and being alive now and here.
We need you to stay focused to ensure that what you do is renewable and sustainable. We need humility. In hotter climates, might traditional cooling towers be less resource intensive than modern air conditioning? Can we learn from ancient practices for capturing water and using it sparingly? Rhetoric must be matched by reality. We need to remember the natural resources that are used in the manufacture of the physical offerings you produce and the environmental consequences of their end-of-life disposal.
We need imagination. Like good directors we need to challenge. We need to continue to ask questions. We need continuing innovation to ensure the physical infrastructure of renewable energy and the supply of water are recyclable and make minimal demands on limited natural capital. We need economic innovation in the sharing and circular economies. We need social innovation in saving energy and water and living simpler, less stressful and healthier lives.
As a child living by the sea, I saw people drown. I have visited current and past war zones as an adult and seen the consequences of conflict. Water shortages threaten major cities and many communities. Unless urgent action is taken, water is increasingly likely to be a cause of future wars. We should never take being alive for granted and never take energy and water for granted. I salute and thank all of you for what you are doing and will continue to do. I have enjoyed being with you and I look forward to celebrating today’s award winners.
*Prof. (Dr) Colin Coulson-Thomas, President of the Institute of Management Services, has helped directors in over 40 countries to improve director, board and corporate performance. He leads the International Governance Initiative of the Order of St Lazarus, is Director-General, IOD India, UK and Europe, chair of United Learning’s Risk and Audit Committee, Chancellor and a Professorial Fellow at the School for the Creative Arts, an Honorary Professor at the Aston India Foundation for Applied Research, a Distinguished Professor and President of the Council of International Advisors at the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management-Research, a Visiting Professor of Direction and Leadership at Lincoln International Business School, and a member of the advisory board of the Aravind Foundation and ACCA’s Governance, Risk and Performance Global Forum.
An experienced chairman of award winning companies and vision holder of successful transformation programmes, Colin is the author of over 60 books and reports and he has spoken at over 300 international events. He has also held public appointments at local, regional and national level and professorial appointments in Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East, India and China. He was educated at the London School of Economics, London Business School, UNISA and the Universities of Aston, Chicago and Southern California. He is a fellow of seven chartered bodies and obtained first place prizes in the final exams of three professions. He obtained the CSR Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 CSR Leadership Summit. Details of his most recent books and reports can be found on: http://www.policypublications.com/