Sir Richard Branson, famous for his achievements as an entrepreneur and founder of the international brand Virgin, is to be keynote speaker at the World Congress of the International Desalination Association in Perth.
IDA has issued a second announcement for the congress which is available on its website.
With the use of desalination now projected to double by 2016, IDA is looking forward to welcoming a record number of delegates to the 2011 World Congress in Perth. Already, the exhibition will be the largest in congress history, featuring more than 90 exhibitors in three pavilions covering 4,900 m² of exhibition space at the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre
The congress will have a grand opening at the Rockingham Desalination Research Centre on 4 September 2011 and run through to site tours and post-congress workshops on 9 September.
Keynote speaker Branson is deeply committed to using business as a force for good. He founded Virgin Unite, a not-for-profit foundation that applies entrepreneurial approaches to social and environmental issues. One of its initiatives is the Carbon War Room, which harnesses the power of entrepreneurs, business leaders, policy experts, researchers and thought leaders to implement market-driven solutions to climate change.
The Virgin Green Fund invests in renewable energy and resource efficiency, while the Virgin Earth Challenge offers a $25 million prize to encourage a viable technology that results in the net removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases.