NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Wall Street Journal will convene 300 of the world's leading CEOs, entrepreneurs, policymakers and industry experts who drive change at the intersection of business and the environment at ECO:nomics, an executive conference hosted by the Journal. The meeting will take place March 21-23 at the Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara, Calif.
For the annual conference, ECO:nomics participants – including Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft; Robert McDonald, chairman, president and chief executive officer, The Procter & Gamble Company; Frances Beinecke, president, National Resources Defense Council and additional executives, David Rubenstein, managing director, The Carlyle Group; David Steiner, president and chief executive officer, Waste Management and other experts – will discuss and debate the most urgent topics with a focus on innovation, profitability, and smarter uses of energy. The opening night session will feature a discussion on innovation with Elon Musk, founder, Tesla Motors; Dean Kamen, president, DEKA Research and Development, and J. Craig Venter, chairman and president,J. Craig Venter Institute.
The issues to be addressed at ECO:nomics 2012 directly impact the business world, including new solutions and innovations coming out of the clean-tech sector; the aftermath of the disasters in the Gulf and in Japan; the uncertainty of subsidies, funding and regulation coming out of Washington; and other vital topics.
Additional featured participants at ECO:nomics this year include:
- Charlie Ayers, executive chef and owner, Calafia Café & Market A Go Go;
- Jacques Besnainou, chief executive officer, Areva Inc.;
- Sharan Burrow, general secretary, International Trade Union Confederation;
- John Paul DeJoria, chairman and chief executive officer, John Paul Mitchell Systems;
- Aris Candris, president and chief executive officer, Westinghouse Electric;
- Edward Cohen, president and chief executive officer, Atlas Energy;
- Robert Gillette, former chief executive officer, First Solar;
- Daryl Hannah, actress/activist and founder, Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance;
- Vinod Kholsa, managing partner, Khosla Ventures;
- C.S. Kiang, chairman, Sustainable Development Technology Foundation;
- Aubrey McClendon, chairman and chief executive officer, Chesapeake Energy;
- Dara O'Rourke, chief sustainability officer, GoodGuide;
- T. Boone Pickens, chairman, BP Capital Management;
- Dan Pickering, co-president, Tudor, Pickering, Holt;
- John Pinkerton, chairman and chief executive officer, Range Resources;
- Tulsi Tanti, chairman and managing director; Suzlon Energy;
- Mark Tercek, president and chief executive officer of the Nature Conservancy;
- Daniel Yergin, chairman, IHS Chambridge Energy Research Associates.
ECO:nomics will be hosted by editors of The Wall Street Journal, including Alan Murray, deputy managing editor and executive editor, online; Kimberley Strassel, editorial board member; Jennifer Forsyth, national news editor; Russell Gold, energy/oil and gas/renewables reporter; and Joe White, senior editor.
The findings from ECO:nomics will be published in a worldwide special report in The Wall Street Journal and on WSJ.com.
For more information about The Wall Street Journal's 2012 ECO:nomics conference, please visit http://ECOnomics.wsj.com/.
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