Global Green News
Global Green CEO speaks on sustainability
The Daily Evergreen. Oct 30, 2008. By Mike Brambley.
The environmental costs of global warming are a threat to the livelihood and survival of the human race, said Matt Petersen, president and CEO of Global Green USA.
Petersen spoke to students about the environmental benefits of green building and sustainable development Tuesday in the CUB Ballroom. The speech was the concluding event of Global Green Week, which occurred Oct. 20-24.
“Now is the time to invest in green jobs,” he said. “Now is the time to invest in the future of energy supplies like wind and solar power.” Petersen’s company, Global Green USA, works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by creating sustainable building and city designs.
Global Green USA arrived early in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. He said the company set the standard for green development in the effort to rebuild homes destroyed by the hurricane.
“We got there early and made a commitment,” Petersen said. “It has had a ripple effect.” Most of the homes constructed in New Orleans are designed to be energy efficient since reconstruction began, he said.
Petersen encouraged students to consider careers in environmental protection, even if their majors are not related to environmental sciences.
He said global warming and other world environmental problems are the greatest challenges facing humanity in today’s world.
“The planet can survive without us, but we cannot survive without a healthy planet,” he said.
