SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - February 20, 2008) - Joined by mayors and dignitaries from
nearly 100 cities worldwide, Cisco® (
NASDAQ:
CSCO) Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer John Chambers today called for industry and government to
work together to develop technologies that address the world's pressing
environmental concerns. Chambers gave the keynote address at the first
Connected Urban Development (CUD) Global Conference, hosted by Cisco and
the city and county of San Francisco. CUD is a public-private partnership
aimed at addressing the unique environmental problems confronted by urban
areas, and at developing replicable information and communications
technology (ICT) solutions for cities around the world.
"It is our responsibility as global citizens to help address the challenges
of climate change. As a technology company, we are approaching this by not
only reducing our own company's carbon output, but also by helping our
customers and partners use the network as a 'green' platform for
sustainable business and government progress. If we are innovative and
collaborative in our approach, ICT can dramatically improve how we manage
our global environmental footprint and climate concerns," Chambers said.
Studies have shown that ICT can have a large impact on reducing the
environmental footprint of cities. According to a recent report by the
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, for every extra
kilowatt-hour of electricity demanded by ICT, the U.S. economy increases
its overall energy savings by a factor of 10. (See:
http://aceee.org/press/e081pr.htm)
The CUD Approach
Urban areas are the largest global contributor to energy consumption and
climate change. According to U.N. Habitat, the world's 20 mega-cities,
each with a population exceeding 10 million, are responsible for 75 percent
of the world's energy consumption. And cities everywhere are experiencing
considerable increases in energy consumption and facing new problems
associated with increasing populations and electricity use.
Urban, business, research, academic and civic leaders gathered today to
discuss the specific environmental challenges they face, and to examine how
technology can dramatically help them address environmental,
transportation, energy, ICT, building and workplace issues in urban areas.
CUD's vision is for cities to use innovative ICT solutions to improve
energy efficiency; reduce carbon emissions from cars, trains, buses, and
other forms of transportation; transform urban design, city management and
operational practices; and change the way citizens work and interact with
each other.
Connected Urban Development was launched in September 2006 as part of
Cisco's commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative, a program initiated by
the William J. Clinton Foundation to solve problems that affect the quality
of human life. The three founding CUD cities are San Francisco; Amsterdam,
Netherlands; and Seoul, South Korea. All three have already installed, or
plan to install, a next-generation broadband infrastructure, contend with
significant traffic congestion, and are led by mayors committed to green
initiatives.
"The Connected Urban Development concept complements San Francisco's
Climate Action Plan and will help make our carbon-reduction goals a
reality. We are proud to be a part of this important effort," said San
Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. "By using ICT and working with innovative
partners such as Cisco, San Francisco can lead the way in creating an urban
blueprint that is both environmentally friendly and economically
sustainable."
Unique Solutions
The three cities have worked over the past 18 months with the Internet
Business Solutions Group (IBSG), the global strategic consulting arm of
Cisco, to create green ICT solutions for the specific problems they face.
Cisco IBSG will collaborate with the cities on the development of best
practices in the areas of smart transportation, energy management and
environmentally friendly, alternative work arrangements. Highlights
include:
-- "The Connected Bus," is a landmark prototype that was developed by
Cisco and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) to
demonstrate an innovative way to make public transportation more green.
The hybrid bus has a mobile hot spot that allows citizens to work while
they ride; a Global Positioning System gives commuters updated status of
bus routes and connections; LED displays provide information on emissions
saved through public transit; and an automated system reduces the
environmental impact of the bus through better maintenance. If deployed
broadly throughout transit systems, the Connected Bus can significantly
reduce carbon emissions in cities around the world.
-- "Personal Travel Assistant (PTA)," is a pioneering service being
developed by Cisco with input from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT). Currently being considered by the city of Seoul for pilot
testing, PTA improves the transit experience within urban environments by
empowering citizens to make more informed decisions on day-to-day
transportation options based on schedule, financial and environmental
implications. Accessible from any Web-based interface such as a mobile
phone, PTA is the first service of its kind that provides green route
options, integrates with other communication needs such as calendaring, and
enables city agencies to predict and manage evolving citizen transportation
needs more effectively.
-- "Smart Work Centers," an approach developed by Cisco and embraced by
the city of Amsterdam, enables local residents to work in remote stations
without having to travel into the heart of the city. The Smart Work Center
concept is based on a combination of technology and services that deliver a
true connected neighborhood experience: the innovative use of convergent
video-voice-data technology solutions; the availability of onsite services
such as child care centers, dining and banking; open public and exposition
spaces; and flexible desk seating and meeting rooms.
Scaling Best Practices
Cisco also announced today that it will be working with four additional
cities: Birmingham, England; Hamburg, Germany; Lisbon, Portugal; and,
Madrid, Spain. Each of these cities will implement a particular best
practice complementary to the ones developed by the CUD founding cities.
Cisco will work in concert with the cities to tailor solutions to meet
their environmental and urban needs.
"Cisco is proud of the progress made by each of the founding CUD cities
over the last year, and we are excited to welcome four new cities into the
partnership," said Nicola Villa, global director of Connected Urban
Development for Cisco IBSG. "The CUD approach identifies how cities can
deploy scalable, tangible solutions to increase operational efficiencies
and optimize resources in a manner that helps reduce carbon emissions and
improve energy efficiency. We look forward to replicating the results
achieved by the cities in other urban areas throughout the world."
The next gathering of CUD cities and their colleagues will take place in
Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Sept. 23-24, 2008.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco (
NASDAQ:
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how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco
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Cisco is committed to a high level of environmental responsibility in its
business operations, culture, products and customer solutions. For more
information about Cisco Green, please visit
http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/ac333/the-environment/index.html.
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partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any
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