Former Astronaut chosen to open 2017 Zero Waste Conference

Globe-Net, August 4, 2017 – Dr. Cady Coleman, Former Astronaut, has been selected to deliver the Opening Keynote Address to the At Metro Vancouver’s 2017 Zero Waste Conference on November 1, 2017.

Having flown twice on the Space Shuttle and almost six months on the International Space Station, Dr. Cady Coleman has seen planet Earth from a unique perspective. Inspired by her experience, Cady is now turning her attention to global challenges.

Drawing on her work with LAUNCH.ORG and LAUNCH NORDIC, Cady will share her insights and vision for a future where people from all over the world work together to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

She envisions a future where people from all over the world work together to solve problems that affect everyone on planet Earth, and she is certain that these problems can be solved by mandating diverse and inclusive teams.

Cady was originally educated at MIT and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst as a polymer chemist and was commissioned in the US Air Force, retiring as a Colonel.

While living aboard the ISS, she served as the Lead Science and Robotics Officer for Expeditions 26/27.  Her ground-based jobs for NASA’s Astronaut Office included serving as the Lead Astronaut for supply ships from NASA’s commercial partners, and the Chief of Robotics.

Before retiring from NASA in 2016, Cady went on to lead open-innovation and public-private partnership efforts at the Office of the Chief Technologist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC and is especially proud of her work with LAUNCH.ORG, an innovation platform dedicated to using public-private partnerships to address world-wide sustainability challenges.

Cady is passionate about sharing her experiences in leadership and inclusive collaboration and will share her insights and vision for a future where people from all over the world work together to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.  She resides with her husband and son in Shelburne, Massachusetts in the United States

On November 1, 2017 Metro Vancouver will welcome the perspectives of innovative thinkers at the edges of possibility, the realists turning ideas into solutions, and the policy makers who provide the framework for action. Is the circular economy truly within reach?

Eliminating waste and creating value are essential pillars in a new way of doing business and developing policy – a new norm of addressing waste in every facet of our lives. And no approach offers greater promise for realizing those goals than the principles of the Circular Economy.

Forward-looking businesses, governments, and consumers are changing their behaviors – viewing every decision through the lens of zero waste and circular economy ambitions. Throughout the economy, examples abound – and we are privileged to witness a massive shift in thought and action.

For the past seven years, Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste Conference has been at the forefront of this journey in Canada – pushing boundaries, advancing dialogue and inspiring action.

The 2017 edition will showcase on a global and local scale how we can:

• reimagine linear systems of production and consumption with waste prevention and the circular economy in mind
• advance organizational change and collaborate across sectors to develop innovative solutions and approaches
• embrace latest ways of thinking, innovation, and disruption to address barriers and intractable problems
• benefit from this emerging opportunity – whether you are a business, government, or community leader

More information on the 2017 Zero Waste Conference is available here