EACH YEAR THE “MEETING OF THE MINDS” IS PRESENTED BY TOYOTA. AS THE WORLD'S LARGEST AUTOMAKER, TOYOTA OPERATES UNDER A GLOBAL EARTH CHARTER THAT PROMOTES ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COMPANY, AND RECOGNIZES THE NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE APPROACHES TO THE EFFECTIVE USE OF RESOURCES AND TO THE REDUCTION OF POLLUTION AND GLOBAL WARMING.

For more than a decade, Toyota has pursued development of an "ultimate eco-car" that satisfies the needs of a mobile society and is friendly to both people and the earth. Toyota is the recognized leader in hybrid technology, having pioneered the world's first mass-produced gas/electric hybrid car, the Prius, which launched in Japan in 1997 a full two years before any other manufacturer.

While hybrids remain at the forefront of Toyota's "ultimate eco-car" development, the company is researching and developing many alternative fuel and vehicle powertrains, such as fuel cell hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Beyond the vehicles themselves, Toyota's environmental commitment extends to every stage of producing and selling vehicles. For example, many of Toyota's manufacturing plants have achieved zero landfill, their Sales & Marketing headquarters campus in California has one of the largest commercial Gold LEED certified buildings, and their Vehicle Distribution Center in Oregon is not only Gold LEED certified, but has also received a "Salmon Safe" certification.

OUR HOST IS JPMORGAN CHASE & CO, A LEADING GLOBAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FIRM WITH ASSETS OF $2.2 TRILLION AND OPERATIONS IN MORE THAN 60 COUNTRIES. THE FIRM IS A LEADER IN INVESTMENT BANKING, FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR CONSUMERS, SMALL BUSINESS AND COMMERCIAL BANKING, FINANCIAL TRANSACTION PROCESSING, ASSET MANAGEMENT, AND PRIVATE EQUITY.

A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its J.P. Morgan, Chase and WaMu brands.

ZIPCAR IS THE WORLD’S LARGEST CAR SHARING COMPANY, OFFERING SELF-SERVICE, ON-DEMAND CARS BY THE HOUR OR DAY. AS THE CREATOR OF THE CAR SHARING INDUSTRY IN THE U.S., ZIPCAR HAS MADE CAR SHARING A MAINSTREAM AMENITY IN MORE THAN 50 CITIES THROUGHOUT NORTH AMERICA AND THE UK, SOLVING THE SIGNIFICANT PARKING, CONGESTION AND TRANSPORTATION ISSUES THAT PLAGUE URBAN RESIDENTS.

In the fall of 2007, Zipcar merged with Flexcar to expand its service offering to 28 North American states and provinces, including major operations in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago Los Angeles, London, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Washington D.C., and Vancouver. Since its inception in 1999, Zipcar has signed more than 250,000 consumer and business members/drivers to share 5,500 vehicles.

With Zipcar’s revolutionary technology, reserving, accessing and using a Zipcar is as easy as getting cash from an ATM. In minutes or up to a year in advance, members can reserve Zipcars online or by phone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Zipcar members have automated access to Zipcars using a “Zipcard” to simply unlock the door and drive away. Rates are as low as $6 per hour and $60 per day, with gas, parking, insurance, and maintenance included. Zipcar also offers frequent driver and business (Zipcar for Business) programs with additional discounts.

Zipcar members can choose from more than 26 different makes and models -- the largest and most varied fleet of any car sharing service in the world. Zipcars include gas/electric hybrids such as the Toyota Prius as well as pickup trucks, standard sedans, SUVs and high-end vehicles like the MINI Cooper and BMW 325i.

REGIONAL PLAN ASSOCIATION IS AN INDEPENDENT, NOT-FOR-PROFIT REGIONAL PLANNING ORGANIZATION THAT IMPROVES THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND THE ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS OF THE 31-COUNTY NEW YORK-NEW JERSEY-CONNECTICUT REGION THROUGH RESEARCH, PLANNING, AND ADVOCACY.

For more than 80 years, RPA has been shaping transportation systems, protecting open spaces, and promoting better community design for the region's continued growth. We anticipate the challenges the region will face in the years to come, and we mobilize the region's civic, business, and government sectors to take action. The nation's most influential independent regional planning organization since 1922, RPA has a storied history but is more relevant than ever in the 21st Century. RPA's current work is aimed largely at implementing the ideas put forth in the Third Regional Plan, with efforts focused in five project areas: community design, open space, transportation, workforce and the economy, and housing.

ALBERTA RESEARCH COUNCIL IS INCORPORATED UNDER THE ALBERTA BUSINESS CORPORATIONS ACT AND IS A WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF THE MINISTRY OF ADVANCED EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY OF THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA.

ARC provides strategic research and development services to resolve research questions important to Alberta; technical services; support for commercial deployment of technology to enhance the competitiveness and success of Alberta firms. It does so in partnership with other players such as Canadian and international industry, government, universities and colleges.

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS PROGRAMME, UN-HABITAT …WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1978 TO COORDINATE EFFORTS BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO PROMOTE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT. IT SUPPORTS AND WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GOVERNMENTS, LOCAL AUTHORITIES, NGOS, PRIVATE BANKS, UTILITY OPERATORS.

With headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, UN-HABITAT maintains operations in 87 countries that provide technical assistance on slum upgrading, urban poverty reduction, post-disaster reconstruction, the provision of urban water and sanitation, and the mobilization of domestic financial resources for shelter delivery. Most of its programs are implemented in partnership with other bilateral support agencies and international financial institutions. The Executive Director is Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka (Tanzanian).

