4º Congresso Internacional sobre Desenvolvimento Sustentável

This week has been pretty amazing, yes amazing. I’m in Rio, yes Rio de Janeiro. Amber and I are here for the 4º Congresso Internacional sobre Desenvolvimento Sustentável (Sustentável 2011). This 3-day conference is meant to provide themes and goals for Rio +20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012. Marking 20 years since the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development which also took place in Rio. Sustentável 2011 was organized by the Conselho Empresarial Brasileiro para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável (CEBDS), which represents Brazil at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

The CEBDS did a great job of organizing this amazing conference which brought together experts from companies, universities, NGOs, the UN and the Brazilian government. During the panel discussions, they discussed topics like:

•           Perspectives for Rio +20
•          Sustainability in the current environment: Contradictions and certainties
•           New governance: The role of emerging countries
•           Multi-sector Dialogue: Poverty Eradication
•           Sustainability: Trends for the next 40 year...Just to name a few.

Following each keynote, there was time for the audience to ask the speakers questions. Since the conference was sponsored by some of biggest corporations in the world, like Petrobras, Shell, Souza Cruz, Nestle and much more, many of the discussions took a very business approach to sustainable development. However, one of the speakers did mention that "companies are part of the solution" in adopting sustainable methods of development. As some of the biggest polluters in the world, its nice to see international corporations being concerned with their environmental impact as they grow.

The role of Brazil in the world economy was also discussed. As an emerging country, Brazil has the potential to become a environmental leader in developing a green economy. However, there are many conflicting aspects of Brazil's continual rapid growth. For instance, should the government invest in biofuels to decrease dependence on oil rich nations or increase food production for the Brazilian population, keeping in mind they still have to preserve the amazon meaning there's land scarcity...and it goes on. The Brazilian government has a lot on its plate. With Brazil hosting the UN Conference in June 2012, the FIFA World Cup in 2014, and the 2016 Summer Olympics, all eyes are on Brazil.

While the discussions were going on, there were workshops being conducted in separate rooms. Unfortunately, I didn’t participate in these workshops because it costs extra (R$100 each workshop) and I most likely wouldn’t have understood anything (meaning a waste of money for me). Since many of the speakers are from all over the world, there were interpreters translating everything the speakers said from Portuguese to English and vice versa. Amber and I took advantage of this service of course. However, I did find other ways to practice my Portuguese.

One thing that I especially enjoyed was the Open Space activity that took place while the panel discussions and workshops were going on. On the 2^nd day, I had gotten sick and with the combination of a drowsy medicine and a darkly lit conference room, it was extremely hard to stay awake during the morning panel discussion. Hence, the Open Space gave me an alternative activity to do and to keep my mind stimulated. Here, a group of 4 to 8 people sat around a table and discussed various topics pertaining to the conference and the theme of sustainable development. This was definitely a challenge for me because the discussions were only in Portuguese. At the same time, the Carioca (people from Rio) accent is completely different from Ceares accent that I had gotten used to in the last 3 months. Although the Carioca accent is easier to understand than people from Ceara, I’m simply not used to it yet. However, that did not hold me

back. I took the opportunity to discuss what I knew of Canada’s policies when it comes to environmental programs. I definitely wasn't going to attempt to sound like an expert on Brazil’s policies in a room full of Brazilians. This close interaction with people also gave me the opportunity to meet new people and network by handing out my business card (see image above).

Sustentável 2011 was such an interesting event and I’m happy to have had the opportunity to participate in such a professional conference. I would like to thank Niagara College for sponsoring us to go to Rio de Janeiro to attend Sustentável 2011. I've met some very interesting like-minded people that I am sure to keep in touch with as I expand my professional network.