As part of the firm’s participation in the event, HOK Global Director of Climate Action Stan Wrzeski will facilitate a June 21 symposium – “Global Voices, Local Choices: Creating Low-Carbon Communities” – co-sponsored by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Located in the Urban Best Practices Area, this collaborative discussion will compare and contrast how local decisions are made by public and private enterprises to reduce carbon emissions in China and the United States.

Wrzeski will share the process by which top universities have developed climate action plans to pursue carbon neutrality, drawing on his extensive work with the charter signatories to the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Following his presentation, HOK and NRDC will moderate a panel of U.S. and Chinese experts to compare and contrast the political, economic and cultural factors that drive carbon choices within the two countries. The discussion will be framed to highlight both the role of individuals and collective action in reducing carbon emissions.
Invited panelists include Steve Kline, Vice President of Corporate Environmental and Federal Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer, PG&E Corporation; Hongbo Chen, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Urban and Environmental Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Weizhen Chen, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shanghai Tongji University; and Ruidong Jin, Director of China Green Building Project, NRDC.

“The event will help us to understand the context and opportunities associated with China’s substantial efforts to reduce carbon emissions,” Wrzeski says. “To do so in a way that affords the potential to build collaborations through NRDC – which has strong in-country presence and international credentials in sustainability – is truly exciting.”          
Barbara Finamore, Founder and Director of the NRDC China Program, says, “For nearly 15 years, NRDC has been working with local partners in China to address some of the world’s greatest environmental challenges and to help provide innovative solutions to reduce carbon emissions, including energy efficiency, green building and urban smart growth. We believe that successful and sustainable efforts on clean energy and environmental protection must be driven from within China.”

Also at the World Expo 2010 Shanghai, HOK will exhibit its innovative design for transforming the old San Francisco Mint into a 21^st century mixed-use cultural center. Led by HOK San Francisco Director of Design Paul Woolford, AIA, LEED AP, the renovation and adaptive reuse project will create one of the most environmentally innovative historic landmarks in the United States. The Old Mint, which opened in 1874 as the second U.S. Mint, has stood vacant since 1995. Learn more about the project.

Other HOK delegates to World Expo 2010 Shanghai include Jeff Schantz, HOK Strategic Director, Science + Technology; and Kelly Fehr, HOK Director of Business Development, Science + Technology.

Since opening a Hong Kong office in 1985, HOK has expanded throughout the Asia Pacific region and currently operates full-service offices in Hong Kong (LEED-CI Gold), Beijing (LEED-CI Gold), Shanghai (LEED-CI Silver) and Singapore (LEED-CI Silver).

HOK is a global architectural design, planning and consulting firm that specializes in solutions for buildings and communities. Through its collaborative network of 23 offices worldwide, the firm serves diverse clients within the corporate, commercial, public and institutional markets. HOK is committed to developing resources and expertise to help lead the world toward sustainable communities and building environments. Founded in 1955, the firm’s expertise includes architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, sustainability consulting, lighting, graphics, facilities planning and assessment, and construction services.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an environmental organization established in 1970 in New York. NRDC uses law, science and the support of 1.2 million members and online activists to protect the planet and ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things. NRDC’s staff of more than 400 lawyers, scientists and policy experts work out of offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Montana and Beijing.