Alison Taylor is Vice President, Sustainability-Americas at Siemens Corporation. In this position, she is responsible for driving the sustainability program for the Americas and acting as a resource for sustainability initiatives across Siemens’ business sectors. As Siemens expands its sustainability initiatives and strives to improve consistent global implementation of environmental goals, Alison will also be creating and participating in sustainability initiatives to advance knowledge, skills, tools and capabilities company-wide.
In her previous role as Director, Government Affairs, Taylor represented Siemens’ position on environmental issues with Congress and the Executive Branch. She developed and promoted legislation and worked with various operating companies within Siemens to develop positions and projects on environmental topics like air quality, emissions, water quality, industrial pollution and climate change.
Prior to joining Siemens, Ms. Taylor was Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works for five years, and counsel to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce for six years. Ms. Taylor has been a member of the U.S. delegation to United Nations conferences on Climate Change, Biodiversity, Sustainability and Ozone Layer Depletion.
Mega Trends: Growth, Demographics, and Climate
People are moving into cities, but they’re also living longer. That presents a new challenge to cities…And then there’s the mega trend of climate change. That mega trend is a challenge across the world. How will cities cope with whatever their particular area may be facing with respect to climate change?
Planning for the Long Term
Rather than fixing a short-term problem, or addressing a crisis, or repairing a problem that may have occurred, let’s say, after a major storm or mother-nature event, sustainability is about a more long-term view. Will we be able to count on that infrastructure many years in the future? How will it serve the public? How will it serve the needs of the city?
Responding to Climate Change
The way cities have been tackling the climate-change challenges in their areas is admirable…They’re preparing and they’re planning and they’re rebuilding, and in the infrastructure choices they’re making, to make choices that will help them to withstand a disruptive event like a major storm. But also to be responsible about their own climate contributions.
Cutting-Edge Technology Is Often Behind the Scenes
I think the cutting-edge trend is all around information. It’s all around giving the consumer—as well as the planner, as well as the decision maker in a city—information to make decisions, to understand trends, and also to anticipate what the needs of their technology may be in the future.
Information Engages Citizens
There are many public engagement opportunities in cities—frankly, there always have been—but if we send information through technology to citizens…more people can be engaged because they know more about the issues, they know more about the opportunities they have to participate.
Download full transcript (PDF): Alison Taylor on The Infra Blog
Tags: Alison Taylor, Siemens Corporation
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