Ira Magaziner to Speak at ASHRAE 2008 Annual Meeting

Ira Magaziner, chairman of the Clinton Climate Initiative, will serve as a keynote speaker at ASHRAE’s 2008 Annual Meeting.

Magaziner will speak at the technical plenary session, 2-3 p.m., Sunday, June 22. The program is part of the technical session, and registration is required to attend.

As chair of the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI), formed in August 2006, Magaziner oversees the mission of applying the Clinton Foundation’s business-oriented approach to the fight against climate change in practical, measurable and significant ways. ASHRAE is a partner in the Initiative.

CCI is working with the C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group, an association of large cities dedicated to tackling climate change—to develop and implement a range of actions that will accelerate greenhouse gas emissions reductions. With cities contributing approximately 75 percent of all heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions to our atmosphere, while only comprising 2 percent of land mass, large cities are critical to winning this fight and slowing the pace of global warming.

In May, mayors, chief climate officials and business leaders from 45 cities met in New York for the second C40 Large Cities Climate Summit to share best practices, identify collaborative projects and chart future action in the fight against global warming. During the summit, President Clinton announced a new program that brings together cities, building owners, banks and energy-service companies to make changes to existing buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ASHRAE is involved in this program as well.

For more information, visit www.clintonfoundation.org.

From 1993 through 1998, Magaziner served as Senior Advisor to President Clinton for Policy Development at the White House. In this capacity, he chaired a joint National Economic Council/National Security Council Initiative to increase US exports and served as a member of the National Domestic Policy Council.

Prior to his White House appointment, Magaziner earned respect as one of America's most successful corporate strategists, building two successful corporate strategy consulting firms and assisting major corporations in developing their business strategies. Prior to forming his own companies, he worked in Boston, London and Tokyo for the Boston Consulting Group.