Caterpillar Inc. will host the first national summit focused on catalyzing the industry of natural infrastructure restoration on Wednesday, November 4, 2015 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt in New York City.
Caterpillar will convene leaders from the engineering, construction and financial sectors, as well as thought leaders from academia, non-government organizations and government officials to engage in a discussion on the need for and the benefits of restoring degraded natural infrastructure – such as forests, prairies, agricultural lands, estuaries, coastal landscapes and wetlands – as well as the opportunities it offers with respect to the global sustainable development goals. The outcomes from the dialogue will drive significant recommendations for both the public and private sectors.
“Our deep relationships with a wide range of infrastructure businesses – from traditional construction to sustainable building to agriculture to energy and transportation – put us in a unique position to give this sustainability topic the focus it deserves,” said Karl Weiss, vice president with responsibility for Caterpillar’s Earthmoving Division. “We believe this could represent new opportunities for Caterpillar and our customers. But, more importantly, we recognize that preserving and restoring our natural assets just makes sense for our business and our global community.”
The Summit will focus on establishing both the science and business cases for restoring natural infrastructure, a critical component of the recently adopted United Nations’ sustainable development goals. Recognizing the benefits of healthy natural infrastructure – including improved storm resiliency for cities and regions, increased land productivity for a growing population and a productive carbon capture and storage option – participants will identify actions that both public and private sector organizations can take to preserve and restore natural infrastructure with the goal of expediting growth of this important emerging global industry.
“Caterpillar is taking early action toward the UN sustainable development goals, especially Goal #15, which seeks to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and halt and reverse land degradation,” said Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation. “It is critically important for corporations such as Caterpillar to engage with diverse partners in developing and driving solutions to these global challenges.”
Later that evening, Caterpillar Inc. will be recognized by Keep America Beautiful as the recipient of the national nonprofit’s prestigious “Vision for America” Award. This national award recognizes a U.S. company’s accomplishments in leading sustainability initiatives in communities across the country. Caterpillar is being recognized for its corporate commitment to sustainability and its significant progress toward aggressive sustainability goals.
