It is one of the most fascinating events of the year, the 40 under 40 retreat. 40 leaders of the sport industry gather, this time they at Sea Island, Georgia discussing the future of their industry. The toprunner of sports business stay in the Lodge, a famous hotel here in the area, where the participants of the G8 summit in 2004 resided. Next to my room a sign recalls of the nights King Abdullah II. of Jordan slept here.

Sea Island
Some pioneers are here, too. Like Christopher Dunlavey. Once he heard about the Club of Pioneers Community he said to me: "We are constructing the first sustainable green stadium in the US at the moment." This is the Washington National Ballpark which is going to be opened in next spring. Green architecture gets a topic more and more in the US, Christopher added.

Chris DunlaveyThe fact that public money was involved in the Ballparkmade it easier to emphasize the need of green elements in the stadium." Because of the city of Washington being the owner of the new stadium the facility is also laid out especially for handicapped people.
David HillDavid Hill, Chairman and CEO of Fox Sports gives advises for the young business leaders. "You got to have the feeling each day you are gonna make history", he said. Hill being in TV business for a long time, remarks that the standards in sports should be maintained by the next generation being present at the Lodge today.BMW is here, too showing the Hydrogen 7 and offering Testdrives to the 40 under 40. People here get really excited by the car that has zero emissions.

Foto Sea Island: www.uga.edu

Talk with Tom Buhrow, Anchor-Man and Presenter of "Tagesthemen", German Television. We offer you the interview in English and in German.German Version:
Tom Buhrow used to be the Correspondent of German Television ARD in Washington from 1992 until 2000 and again from 2002 until 2005. He knows the United States and the politics behind the scene as much as the mentalities represented and living in the society of America. Since 2005 Buhrow is the presented of Tagethemen, the daily political program in the German public channel ARD.
His job now is to focus on domestic and internatinal affairs at the same time. We met him in Hamburg, sitting outside and talking about the G8 summit that will take place theses days in Heiligendamm, in the northeast corner of the country.English Version:He also remembers quite well the election campaign in the nineties when George Bush sen. called Al Gore the "Ozone Man", humiliating the democrat politician for his engagement in environmental matters. Today George Bush jr. changes the direction of his father's climate politics - finally, Buhrow says, because of George W. Bush's interest for national energy independence.

In September he will present the Peace Talks in Osnabrück, Germany. Guests are Bianca Jagger and Jakob von Uexkuell both well known to the community of Club of Pioneers.

American President George W. Bush sticks up for a new and worldwide agreement of reducing CO2 emissions in the year 2008. Observers see a change in the President's politics on climate change in this announcement. However, adressing a new initiative for 2008 signifies the no-interest of the President in finding a new strategy for lowering the CO2 emissions during the G8 summit neyt week in Heiligendamm, Germany.The German government is not really amused about President Bush's proposal but Chancellor Angela Merkel embraced it saying it is important that all polluters worldwide recognize their responsibility in lowering emissions and facing the possible risks of climate change.It is not ruled out there will be no agreement next week in Heiligendamm. In 2008 a new American President will be elected. It seems Mr. Bush wants to transfer the issue to his successor.

Pittsburgh has had a hard time in finding ways out from the decline of steel industry. Today the capital of Pennsylvania has gained reputation as eco-city.
Downtown Pittsburg, PAKathleen McGinty is the ambitious minister of environment in the State. She believes in renewables and is taking care of the solar facilities in the city.Pennsylvania is the second largest energy producer in the United States. Most of it is still delivered by coal plants and five nuclear power plants. This is about to change - according to the political agenda of McGinty and her boss, Governor Edward G. Rendell. Until 2020 about 18 percent of the states energy shall be generated by renewables, is McGinty's vision. Besides solar power, wind force is meant to do the job. There are already 7 wind parks containing 122 turbines in the State.However, coal will play a vital role in the energy mix of Pennsylvania. This is why CO2 sequestration is pushed at the moment. By 2012 a first power plant using Carbon Capture and Storage technologies.
Kathleen McGinty"What we see in California at the moment to many Americans seems a bit to radical", Mc Ginthy said. "If we in Pennsylvania do the same, a vast majority will be convinced that this is the right thing". Interview with Kathleen McGinty

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday that the climate protection measures adopted by the European Union this week were a model for other polluters. 'Europe has taken a pioneering role,' the chancellor said in her weekly video message a day after EU leaders agreed on ambitious targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions and use more renewable energy. Merkel said the example set by the EU could prod other countries to do more to protect the environment. 'I'm thinking of the United States and the emerging economies of India and China,' she added. The chancellor said she planned to present the results of the EU climate summit to a meeting of the Group of Eight leading industrial nations in the north German resort of Heiligendamm in June. 'I hope that there will be a step in the right direction; that more people in the world are prepared to commit themselves to action to stop climate change,' she said. Merkel used Germany's EU presidency on Friday to push European Union leaders to adopt a binding target on the use of renewable energy, such as wind and solar power. Under the agreement, the bloc's 27 members promise to increase their share of renewables to an average of 20 per cent of total energy consumption by 2020. The summit also agreed to slash carbon dioxide emissions 20 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020.