16:00 Wednesday 8th
Location - AirCanada flight 855 @ 34000 feet
Scott:
Today is the opening day of the long awaited International Student Energy Summit in Vancouver and set to be personally one of my longest ever. Having been up at 4:30am UK time we are set to arrive in Vancouver at around lunch time (8 hours behind UK time!). The conference is set to start at 5pm with opening sessions and an evening meal, I am very much looking forward to getting into bed later on tonight having been awake for a probable 28 hours or so...the things you do for a university project, for your university and for your career.
Equipped with 50 leaflets, 50 business cards and a very nice poster, the aim for myself and fellow LiveGreen:Keele student James Adams is to put the LiveGreen:Keele project on the map, also armed with leaflets for the new sustainability hub at Keele we aim to spread the message that if sustainability is your thing, then Keele is the place to be.
In truth I am currently writing this blog out of extreme boredom, with the screen in front telling me we have been travelling for over 5 hours and we still have 3 and a half left. I am fast running out of things to do, people to annoy (James) and food to eat. However, I am looking forward to what is sure to be a very exciting day (but it should be night my body clock says?), meeting new people and discussing new things all in what is said to be one of the greatest cities to live in.
More to follow.....
James:
Scott's right, the plane journey is long but I'm currently being entertained by Scott's views on how an airline should be run. According to him, about 5 hours in, the cabin crew should close off an isle and turn it into a bowling alley! "Yes Scott..." I replied.
Personally I'm really looking forward to the day ahead. I would be lying if I said I wasn't feeling a little nervous about the event, but after a long flight, I'm not sure how great my conversational skills are going to be come dinner tonight when we have to meet and greet our sponsors, thanking them for the bursary they kindly paid to us.
For now anyway, we have both survived Heathrow terminal three and with any luck, will both survive the flight, but for now it feels as if we may die of boredom.
Vancouver here we come!
22:00 Thursday 9th
Location - Halls of residence @ The University of British Columbia
Scott:
So the end of day 1 has arrived, last night after opening speeches and networking opportunities a good nights sleep was needed, that we didn't get. What we did get was to start making friends with some amazing people from around the world and to start discussing some amazing things. Throughout the first day were various talks ranging from the economic outlook of global energy markets to energy poverty and to smart grids, these talks were given by a range of company leaders, industry experts and authors. The day was rounded off by a gala dinner at BCIT and what is about to be a great night out. The gala dinner contained a very motivational speech from environmental activist Dianne Dillion-Ridgley who despite being an activist was appointed to President Bill Clinton's council for sustainable development, Dianne also worked on the Obama campaign. Dianne left students with the message that we are the future and we are the now and that we are in a position to change, to make a difference and to influence.
I'll sign off by saying that I am about to go to the universities students union, no environmental audits will be taken and no life cycle analysis of the beer will be conducted, instead friends will be made and stress relieved ready for tomorrow's 6.30am run to (better than from) James 's room, as my new role is indeed alarm clock and in response to James I did have better alternatives to bowling on the plane, I offered captains karaoke, bingo, happy hour, hide and seek and an all you can eat buffet and barbeque!
James:
Wow, what a day! After Scott very kindly woke me up this morning I knew we were going to have a long day, but 8am till 9pm was an absolute killer. What I thought was a great idea with the conference this morning, was that we had an opportunity to choose from a list of four lectures which one we wanted to attend. This was a brilliant idea as many of us have varying knowledge of a variety of energy related issues. Personally, I opted for the ‘Nuclear Menace’ option which turned out to be a debate amongst senior energy advisors and analysts. This turned out o be very informative, giving us a depth to the nuclear debate which isn’t normally covered.
Perhaps the most inspiring talk of today I found was the talk on energy poverty and how to combat it using microfinance. This talk was given by Scott Tudman, President and Co-Founder of Energy in Common. This talk really inspired us to think about the benefits of micro financing and what we can do to help developing nations invest in sustainable energy resources. I was unaware before today the health risks and costs of using fuels such as kerosene for energy within the home for light and for cooking. Micro financing eliminates these heath risks and makes it possible for those in developing nations to spend more money on education and what matters to them instead of costly fuel which damages their lungs and eyes.
The evening saw the conference travel to BCIT, about an hour across the city from UBC. Here, we had a very informative lecture on the necessity and benefits of smart grids. These are grids which are able to incorporate a variety of power supplies and allow small electricity producers to sell electricity back into the grid, rather than letting the energy go to waste. Dr Ralph Simms explained the importance of using renewable sources alongside each other within a smart grid to maximize the output and allow for a more constant supply of energy. The questions and answers sessions also had its comedy moments where a student from Pakistan declared that he lived in Islamabad, ‘just two kilometers from where Bin laden was found’. Another question from a German student couldn’t help but mention the war at every available opportunity. What quickly became apparent was that no matter where people come from in the world, we ALL have problems, in one sense or another, with energy.
Now, time to get our dancing shoes on, it’s off to the Student Union.
2.00am Friday 10th
James:
Note to self, never mention to a new friend that you might want to host an event like ISES yourself in a few years time, someone will take you up on it as me and Scott found this evening! We have now been invited to an informal breakfast to talk about what it takes to hold such an event and discuss the processes involved.
