The Pearl River Delta just became a little bit smaller.

It was an unparalleled opportunity for regional chamber of commerce members, business people, and others to network, exchange information, and forge new friendships.

The first part of the event consisted of a half-day conference on green technology, while the evening was devoted to a cocktail party/networking session.

Conference panelists included Antonio Trindade, President and CEO of CESL Asia – Investments &

Services, Limited – Macau; Richard Whitfield, Professor, School of Intelligent Systems and Technology at the University of Saint Joseph; Stephen Browne, CEO of Beepo; and Herman Ching Tze Wood, Assistant Professor at the University of Macau.

In opening remarks, Trindade emphasized that, in terms of sustainable development, Macau “is in a unique situation.” Even given the national Chinese government’s acknowledgement that development and use of energy resources must become more sustainable in regards to growth, “in Macau,” he says, “this problem is even more severe: our energy and water all must come from elsewhere.”

Panel moderator Paulo A. Azevedo, from Macau Business, posed a question to the conference: “with Macau’s rapid growth,” he asked, “are we aware of the challenges?”

“Everyone is aware,” responded Trindade, “but a sense of urgency is not there.”

Whitfield, who is currently involved in a “green campus” construction project at USJ, agreed. While noting that construction was proceeding, the project, which includes rooftop gardens to minimize use of air conditioning and rain water storage to water gardens, has faced several hurdles. “We face many time-related difficulties,” he said. “Approval for construction, finding labor…all these things are difficult.”

With the general agreement of other panelists, Whitfield also pointed out that Macau’s regulatory framework for electricity needs to be reworked. “In Macau, you cannot sell power back to the grid,” he said. “If you cannot sell power to the grid, you must store energy, which doubles the price of the system. “

“I don’t think that green construction is a government priority right now in Macau, “said Whitfield. “Rather than subsidies, I would like to see the government lead by example. There are a number of government buildings that could be improved with green projects.”

In the second half of the conference, Herman Wood from UMAC echoed calls for sustainable development while discussing his work on electric vehicles. “In 2008,” he said, “China became the second-biggest market for automobiles.” Keeping this in mind, he noted, “We must look to the future and anticipate a point at which oil production will peak.”

Browne, CEO of Beepo, a company in Shenzhen which develops and produces electric commercial vehicles, was cautiously optimistic that electric vehicles could provide one avenue towards increased sustainability. There are many issues to be resolved, he acknowledges, “for example, battery recycling, etc,” but “our company is first developing, and bringing to the market, electric commercial vehicles, because their use and driving times are more easily predicted.”

After the conference adjourned, participants as well as other chamber members, business people, and special guests retired to the Mandarin Oriental bar, for an evening of networking. Over 200 people attended, with many coming from Zhuhai.

This event was organized by Delta Bridges, Macau Business, and Work in Progress. Sponsors included the University of Saint Joseph, CEM, CESL Asia, and the European Union Business Information Programme.

Participating chambers included Amcham, Luso Chinesa, the German chamber, BBAM, Austcham, the France Macau Business Association, Cancham and the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

-Delta Bridges, John Wieja