Kyoto Planet Capital Partners Invests in SustainPro Conference Adding Momentum to #1 Sustainable Corporate Operations Event and Online Community
Eco-conscious financial services and media company Kyoto Planet Group announces that it has invested in SUPR Show LLC, producer of the SustainPro Conference and operator of SustainPro.com, the world’s largest corporate “operations-level” environmental sustainability event and online community.
The SustainPro investment complements Kyoto Planet’s “Sustainable Enterprise Report”, which was first published in Spring 2008 and distributed to 32,000 executive level and operations-level subscribers. The second edition of The Sustainable Enterprise Report will be published to coincide with the October 29-30, 2008 SustainPro Conference which will be co-produced by Kyoto Planet Group.
The inaugural SustainPro conference takes place from October 29-30, 2008 at the Donald E. Stephens Center adjacent to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. The SustainPro Conference’s opening keynote speech will be delivered by Dr. Peter Diamandis M.D., Chairman and CEO of the XPrize Foundation, which designs and runs competitions with prizes of $10 million or more for achievements benefitting mankind. XPrize first gained fame in 2004 when the Burt Rutan-led team flew the first private spaceship to capture the $10 million Ansari XPrize for sub-orbital spaceflight. The Foundation, among other prizes, is creating an XPrize in Energy & Environment. Additional keynote speakers will include Senator John Edwards, Democratic Presidential candidate and the first-ever to run a “carbon-neutral” campaign, California Governor Arnold Schwarzegger’s energy and environment czar Terry Tamminen, Interface Inc. Chairman and Sustainability Legend Ray Anderson, and DuPont board member and former NASA head Sean O’Keefe, among others.
“As the leading corporate operations-level sustainability event, SustainPro ideally complements Kyoto Planet Group’s sustainability publication, The Sustainable Enterprise Report,” says Paul Guedes, VP of Investment Banking for Kyoto Planet Capital Partners,based in Vancouver, BC…”We are impressed with SustainPro’s management team, contributors, initial sponsors and plans for the online community. In today’s media environment, it’s increasingly important to support your print and online content with live events and an interactive online community.”
“Kyoto Planet’s team has a strong commitment to sustainability, and we are honored by their support. We expect many mutual benefits from this investment,” says Jay Whitehead, CEO of SUPR Show LLC.
The conference agenda for the SustainPro Conference & Expo can be found online at www.SustainPro.com, with new speakers being added each week. SustainPro Conference attendees will be operations-level executives who are being asked by their companies to “green up” their operations in manufacturing, IT, marketing, energy, procurement, logistics and facilities.
SustainPro initial sponsors and exhibitors to date include Dell, MeadWestvaco, Kodak, Dow, Hydropoint, IBM, GE Energy, GE Financial, American Express Business, Safety-Kleen, Energy Solutions, Microsoft,Khloro Capital Management, Intercontinental, Kyoto Planet Group, Earth First, Solarsoft Business Systems, PG&E, Wisconsin Energy, Infosys, Interled, Software Systems, City of Chicago, US EPA, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin, with many more joining each week.
About SUPR Show LLC and Kyoto Planet Group
The SustainPro Conference and its online social networking counterpart SustainPro.com focus on building and developing the capabilities of corporate professionals towards building sustainable business operations. Both the conference and social network are properties of SUPR Show LLC, owned by corporate responsibility media veteran Jay Whitehead, Crossing Media LLC CEO Elliot Clark, sustainability consulting, investment management and media group Kyoto Planet Group, sustainability venture capitalist James Lincoln and ESG investment rating firm IW Financial. SUPR Show LLC is also the owner of the Sustainable Productivity Seal of Approval, or SUPR Seal, which ranks the sustainability profiles of the largest 1000 companies in the 14 top B2B industries. More information at www.SustainPro.com
Kyoto Planet Group is an eco-conscious company designed to leverage technology, the free market, and communications tools to enhance environmental sustainability. Kyoto Planet Group is comprised of three component business units including Kyoto Planet Financial (including Kyoto Planet Capital Partners and Kyoto Planet Asset Management), Kyoto Planet Enterprises (including Kyoto Planet Publishing and kyotoplanet.com), as well as Kyoto Planet Foundation and Kyoto Planet Mind. Through these units the company provides a platform for developing powerful financial vehicles to promote green technology and renewable energy, avenues and tools for individuals to affect change and promote education/communication. More information can be found at www.kyotoplanet.com
For more information please contact:
Anne-Sophie Ribault, Chief Marketing Officer
CRO
732 476 6160 ext.112
www.SustainPro.com
Christopher Smith, Publisher
Kyoto Planet
(604) 696.4400
