Images from the event!
Click here for a
slideshow. |
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Greening the Border:
Governors' Conference has First Green Tech Expo
by Racquel Palmese
Spanning nearly 2,000 miles, the U.S.-Mexico border is the busiest
international border in the world. Approximately 250 million people cross
it annually, and more than 90 million people call the border region home.
It represents a collective economy that ranks third in the world.
More importantly, Mexico is the United States' major trading partner, with
$20 billion a year in exports to Mexico. As Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
sees it, the vibrant border region offers exciting opportunities for
developing green technology and environmental stewardship.
In August, the
XXVI Border Governors Conference
was held
at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, hosted under the chairmanship of
Governor Schwarzenegger. For the first time in its history, the conference
was accompanied by a Green Tech Expo. Some 50 clean-tech companies from
both sides of the border displayed products, new technologies and
services, from electric cars to a machine that turns sugar into ethanol
fuel. Government officials and representatives spent hours at the Expo
exploring ways their states might work together to further embrace green
technology.
The Border Governors represent the ten Border States of Arizona, Baja
California, California, Chihuahua, Coahulia, Nuevo Leon, New Mexico,
Sonora, Tamaulipas and Texas. This year the Border Governors Conference
had environmental challenges firmly in its sights. For example, this year
all the border states joined together with Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
and the California Climate Action Registry (CCCAR) in a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) to combat climate change.
"This first-of-its-kind public-private partnership highlights Mexico's
proven commitment to reduce global warming pollutants while providing an
avenue for green industries to begin investing and creating jobs in the
region," said Schwarzenegger.
The MOU was signed during the conference with all signatories promising to
engage in projects focused on reducing global warming pollutants while
also providing states on both sides of the border with clean air, water
and reduced exposure to toxic pollutants.
Almost half of all green tech venture capital is invested in California,
and the MOU is expected to help all the Mexican border states to increase
their share in the emerging green economy.
"I am proud of the leadership that all levels of California government are
showing on crucial issues such as energy efficiency, water conservation,
and climate change, and of the partnerships that are developing between
the Border Governors to preserve quality of life and the environment in
one of the most vibrant regions of the world," the Governor wrote in a
letter welcoming delegates to Green Tech Expo.
"This Expo was created to showcase the latest technologies and to
encourage the growth of green industries in all of the Border States.
Embracing this green revolution is one of the most important actions we
can take for the economies of our border-region states and for the future
wellbeing of our citizens."
To view images from the event,
click here.
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