1. Diane Powell
NASA HQ
Used with permission

2. the need.
Needed are bold and integrated approaches- developed and scaled-
from a whole system of committed global actors, working in concert
to innovate, collaborate, and accelerate a sustainable
future.
THE We live at a critical juncture in the history of our planet.
CHALLENGE
As the developing world comes on-line with hopes, needs and wants modeled
on the developed world, the arc of future sustainability is bending in the wrong
direction. At risk are our basic resources and needs for human life — water,
air, food, and energy — and the process of harvesting and harnessing them
for human consumption is accelerating at a rate we may be unable to sustain.
The good news: Poised on the front lines of the battle for a sustainable future
is a global community of designers, engineers, scientists, economists, activists
and entrepreneurs – all devoted to solving some of the most difficult
sustainability challenges.
No individual or organization is equipped to change this course alone.

3. mission.
The mission of LAUNCH is to accelerate the development and
adoption of disruptive ideas, technologies and programs in order to
maximize their success potential and realize a sustainable future.
THE
OPPORTUNITY
LAUNCH is composed of two core components – a 2-day Sustainability
Forum in conjunction with a space launch and the LAUNCH
accelerator – and ongoing effort to accelerate the tangible and
measurable progress of the LAUNCH Innovators.
LAUNCH has been created to leverage the collective expertise,
networks and influence of a diverse community of leaders, whose purpose is
to identify, support and accelerate innovative and often disruptive
approaches toward one of humanity’s sustainability challenges.

4. INAGURAL
FORUM
March 16-18, 2010
NASA Kennedy Space Center
STS-131

5. sustainability forum.
Approximately 40 global leaders from multiple disciplines and sectors – called
the LAUNCH Council - will engage with 10 innovators over a two-day meeting
just prior to a space launch. Each day, 5 innovators will have 10 minutes to
CORE present their innovations at the forum. The forum will divide into 5 groups
COMPONENTS and then visit each innovator for 30 minutes.
accelerator.
During the forum, key action items will be captured by the LAUNCH team and
synthesized into a strategic follow-on action plan for Innovators. After the forum,
the LAUNCH team will collaborate with the Innovators leveraging the LAUNCH
Council’s expertise and its network to accelerate the adoption of the
innovations into society.

6. LAUNCH council.
To fulfill its mission, a world-class collection of leaders from the
business/finance, design/engineering, media/communication,
science/technology, and non-profit/government sectors will gather at the
THE Sustainability Forum. Called the LAUNCH Council, these individuals are
PEOPLE gathered to listen and exchange ideas, opportunities and expertise to each
other and with the innovators with the aim to support the transformation toward
a more sustainable future.
innovators.
For each LAUNCH Sustainability Forum, 10 innovators will be chosen to
present their ideas to the LAUNCH Council for input and strategic advice. From
this interaction and collaboration, the forum will serve as the starting point the
help build the Innovators individual path to success, facilitating business,
financial, media, and technology development and partnerships.

7. founding partner.
• Strategic and integrated approach to organization’s engagement in
sustainability activities.
• Brings capital, capacity, credibility and other resources to launch the
LAUNCH accelerator, e.g. dedicated team members (long-term partner).
Partners: NASA, USAID, State Department, NIKE
THE
PARTNERS forum partner.
• Water specific partners.
• Support the Launch: Water Sustainability Forum though expertise and
content development, networks, capital, brand credibility.
capacity partner.
• Involvement with in-kind contributions in research, media,
communications, or follow-on/accelerator activities.

8. NASA’s leadership.
LAUNCH will serve as an initiative to support and promote NASA as
a catalyst in sustainable development: by providing thought
leadership, leading collaborative dialogue, and accelerating
NASA’s innovative solutions.
PARTNERSHIP
As the founding partner, NASA will provide overall guidance and strategy
for the vision and mission of LAUNCH in its initial phase. NASA’s
approach to solutions and problem solving, demonstrated technical
innovations and unparalleled vantage point of our dynamic planet will
facilitate the realization of a sustainable future on Earth.
relevance. innovation. environment.

