Chicago Climate Exchange Official Earth Day Keynoter, April 17

Michael J. Walsh, executive vice president of the Chicago Climate Exchange will be the keynote speaker for Illinois State University’s Earth Day celebration on Thursday, April 17.  Walsh, an Illinois State alumnus, will present “Climate Change: Putting the Economy to Work” at 6:30 pm in the Bowling and Billiards Center Activity Room.  The event is free and open to the public.

The Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) is at the center of carbon-trading activity in North America, which attempts to reduce global warming while minimizing any negative effects on the economy. More information about the presentation, CCX, and carbon trading is available at www.earth.ilstu.edu (follow the Earth Day link).

CCX is North America's only and the world's first global marketplace for integrating voluntary legally binding emissions reductions with emissions trading and offsets for all six greenhouse gases. CCX is a financial institution whose objectives are to apply financial innovation and incentives to advance social, environmental and economic goals.

Walsh holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science from Illinois State, and a masters and a Ph.D in economics from Michigan State University. He is a regular speaker at energy, economic, and environmental events around the world, including United Nations climate conferences in Geneva, Kyoto, Buenos Aires, Bonn, and The Hague.

Walsh’s presentation is also part of Science and Technology Week at Illinois State. For information on other speakers that are part of events sponsored by the College of Applied Science and Technology, visit www.cast.ilstu.edu

Earth Day at Illinois State University is sponsored by the Student Environmental Health Association.