2. Sponsors
• Boca Raton.Com – Russell Spadaccini
• Office Depot
• Siemens
• NextEra Energy (FP & L)
• Chartwell’s & Chic-N-Grill
• FAU Student Government Association
• FAU Mission Green Student Association
3. Welcome
President Frank Brogan Mayor Susan Whelchel
Florida Atlantic University City of Boca Raton
President Kevin Ross President Dennis Gallon
Lynn University Palm Beach Community College
4. Moderator
Ayden Maher, Vice President,
FAU Mission Green Student Association
6. James F. Murley, Esq.
Chair, Florida Energy & Climate
Commission
Executive Director, FAU Center for Urban
and Environmental Solutions (CUES)
• Earlier this year, Mr. Murley was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist as Chair of the
Florida Energy & Climate Commission. One of the programs administered by the
Commission is the Renewable Energy and Energy-Efficient Technologies Grant
Program, designed to stimulate capital investment in Florida and promote and
enhance the statewide utilization of renewable energy and energy efficient
technologies. The Commission will award $15 million in grant funding to eligible
projects in early 2009, with at least $8 million for bioenergy projects.
• The State this year received 205 grant proposals, including 145 applications for
renewable energy and energy efficient technologies and 60 applications for bioenergy
projects. Together, the 205 grant proposals seek almost $280 million in grant funding
and provide almost $1.7 billion in cost share for the projects.
• Over the last two years, Florida has provided more than $52 million in grant funding
to encourage investment in the state as well as promote and enhance the use of
alternative and renewable energy technologies.
7. Leonard Berry, Ph.D
Director, Florida Center for Environmental Studies (CES)
Born in England, Dr. Berry studied tropical environments in East and South Asia, and
later in Eastern Africa, with 12 years residence in that area in various university
positions. In Africa he developed an interest in natural resource management and rural
development applied problems, including work on regional planning problems for the
government of Tanzania. Since coming to the United States in 1970, he has worked on
environmental and development training programs for USAID, UNSO, and UNEP; and
worked for the World Bank in a number of capacities. Current interests include effective
information systems for natural resource management and environmental education.
In 1994 he was appointed Director of the Florida Center for Environmental Studies. The
mission of the Center is to collect, analyze, and promote the use of scientifically sound
information concerning tropical and sub-tropical, freshwater and estuary ecosystems.
Its role is to bring the full resources of the Florida State University System to bear on
the critical environmental management issues of the state and of tropical, subtropical,
ecosystems worldwide.
Dr. Berry has authored/edited 18 books and over 200 professional papers and reports.
8. Mr. Yalmaz Siddiqui
Environmental Strategy Advisor
• Yalmaz Siddiqui is responsible for developing Office Depot’s environmental strategy
and integrating its wide-ranging environmental initiatives into the organization. These
industry-leading environmental programs span all parts of the company -- from the
supply chain, to internal operations, to business and consumer markets.
• Mr. Siddiqui’s role includes increasing understanding of environmental issues and
opportunities among suppliers, customers, and associates. His responsibilities
include the improvement of the environmental performance of Office Depot and its
range of stakeholders.
• Siddiqui joined Office Depot from IBM Business Consulting in Toronto where he was
a Senior Consultant in Customer Relationship Management, and author of the first
global study on the environmental purchasing of wood and paper products. Before
joining IBM, Siddiqui was a management consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers,
where he focused on the forest, paper and packaging industries.
• He holds a Master’s Degree in Environment & Development from Cambridge
University in England, and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Marketing &
International Business from McGill University in Canada.
9. Marc Craddock
Account Executive for Energy Solutions
Siemens Building Technologies
Born in New York, Mr. Craddock was raised in South Florida and studied Philosophy
and Religion at Flagler College in St. Augustine. Mr. Craddock spent time working with
both the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) and the Florida Public
Interest Research Group (FPIRG) raising environmental awareness and lobbying for
the passage of the Bottle Bill and the Toxic Truth Act.