Right, time for a quick 4 hours kip followed by our breakfast meeting at 7.15! Thank god Scotts waking me up again, I just wish he’d bring me a coffee as well…
2.30am Saturday 11th
Location - Halls of residence @ The University of British Columbia
Scott:
So here I am 20 hours after I woke up and I'm still awake but loving Vancouver , loving ISES 2011 and generally loving life. The day started at 8.30am with a plenary session named 'The Future of the Oil Sands’, this session looked in detail at the Canadian oil sands and assessed their potential. What was clear was that steps are being taken to protect the environment but overall the huge profit potentially available will surely win over, Canada could become the largest stable/secure supplier of oil to the world. Various sessions followed with the most notable being the one entitled 'Power to the People', this session looked at behavioral studies and how understanding consumer behavior is important to the extent to which companies can 'green' their products. The greatest part of the day was yet to come, at 5pm myself and my 'sidekick' headed to the bar dressed as typical Brits in our suit jackets, shirt and jeans (not socks and sandals) to watch the much loved Canadian hockey team the Vancouver Canucks who were playing a huge game in the Stanley Cup, that is all I know as the ball wasn't round and the word football wasn't in the title. After the game everyone headed to the Museum of Anthropology @ UBC, the reason for this was for a talk by two inspiring students from Harvard University who have developed a device called Soccket, which is a soccer ball that doubles up as portable generator to power lights and charge phones etc... this device is being well received across Africa. After the talk the long awaited garden party took place outside the museum with views of the mountain range, this event was magical to say the least, the evening was spent with food and drink and great company. Anyway another amazing day has occurred, more friends made and existing friendships made stronger, this trip really is becoming life changing and such great company is an absolute pleasure. Signing off now as my alarm tells me I am up in under 4 hours to wake James up, the thought of letting him sleep in is a rather tempting one!!
James:
Need. More. Sleep!
This conference gets better and better. As Scott mentioned above, the day started with a talk sponsored by Shell, about Canada’s ‘oil sands’. The idea of this talk was to inform us that oil tar sands could be the future to our energy needs. However, what was great to see was that the students at the conference were pretty clued up on what environmental problems form from oil sand exploitation. This caused the students to fight back during the questions and answers which added a new dimension to the conference, sheer passion and determination to get a point across to the oil companies in an academic manner.
The talk on consumer behavior and psychology was incredibly interesting. At first, I was unaware of how the two could link into energy but on reflection, they are the two greatest links to create change! If you can’t change people opinions and behavior effectively, one might find policies and business plans could fail if they rely solely on how the public interacts with the product/policy.
As the academic day drew to a close, we knew we had a long evening of socializing ahead of us. After meeting a fellow Brit, dressed in the traditional British jeans, shirt and jacket, stood in the stereotypical place in front of the bar, pint in hand, we headed over to the Museum of Anthropology.
This building was stunning. A marvelous mixture of obvious man made materials such as concrete and steel juxtaposing a vista from the other side of the building, where looking out of the 60ft high, floor to ceiling glass, one looked out to the sea and mountains behind. It really was an example of how man and nature have developed and shows how man and nature should be in life, brought together in harmony. The rest of the evening turned out to be equally as beautiful and inspiring. The talk from the two Harvard students which followed showed us that it is possible to achieve anything with the right drive and motivation. They had created a soccer ball with a gyroscopic dynamo inside to charge a small battery unit. This soccer ball could then act as a power supply for lights to help people learn after dark, but some are even being developed now to run small appliances such as fridges! Hopefully we will see such a device become available commercially in the future!
1.00am Sunday 12th
Location - Gage Towers @ The University of British Columbia
Scott:
So that's it, ISES 2011 is over and I do feel a tiny bit emotional, are blogs allowed to show emotion? Well this one does. Today has been another incredible day surprise surprise, it started bright and early for a talk on Nuclear Fission and the Future of Fusion which to say the very least was interesting, both companies attending the talk (General Fusion and a project called HiPER Fusion) claimed that a fusion reaction will occur within 2 years, with the HiPER project claiming fusion energy will be on the market by 2035, if this happens then world energy markets will change for the better and one of the men in this room will become very, very rich. I have to admit this talk along with a strong coffee cured my hangover, I think full marks for being up so early and as they say 'work hard, play harder' , in fact maybe I just say that, either way I think I'll claim it as mine! What followed at 10:30am was the highlight of the conference; here the chief correspondent of CBC News Peter Mansbridge hosted a session called 'In Conversation With Dr. Rajendra Pachauri'. Dr. Pachauri is commonly known as the chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), so it is fair to say he knows his stuff! Dr. Pachauri's interview was inspiring, informative, powerful and pleasant, the message he delivered was that the 350/400 delegates in the room were the future, we must take more steps, we must drive change. He was pressed on scandals such as Climategate and also the Himalyan Glaciers issue, he was asked about both the future and the past, and the talk was all together no less than life changing, this statement may seem strong, but never have I felt more inspired to go out and change a company, change a government and maybe one day help shape a more sustainable world. The conference was ended with an emotional final speech by the organizers and speeches from the student assembly to much applause. Now it was time to see a city that has opened my eyes to how I want to live, our new found friends guided us to a very nice location in town (It had sport, great food and beer), however good the venue was, the company was better. Our friends then took us to English Bay Beach in Vancouver, here there were views of the city skyline behind and left, the very still sea in front and to the right the amazing Rocky Mountains, this spectacle was made better by the setting sun turning into darkness. At this point U2 - Beautiful Day should be playing and then I believe total happiness has been achieved, it’s a long shot I know. So that was that, we said our goodbyes to our friends, and we headed back to UBC ready for tomorrows 13 hours of flying, I can't speak for James but I am heading home safe in the knowledge that I am a more developed person, with new friends from around the world which I am sure to keep in touch with, there is only one side of me that feels very sad and negative, this is because I want to stay in Vancouver longer, build firmer friendships, listen to more amazing speeches and to enjoy more sunsets and views of the Rocky Mountains. I have never been to Canada before, I had never really planned on going, but now this place has my heart and I am sure to return, soppy yes, true yes, wanting to go home no.
