BP group chief executive to give Sixth Annual Peter M. Wege Lecture

November 2, 2006
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  • umichnews@umich.edu

DATE: 5:15-6:30 p.m. Nov. 14, 2006.

EVENT: BP (formerly British Petroleum) Group Chief Executive Lord John Browne will discuss ” Sustainability: A Practical Agenda” when he delivers the Sixth Annual Peter M. Wege Lecture

BACKGROUND: BP was one of the first petroleum companies to acknowledge global climate change and its relationship to carbon-based fuels. And, it has taken the position that action is required now in order to avoid further increases in carbon emissions as the global demand for energy increases. In his role as group chief executive, Browne leads BP’s initiatives in alternative energy research, sustainable transportation and carbon reduction programs.

His speech will discuss the relevance of sustainability to business, examining the purpose of business, its role in society and the time scales involved in investments and the development of relationships. The speech will also examine the practical ways in which business can and should contribute to the sustainability of the communities in which it operates. Browne will quote practical examples to demonstrate that sustainability is fundamental to business as a way of working, not as a matter of philanthropy or public relations.

Under Browne, BP’s executive management team has publicly supported technologies that foster more sustainable and low carbon sources of energy for heat, light and mobility.

The 2005 addition of a new division, BP Alternative Energy, is an integral part of BP’s strategy to satisfy the growing global demand for affordable, renewable, alternative energy resources.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

LOCATION: Rackham Auditorium, Rackham Graduate School,

915 East Washington St.

SPONSOR: School of Natural Resources and the Environment, Office of the Vice President for Research, and the Center for Sustainable Systems.

School of Natural Resources