WATERLOO, ON, May 5 /PRNewswire/ - Flash forward 20 years… What if our best efforts to lower carbon emissions, wean off fossil fuels, and plan for a soaring population weren't enough? Would we ask ourselves why we didn't take action sooner, transforming the ideas from our greatest innovators into the technologies needed to prepare for a more secure and sustainable future? 

June 5 to 9, 2011 in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, the Waterloo Global Science Initiative (www.wgsi.org) presents the Equinox Summit: Energy 2030 - a global conversation on how cutting-edge science and technology can be used to strategize for a sustainable energy future.

An international event
Equinox Summit: Energy 2030 is bringing together some of the world's foremost science, policy and industry experts, along with a group of young future leaders, to collaborate on the development of a blueprint document to steer the world towards a low-carbon existence. The blueprint will short list a set of promising key technologies, laying out a road map of implementation strategies.

As Patron of the Equinox Summit: Energy 2030, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will launch the Summit with an address on Sunday, June 5 at 1pm EST. His Excellency's address will be streamed live and on-demand at http://wgsi.org.

Personalities

The Equinox Summit: Energy 2030 has an exciting line-up of participants working towards a sustainable future. Experts like:

• Yacine Kadi, CERN researcher who is leading efforts to build next-generation nuclear reactors that eat their own waste
• Michael Griffin, former NASA Administrator and large-scale systems thinker
• Vaclav Smil, Distinguished Professor and author of over 30 books on contemporary and international world issues
• Cathy Foley, Deputy Chief of Science for Australia's national science agency whose research into superconductivity could lead to technological leaps in energy generation
• Barry Brook, leading environmental and energy expert and Brave New World blogger
• David Keith, Canada Research Chair in Energy and the Environment who has worked at the interface of climate science, energy technology and public policy for 20 years
• Alán Aspuru-Guzik, who combines quantum mechanics with theoretical chemistry for solar technology that mimics how plants absorb the sun's energy
• Linda Nazar, who is working on the nanotechnology frontier to find better ways to store energy for when we need it most
• Jatin Nathwani, who is leading initiatives for energy conservation and demand management that could improve the lives of billions worldwide
• Tom Rand, venture capitalist, private energy industry expert, and author of Kick the Fossil Fuel Habit: 10 Clean Technologies to Save Our World
• More participants can be found at http://wgsi.org.

Leaders of tomorrow
To better equip future generations to make change happen, the Equinox Summit: Energy 2030 is involving a forum of young leaders, ages 20 to 30, to work alongside top visionaries. This forum will examine expert findings and propose recommendations for technological implementation. Forum candidates will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

Media
We're offering a limited number of media travel grants to assist journalists with costs to cover the Equinox Summit: Energy 2030. Grants include discounted hotel rates, ground transportation, use of on-site newsroom, exclusive invitations to the opening and closing receptions, access to influential Summit participants, and more. Applications must be submitted no later than 9am EST on Monday, May 16, 2011. Full details at: http://wgsi.org/context/newsroom

About Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI):
Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI) is a non-profit partnership between Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and the University of Waterloo. WGSI's mandate is to catalyze long term thinking and solutions to the world's most fundamental social, environmental and economic challenges using science and technology. WGSI provides a rare opportunity for great minds to come together, share new ideas and collectively work towards a better future.

SOURCE Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

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