WORLD BANK IS A VITAL SOURCE OF FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. WITH 185 MEMBER COUNTRIES, THE BANK HELPS GOVERNMENTS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES REDUCE POVERTY BY PROVIDING THEM WITH MONEY AND TECHNICAL EXPERTISE THEY NEED FOR A WIDE RANGE OF PROJECTS-SUCH AS EDUCATION, HEALTH, INFRASTRUCTURE, COMMUNICATIONS, GOVERNMENT REFORMS AND MANY OTHER PURPOSES.

World Bank Institute is one of the World Bank’s main instruments for developing capacity through the exchange of knowledge among those countries. WBI designs and delivers learning programs that create opportunities for development stakeholders to acquire, share, and apply global and local knowledge and experiences. WBI works with policymakers, civil servants, technical experts, business and community leaders, parliamentarians, civil society stakeholders, as well as other learning institutions such as universities and local training institutes to foster the analytical, technical, and networking skills that support effective socioeconomic programs and public policy formulation.

SIEMENS AG IS A GLOBAL POWERHOUSE IN ELECTRONICS AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, AND OPERATES IN THE INDUSTRY, ENERGY AND HEALTHCARE SECTORS. FOR MORE THAN 160 YEARS, SIEMENS HAS BUILT A REPUTATION FOR LEADING-EDGE INNOVATION AND THE QUALITY OF ITS PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS.

With 428,000 employees in 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide sales of $116.6 billion in fiscal 2008. With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA reported sales of $22.4 billion and employs approximately 69,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

CITIES DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE FOR ASIA ASSISTS ASIAN CITIES TO BRIDGE THE PLANNING/INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT GAP THAT OFTEN EXISTS BETWEEN THE STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLANS THAT MANY CITIES HAVE FORMULATED AND THE REQUIREMENT OF POTENTIAL FINANCIERS FOR CONSIDERING ONLY WELL-FORMULATED INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN ORDER TO CONSIDER FUNDING THE NEEDED INVESTMENTS.

Within the framework of technical assistance, CDIA uses a demand-driven approach to provide a range of international and domestic expertise to cities that supports the identification and development of urban investment projects in the context of existing city development plans that emphasize urban environment improvement; urban poverty reduction; and/or climate change mitigation or adaptation. CDIA offers a range of measures: advisory support to urban infrastructure investment programming and prioritization; consultancy support for the preparation of pre-feasibility studies for high priority infrastructure investment projects; and advisory support to market the resulting well-formulated local investment proposals to potential financiers. CDIA is supported by German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, GTZ, Swedish International Development Agency.

METROPOLIS IS THE WORLD ASSOCIATION OF MAJOR METROPOLISES. METROPOLIS IS ALSO THE METROPOLITAN SECTION OF THE UNITED CITIES & LOCAL GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION (UCLG). ITS MISSION IS TO PROMOTE INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND EXCHANGES AMONG MEMBERS, I.E., LOCAL AND METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENTS. METROPOLIS IS THE SPOKESPERSON ON CITIES' INTERESTS IN INTERNATIONAL FORUMS.

Created in 1985, the Metropolis Association is represented by more than 100 member cities from across the world and operates as an international forum for exploring issues and concerns common to all big cities. The main goal of the association is to better control the development process of metropolitan areas in order to enhance the wellbeing of their citizens. To do this, Metropolis represents regions and metropolitan areas at the worldwide level and is recognized as a major player by large international organizations such as the UN, WHO, the World Bank and others.

THE URBAN AGE IS AN INTERNATIONAL NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON LINKING URBAN LEADERS AND INNOVATORS WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH KEY PARTNERS: SMART BUSINESSES, CONCERNED FOUNDATIONS, EFFECTIVE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, AND MULTILATERAL INSTITUTIONS.

Organizing and managing this conference is one of several channels through which Urban Age offers leading ideas and innovations on sustainable city development. 'Urban Age Magazine' was founded inside the World Bank in 1992, and became an independent non-profit organization 2000. Some of Urban Age's pioneering research was sponsored by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Contracts and others grants have been received from Rockefeller Borther Fund, Teijin Ltd. (Tokyo), CityNet, World Health Organization, UN-Habitat, the Government of Canada, the German Government's GTZ, Arup and many others.

FDI INTELLIGENCE IS A SPECIALIST DIVISION FROM THE FINANCIAL TIMES LTD ESTABLISHED TO PROVIDE INDUSTRY LEADING INSIGHT INTO GLOBALISATION WITH A PORTFOLIO OF WORLD-CLASS PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND BUSINESS TOOLS THAT ALLOW BOTH COMPANIES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS ALIKE TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS REGARDING FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT.

ULI – THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE’S MISSION IS TO PROVIDE LEADERSHIP IN THE RESPONSIBLE USE OF LAND AND IN CREATING AND SUSTAINING THRIVING COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE.

In ULI’s New York District Council, the Sustainable Building Council, comprised of a select group of large New York City landlords, investors, managers and sustainable development consultants, has as its primary purpose the “greening” of New York’s existing building inventory. The Council’s focus is to share sustainable best practices, explore ways to reduce our carbon footprint and engage industry and governmental groups with the goal of creating useful and practical sustainable programs and goals.