From left, Kevin Manninen, Wendy Kahler, Mikko Ahonen, Kimmo Tuppurainen, Juhani Suvilampi, Nicholas Kurchov,
Bruce Oreck, and Carola Wictorsson.
U.S. Ambassador Bruce Oreck and Business Unit Manager, Watrec Ltd.,
Mr. Kimmo Tuppurainen. |
Watrec Ltd. had the honor to welcome new U.S. Ambassador for a visit on November 3, 2009.
Mr. Bruce Oreck was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Finland on August 12, 2009. Mr. Oreck, a lawyer and entrepreneur from Colorado, is active in environmental affairs. In 2003, Ambassador and Mrs. Oreck founded the Zero Carbon Initiative which is committed to implementing both experimental and off-the-shelf technologies in the built environment, not just to reduce but to offset greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr. Oreck, “a clean tech market scout”
During his visit to Jyväskylä the Ambassador wanted to focus almost exclusively on cutting-edge environment technologies. Watrec Ltd. was asked to present renewable/alternative energy technologies for the Ambassador.
“He has an intense interest in pushing clean/green tech forward to the market plus tons of experience and connections in the private sector”, Economic Officer of U.S. Embassy Helsinki, Wendy Kahler. According to Kahler it is probably best to consider Mr. Oreck a sort of clean tech market scout.
Mr. Oreck was especially interested in Watrec Ltd’s solutions to produce renewable energy from municipal wastes, such as sewage sludge and biowaste. He discussed with Watrec Ltd’s Business Unit Manager, Mr. Kimmo Tuppurainen, about the business possibilities in the US market and what kind of business Watrec Ltd. could do in the USA.
Watrec Ltd. is a Finnish company specialized in environmental engineering and science. Essential know-how is in biowaste, wastewater, and process water treatment and consultancy services for the both environmental and energy related issues. The principle of Watrec Ltd’s biogas plant is to produce renewable energy and nutrients from the waste materials and by products from food industry, agriculture, and municipalities. The biogas produced in the plant can be utilized as electricity, heat, and as fuel for vehicles.