Marc A. Rosen, Ph.D., a Professor at University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa, Canada speaks on Ramping up Renewable Energy for Sustainable Ec...

Summary of the Event

The event kicked off at 7am GMT with a morning yoga video performed by Adriene.The Virtual Symposium hosted over 25 renowned sustainability leaders, environmentalists, researchers, specialists on health, botanic conservation, resource management sustainable agriculture and building from around the world. Speaker such as Jeffrey Sachs, Adenike Akinsemolu, Marc Rosen, amongst others share their insights on our path towards sustainable development.

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Marc A. Rosen, Ph.D., is a Professor at University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa, Canada, where he served as founding Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science — **Marc A. Rosen,** Ph.D., is a Professor at University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa, Canada, where he served as founding Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science

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ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Segun Adaju is the CEO, BlueOcean Nigeria and Consultant/ Financial Advisor to SolarNigeria Programme funded by DfID. Segun has provided expert services as a consultant. — **Segun Adaju** is the CEO, BlueOcean Nigeria and Consultant/ Financial Advisor to SolarNigeria Programme funded by DfID. Segun has provided expert services as a consultant.

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Q & A (SELECTED)

Segun Adaju: How can multinational corporations ramp up renewable energy in developing countries and what government policies could incentivize the transition of multinational corporations to renewable energy?

Marc Rosen: In many ways they are really well suitors to help multinationals by the nature of their work, do a lot of work and when they are involved in energy and renewable energies they bring strong expertise to the table. The expertise will develop the expertise that makes the biggest economic profit for them at that time. But once they have that expertise it is easy to extend it, to share it, to use it in other places where it wouldn’t have been a first choice. Multinationals can take new technologies development like solar, wind, the new geothermal, and apply in different areas where they do work, have relations and find ways to make those technologies work. They could maybe find ways to make economic implements that works or maybe environmental incentive that makes more sense to take advantage of those and tailor the work they have done in one country to work in another.

Governments need to help in government policies. They need to have incentives where it’s in the long term interest of the country to have renewable energies but maybe short term difficult like prices making it not economically useful or beneficial right now but in the next 20 years that won’t be the case and we want these renewable energies to come on board. Equally in terms of issues like Climate Change, the more the government can do to allow sharing of credits for work done.

Segun Adaju: What is the role of private investment in accelerating the growth of renewable energy?

Marc Rosen: In some ways it extends on the previous answer. Private investment is interesting. Dealing with companies big and small, they are much more careful because it is their money, they don’t want to put their money out unless there is something beneficial coming back to them, otherwise they can’t answer to their bosses, owners or stakeholders depending on how the structure of the companies is set up. When it comes to helping, private companies are also very good at looking for the beneficial opportunities so that their consent make sense for them and they don’t need to worry about the world or country, they look for their own interests and they often have unique features where certain renewable energies make sense. It might be a type of renewable energy in a particular environment and the private company is suited to say we see an opportunity for us.

Private companies can often look for revenue for at most 2 years for an investment when they are willing and this is not easy looking long term but where they see investment pays off for 5 or 10 years which is often necessary for renewable energy resources that have larger front capital cost. Private companies can decide that we are willing to wait, we see the investment benefit and understand the benefit for the company and they can move quite aggressively on opportunities where they think it is the long-term interests for the company.

Segun Adaju: Dr. Akinsemolu in The Principles of Green and Sustainability Science enumerated emerging renewable energy technologies to include; solar glass, thorium nuclear reactors, cellulosic ethanol, space-based solar power, and fuel-cell electric vehicles. How can these technologies be subsidized, and their scalability increased?

Marc Rosen: I have read Dr. Akinsemolu’s book and I found it actually very fascinating, incredible good book and I enjoyed it very much. She does points out those emerging technologies and some of those are the toughest. I think they need subsidizes, researching development to bring them to commercial potential. All of these have a worth benefit and are worth looking at, the researches is how we look at them and determine whether the negatives kill them or outweigh them in the long run or whether the positive prevail and the negative can be off set, may have been somehow managed. Then we look at scalability, can we commercialize it, make many of them, drive the prices down and have many implementation sites (that is different countries that find them beneficial). And with that I think that subsidizes are needed for renewable energies not infinite but have to be proportional to the benefits of these technologies present and where they don’t plan out, the subsidize from ancient can be cut off but where they have huge benefits we need to create a commercial market. Of course subsidize maybe necessary but that’s a standard way for the government to kick start any new technology that shows benefits for the society.