James:
Whilst Scott was at his first lecture this morning on nuclear fusion, I found myself sitting in front of a laptop embarking on the economics of carbon trading. This to me has to have been one of the most interesting (and complex) lectures I’ve ever had! The room was split into teams of 4 where each team was assigned a business with our own carbon limits and told to ‘buy’, and then ‘bid for’ permits to offset our carbon production. This as I found, was not as simple as calling up and placing an order for something to offset carbon. It was a psychological battle of wit and nerves to outbid other companies, to saving money and allowing ourselves not to be fined for not receiving enough carbon permits. Before today, I had no idea this form of trading even existed but now I know that this is becoming a big business and economic development where much money can be made, as well as lost if done incorrectly…
Seeing Scott briefly after the lecture, it was nice to see that I was not the only one feeling the way I did after a fantastic night. After a quick coffee and exchange with people over how the morning’s lectures went, it was time to head to the main theater for one of the main events of the conference: the interview between Dr. Rajendra Pachauri (chair of the IPCC) and CBC reporter Peter Mansbridge. Dr Pachauri was a surprising man unlike what I was expecting. I half expected a figure more like that of a politician, someone who was authoritative and loud. How wrong I was. In front of us was an honest man, someone who did not demand respect, but almost radiated respect out to the audience. If anything, he was a man who inspired us to learn more. His talk inspired us all and reminded us of the power the media has over public perceptions of energy issues and climate change.
Vancouver itself is also a fascinating place. To be able to see mountains overlooking the sea, whilst standing on the beach, is a pretty fantastic and almost unique view. Although, Scott prefers U2- Beautiful Day, I think Otis Reading- (Sitting On) The Dock Of The Bay would have been the cherry on the top for me. Everyone here has been fantastic, I’ve enjoyed every minute and I’ve learnt a lot. My thanks go out to all the speakers and delegates who attended from all over the world, without you, the conference would not have been as spectacular as it was.
Perhaps the biggest thanks however, go to the student organizers of ISES 2011. Without a team of such enthusiastic students, such an event would not be possible. Months of preparation has gone into the past few days and it was obvious from the start that every ‘I’ had been dotted, and ‘t’ crossed.
21:00 Wednesday 15th
Location - Newcastle-under-Lyme
Scott:
So I have been back in the UK since Monday lunch time and I am still trying to settle back into normal life, the conference was rushed and tiring but totally inspiring, informative, magical and will be with me for life. Never have I been in a situation where I am totally surrounded by students all with the same aim, the same drive and the same enthusiasm for one subject, that subject is energy. ISES labeled it's theme as 'The Evolving Energy Ecosystem' , this theme was spot on and hopefully the delegates that attended are all coming up with responses to global energy challenges. This conference installed confidence, confidence in terms of pitching a product to new people, pitching myself to new people and pitching my university to new people. The conference gave me confidence in people, the delegates I met do not know of the term 'let’s sit back and watch', they want to be at the forefront driving change, I want to be there alongside them. I can only thank Teck for sponsoring my bursary which enabled me to attend, and also thank my university for backing me to attend. What happened at ISES was that 350/400 delegates and various industry experts and leaders stood shoulder to shoulder to solve our looming energy crisis, they stood shoulder to shoulder whilst discussing and debating, offering future solutions and sharing advice, this experience was priceless. The next ISES is in 2013, can I book my ticket now?
James:
After finally recovering from jetlag, I can say that my eyes have been opened by the people I’ve met just a week ago. We are already all in touch with each other and I hope the friends we have made over the past week will remain close. Already, myself and Scott have been bouncing ideas around amongst ourselves and other around the world about future business plans and ideas which could encourage businesses and individuals to become more sustainable in terms of energy and in a broader sustainable context.
As for what I learnt at ISES 2011: ‘To be successful, you have to start somewhere. Even if your idea is small, you never know just how big it might become.’ I hope over the coming years, some of the idea’s we have now may become the next big thing.
In the words of a friend who we met at the conference: ‘This is not the end, and I look forward to the day our paths cross again’