9. The LAUNCH Council will be comprised of prominent experts from a
cross-section of perspectives, orientations, experiences, and
expertise relevant to the critical sustainability challenge.
They are leaders, connectors, doers, thinkers, and influencers in
government/policy, business/finance, media/communication,
LAUNCH engineering/design, and science/tech.
COUNCIL
Some are generalists who have a broad understanding of
OVERVIEW sustainability, have achieved success in their work and endeavors,
and are passionate about forwarding a sustainable future.
Some are experts in the specific theme for the LAUNCH forum and
follow-up be that water, air, food, energy housing, and mobility.
Collectively, through their multiple perspectives, their divergent
perspectives enable vibrant dialog leading to a comprehensive vision
of this challenge, resources and cutting-edge thinking on how to meet
it.

10. Business/Finance: a mix of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, intellectual
property attorneys and corporate executives are active in how technological and
business innovations in general, and sustainability focused ones specifically, move
from concept to prototype/pilot to viability.
Policy/Government: a mix of government and non-government executives that
are active in policy development and/or governance of societies use and access to
natural resources, resource infrastructure and processes relating to natural
LAUNCH resources, agriculture, energy, transportation and urban development. Of
particular interest are thought leaders who have brought valuable understanding
COUNCIL
sustainability challenges and the solutions to them.
SECTORS
Science/Technology: a mix of scientists, developers, researchers, inventors and
technology executives who are active in the research, development and advocacy
of science and technology providing viable solutions for key sustainability
challenges.
Engineering/Design: a mix of engineers, designers, architects, urban planners
who are active in the creation of new products, systems, materials and structures
that pioneer or use innovative and/or best-of practices in sustainable development.
Communications/Media: a mix of journalists, PR and marketing executives, and
public figures who are active in the development and/or articulation of impactful
strategies, platforms and programs.

11. Duties
1.To provide insight into the overarching sustainability for each of the
core thematic areas of LAUNCH
2.To aid in the identification of innovative ideas, programs and
technologies that could be candidates for LAUNCH
3.To provide valuable consultation to the LAUNCH Innovators on-site
at LAUNCH: Water.
COUNCIL 4.To provide on-going networking to LAUNCH and LAUNCH
DUITES AND Innovators post-event as part of the LAUNCH Accelerator
DIVERSITY
Diversity
• Gender
• National and International (with focus on Brazil, India, China, Japan,
Canada, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, Mexico)
• Professional: including scientists, academics, engineers, designers,
entrepreneurs, inventors, corporate executives lawyers, executives,
PR and marketing executives (see Sector Expertise Detail)
• Inclusive of members representing both TOP (Top of Pyramid) and
BOT (Bottom of Pyramid) economies, populations, challenges and
solutions.

12. BROAD CRITERIA FOR
LAUNCH INNOVATOR SELECTION
Existing and functioning organizations including companies, non-profits,
research institutions, and NGOs
• Unique, compelling, and innovative vision
• Focused on a definable sustainability challenge
INNOVATOR • Significant impact at scale to have a positive effect on this sustainability challenge
• Progress can be measured and tracked
SELECTION • Present state of idea, program or innovative technology is in prototype, pilot, or early-
CRITERIA stage development
• Has credible reputation within peer community
SPECIFIC CRITERIA FOR
LAUNCH: WATER INNOVATOR SELECTION
Innovative and disruptive technology, process, or program which applies to
improving the quality, availability, or use-efficiency of water as it relates to one
or more of the following sectors:
• Drinking
• Sanitation
• Buildings
• Energy Generation
• Agriculture
• Manufacturing/ Industry
• Ecological Preservation

13. FORUM AT A GLANCE
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14. The LAUNCH: Water event is the first phase of a continuous
process designed to accelerate the progress of sustainable
LAUNCH development in general and the success missions of the
ON-GOING individual Innovators who have presented at the Kennedy
ORGANIZATION Space Center event.
During the two-day forum and showcase, key action items will
be captured by the LAUNCH team and synthesized into a
strategic follow-on action plan for each Innovator. The
LAUNCH team will collaborate with the Innnovators leveraging
LAUNCH’s expertise and its network for the benefit of the
Innovators and through their success, the benefit of society.

