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TEDxWWF: global thought leaders head to Brussels to share
sustainability insights
Prestigious event explores thinking on how we can rise to the challenge of ‘One Planet Living’
Brussels, Belgium, 8 October 2014: Brussels will host the world-renowned TEDxWWF
conference on the theme ‘One Planet Living’ on 13 October 2014. TEDxWWF is a non-profit
event that allows for the exchange of innovative and sustainable ideas to the global community.
It is based on the international TED conferences devoted to “ideas worth spreading”.
As humanity continues to use more resources than Earth can replenish, WWF’s ‘One Planet
Living’ focuses on ways that we can live and work without overstretching natural systems. This
TEDxWWF conference is a reminder that sustainable ideas do exist and solutions are at hand.
Coming at a time when the new European Commission is on the verge of steering in a backwards
direction to the failed economic growth policies of the past, TEDxWWF 2014 is hosted by WWF
and presented by HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands.
The speaker list includes:
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Tony Juniper, a campaigner and writer who will share his vision of a world where the
economy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ecology and not the other way around;
Helen Slottje, a lawyer and winner of the 2014 Goldman Environmental Prize for North
America, for her work campaigning against fracking in upstate New York;
George Marshall, co-Founder of the Climate Outreach Information Network, who has
developed theories about why our brains are wired to ignore environmental threats.
Sudhanshu Sarronwala, Executive Director, Communications and Marketing of WWF
International, says: “TEDxWWF is an important event which brings together local and global
experts from a range of disciplines and fields, who are committed to promoting sustainable
living as a way of life.”
Tony Long, Director of the WWF European Policy Office, says: “Living on one planet is the
ultimate challenge confronting humankind. There are solutions. The inspirational speakers at
this event will help us to show the way forward and keep the spirit of optimism alive.”
The WWF Living Planet Report, released on 30 September, showed that all of the 27 European
Union countries surveyed are living beyond sustainable limits. This means they are relying
heavily on the natural resources of other countries. The equivalent of 2.6 Planet Earths would be
required if everyone in the world lived like an average European citizen.
TEDxWWF will take place at the Representation of the Free State of Bavaria in Brussels on
Monday 13 October. To live stream TEDxWWF on 13 October, log-on to www.tedxwwf.com.
TEDxWWF in Brussels is organised with the generous support of the Representation of the Free
State of Bavaria in Brussels, Yingli Solar, Exki, THON hotels, Abbit Meeting Innovation, Sound
Strategies and Exki.
ENDS
Notes to editor
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day
conference in California 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with multiple
initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world's leading thinkers and doers to
speak for 18 minutes or less. Many of these talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED
speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson,
Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that
bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live
speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events
are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference
provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.
(Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
About TEDxWWF
The first TEDxWWF took place in October 2011 at the Palladium, City of Geneva, while the
second took place in June 2012 at the INSEAD Asia Campus in Singapore and the third one in
May 2013 at the Sofitel in Abu Dhabi. These talks are still gathering momentum with more than
100,000 views on www.tedxwwf.com.
About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations,
with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's
mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in
which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological
diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the
reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
Please direct all media enquiries to:
Audrey Gueudet
Communication and Media Officer
WWF European Policy Office
[email protected]
Phone: +32 2 743 88 06 |
Mobile: + 32 4 94 03 20 27