Quote

“When it comes to energy, there is no perfect solution,if there was… we would have taken advantage of it and everybody would have been using it 100%... ”

— Marc Rosen

“ When it comes to helping, private companies are also very good at looking for the beneficial opportunities..,”

— Marc Rosen

INTRODUCTION

APRIL 6, 2018, marks a significant turning point in the history of education in Nigeria, particularly in Ondo state. This is because the first set of students who have acquired a novel and unique kind of education known as ‘green education’, graduated on that day. The convocation ceremony took place inside the beautiful hall of the Green Institute which shares the same facility with Homaj Secondary School, Ondo-Akure Road, Itanla, Ondo State, Nigeria.

The graduating students, each of whom was awarded a nano degree in Early Childhood Education Sustainability, are Elizabeth Adeyemo and Temilade Adegbite. It was a fascinating story of innovation, intellectual creativity, entrepreneurship and career sustainability.

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS AT THE OCCASION

The special guest was Dr. Oyinloye from Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo. The other prominent guests included Mr. T.J. Falowo (Wesley University, Ondo), Mr. Charles Adeyemi (Elizade University), Ms. Akinseye (Adeyemi College of Education) and Ms. Fabunmi (Federal University of Technology, Akure).

The other guests in the audience were students from tertiary institutions, professionals, parents and guardians and well-wishers of the graduating students.

COMMENCEMENT OF THE CEREMONY

The convocation ceremony began at about 11:30 am with the showing of two fascinating TED talks on ‘The importance of Relationship in Educating Children’ and ‘What Makes a Good Teacher Great?’ respectively. Each of video clips ran for about 15 minutes. The amiable and ever-smiling anchorperson for the ceremony, Miss Odunayo Aliu of The Green Institute prompted the attentive audience to either ask questions or pass comments on the TED Talks. This opened a barrage of elevating critical comments especially from the guests on the high table, led by Dr. Afolabi. He opined that most of the solutions proffered by the TED speakers might not be applicable to the Nigerian situation because of some peculiar hindrances. By and large, everybody finally agreed that sound ‘relationship’ between a teacher and the students he/she teaches is a necessity for the achievement of learning objectives in schools.

After that, Miss Odunayo called on the special guest of the day in the person of Dr. Afolabi (aka ‘Baba Bimbo’) to deliver the keynote address. He was greeted by the whole house with thunderous applause, apparently because he is a respected and popular teacher and academic who is loved by his students especially those in ACE. He presented a paper on “Early Childhood Education for Sustainability”. It was very educative and expertly presented.

THE HIGH POINT OF THE EVENT

The high point of the day was the presentation of their research project by the graduating students. Thus, Miss Elizabeth Adeyemo was called, and she came up and did her presentation on ‘Teaching Children with Learning Disabilities for Sustainable Development‘. It was fantastic, and she got general applause for it. Then came the turn of Miss Temilade Adegbite whose research work was on ‘Early Childhood Education Curriculum into Prenatal Care Program: A Suggestive Approach‘. She presented it confidently and got the commendation of all.

Of course, as the students were doing the presentations, they were being assessed by a team of distinguished academics who were also on the high table for the purpose. Their assessments would form a part of the final grade of the graduating students. However, after the students finished presenting their research works, the anchor person requested the guests, especially those on the high table, to pass their comments on the performances.

Subsequently, Dr. Afolabi praised the graduating students for their elegance, confidence and determination. He pointed out areas that the students should improve on in their skills and presentations. He also commended the Founder and Director of The Green Institute, Adenike Akinsemolu, for a job well done on the students and prayed that God should give her more power and grace to fulfil the mission of the Institute

Also, Madam Oloyede, the representative of Dr Oyinloye, similarly commended both the founder and the students for their efforts. Other invited dignitaries and members of the audience too did the same.

CLOSING REMARKS

The Founder and Director of The Green Institute, Adenike Akinsemolu, was called to the podium to give her speech. The speech was short and direct. She briefly pointed out that it was hard to start and continue such a novel idea as The Green Institute in such a challenging environment but that because of her focus, determination and committed Team, the dream is finally a reality. She promised that more was still to come. She finally thanked everybody for honouring the invitation to grace the occasion, particularly the special guest and all distinguished guests on the high table.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Finally, it was time for taking pictures. It started with group photograph of distinguished guests and the graduates of the day.

CONCLUSION

With what the first convoked students of The Green Institute, Ondo, displayed on the day of their convocation, and with the kind of comments passed on them and the institute by eminent scholars and academics who witnessed the occasion, I am confident that the institute has started charting a new and availing path for the proper education and equipment of students and the youth for sustainable personal, social and economic development in Nigeria.

TUNDE TIJANI

(B. Ed & M.A English)

Marc Rosen on World Environment Day, 2020: Ramping up Renewable Energy for Sustainable Economic Growth