15. WHAT MAKES THE LAUNCH PROGRAM SPECIAL?
Many events are designed as an end to themselves, people come together to discuss the issue
of the day, see the diversity of work going on and go back to their offices and do their work...
The challenges faced in scaling the next generation of sustainability solutions are
fundamentally systemic; the immediacy of the issues means we don’t have time to wait for the
system to evolve alone and we can’t afford to create more events that talk of how things could
be. We LAUNCH as an agreement to do things NOW: To identify opportunities, to build a
UNIQUE collaborative community focused on impact, to focus on solutions and commit to their success.
PROGRAM The LAUNCH program has been designed as a collaborative concept from the outset, using
the launch itself as an initiation point and not an end...
The LAUNCH program is designed in three phases; ENGAGE, LAUNCH, ACCELERATE.

16. exposure for innovators
• Highlight the Innovator’s vision, the potential for their innovations to meet
water sustainability challenges and their road to success
MEDIA PLAN • LAUNCH press to provide direct tangible value to Innovators for being part
Goal #1 of LAUNCH program.
• Generating awareness to key audiences for evolving their ideas/companies:
o Thought Leaders in science, technology, engineering, policy
o Innovation and Sustainability Communities
o Business/Finance
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17. exposure for partners
• Highlight the organizations involved and their motivation/reasoning for
supporting LAUNCH.
MEDIA PLAN • LAUNCH press to provide direct tangible value to Partners as ROI for their
Goal #2 investment in LAUNCH.
• LAUNCH press to provide Partners communication outlet to public that
articulates their innovation and sustainability strategies and initiatives.
• NASA a) culture of creating solutions to massively complex challenges b)
leading-edge of innovation for “sustainable communities” in space c)
eyes/ears of planet w/sensor and data networks and d) tech transfer
• USAID (TBD)
• State (TBD)
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18. exposure for LAUNCH
• Expose LAUNCH Vision and Process with a focus on its unique and
compelling mission “accelerating innovation towards a sustainable future”
MEDIA PLAN • LAUNCH press to provide the organization:
Goal #3 o Credibility within the innovation/sustainability communities attracting
future innovators and Council members as a known and successful
entity.
o Credibility and momentum for securing on-going partners/financing.
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19. NASA has a unique brand, approach to solutions and problem solving,
demonstrated innovations and unparalleled vantage point that will be utilized for
the realization of a sustainable future on Earth.
•Solving Complex Problems: Since its inception, NASA has demonstrated an
unparalleled ability to tackle massively complex and ambitious goals to forward
the human endeavor. NASA brings diverse talents need to solve complex
problems to collaborate effectively to arrive at one unified solution.
This is a tremendous strength in NASA’s role as the founding partner of
WHY NASA? LAUNCH, and in leading a whole system of stakeholders in building integrated
solutions for a more sustainable existence on Earth.
•Innovation: As a result of its decades long development of technology in
robotics, intelligent systems, satellites, human spaceflight and data analysis,
visualization and modeling, NASA has a powerful and intelligent network of
scientists and engineers. NASA has engineered solutions from water recycling
to efficient solar cells to meet the needs of space exploration.
•Sustainability: NASA has 14 spacecraft currently orbiting the Earth monitoring
the dynamic Earth environment. With ~4TB of new Earth Science data available
each day, NASA’s scientists and engineers are at the forefront of understanding
our global system.
relevance. innovation. environment.