Mr. Craddock helped establish and was part owner the ECO Store, Inc. in Orlando,
Florida, a company marketing environmentally friendly products to consumers and
businesses. In the 1990s he worked in the energy efficient lighting field holding
positions ranging from installer to marketing director, and eventually president of his
own efficient lighting design and retrofit company.
Mr. Craddock spent three years with Honeywell as an Energy Analyst. During this time
he received his certification as an Energy Manager (CEM) through the Association of
Energy Engineers (AEE).
Since 2004, Mr. Craddock has been employed by Siemens Building Technologies, inc.
where he leads a team responsible for developing Guaranteed Energy Performance
Contracts in the Education marketplace.
10. Mr. Jack A. Ristau
Director, Business Development
• Jack Ristau has over three decades of experience in developing, constructing,
and operating municipal infrastructure facilities, including solid waste
management and energy recovery projects in the United States and overseas.
Since joining Wheelabrator in 1984, he has been responsible for and directed
resource recovery business development activities in the northeastern and
southeastern portions of the United States.
• In addition, Mr. Ristau also directed international waste-to-energy project
developments in Hong Kong, Singapore, Guam and Taiwan. His international
experience includes business development work in Mexico, Turkey, United
Kingdom, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Barbados.
• Currently, Mr. Ristau is Director of Business Development and manages waste-
to-energy project opportunities in the United States and Canada, supervising
proposal development and customer contract negotiations.
11. Mr. Joe Naroditsky
Executive Director and Co-founder
Faiths United for Sustainable Energy
• Joe Naroditsky is executive director and co-founder of Faiths United for
Sustainable Energy (FUSE), an interfaith, non-profit organization that works
to educate and mobilize faith communities to act on the harmful effects of
our society’s dependence on fossil fuels. He has been working on energy,
climate, and sustainability issues since 2006 and is a Fellow of the Green
for All Academy in partnership with the We Campaign. Joe has been a
religious school educator for nearly 15 years and spent 4 years as Director
of Neighborhood Initiatives and Local Public Policy Coordinator for SCOPE,
a non-profit organization in Sarasota, FL.
• Joe received a BA in Anthropology from New College of Florida and has
served as an evaluator for the HOPE VI federal housing program and as a
mentor for several local leadership development programs. Joe enjoyed a
diverse upbringing, with the sights, sounds, and tastes of Spanish, Russian,
Israeli, and Arab culture – a childhood that molded his broad approach to
understanding differences among people as a way to resolve conflict and
build community.
12. Mr. Alexander Van Mecl
Founder/ President
FAU Mission Green Student Association
• Alexander Van Mecl came to Florida Atlantic University – Boca Raton in August of
2008. He is pursuing a degree in Public Communications with a minor in
Environmental Studies. In the short time Alex has been at FAU, he has engaged in
efforts to mobilize the student body, as well as the local community, in becoming
more involved in the Mission Green campaign, which began in 2007.
In February, 2009, he founded the Mission Green Student Association and developed
the critical relationships necessary for the club's growing impact. In light of the
“green” movement on campus, he has been able to inspire and motivate hundreds of
students to get engaged in making FAU a more eco-friendly institution.
Along with his studies, he is a member of the campus-wide Sustainability Committee,
Housing Sustainability Sub-Committee, and the Community Engagement Sub-
Committee.
Just recently, Alex has been hired by the Housing and Residential Life
Department to take on the project of improving the entire housing recycling program,
which he anticipates will be fully operational at the beginning of the Fall 09 semester.
13. Questions to the Panel
• In terms of sustainable development today, which and for
what reason do you consider to be the most promising
careers and job opportunities?
• How can academia, business, and government work together
as a community to reduce our ecological footprint, advocate
for policy change, become more equitable, and develop
sustainable business and employment opportunities?
• Which are some of the more successful solutions currently
being implemented to make businesses, institutions, and
communities more energy efficient and carbon neutral, more
equitable, and more prosperous?