“Preserving Planet Earth: It Takes A Village"

Cary Kopczynski / Alex Rule - Founding Principal / Western Region Leader, Health Care Practice

CKC Structural Engineers / Gallagher
Creating a sustainable future for planet Earth is challenging. A growing global population, increasing demands on finite resources, and the inability of political entities to cooperate combine to paint a disturbing picture. The good news is that the combined efforts of committed individuals and sustainability focused organizations such as Rotary can create major impact. Cary and Alex will discuss this, illustrated with examples from their personal experience.

About the Speaker

Cary is a longtime Eastside resident and 2000 - 2001 Past President of the BBRC. He and his wife Jan are the proud parents of two successful sons...Jeffrey and Philip, both attorneys. Cary is an avid adventurer, having traveled to over 45 countries and explored many parts of our planet. He has seen firsthand the challenges we face in preserving our world for future generations. Professionally, Cary is the Founding Principal of an engineering firm based in Bellevue with an office in Chicago. Most recently, he is the immediate Past President of the American Concrete Institute, the largest concrete industry organization in the world, with over 30,000 members in more than 100 countries. ACI recently embarked on a major sustainability initiative to eliminate the concrete industry's global carbon footprint, which is currently almost ten percent of total carbon emissions worldwide.

Alex Rule is a Maine native, moved to Seattle in the early 90’s to take advantage of all the outdoor activities the Northwest has to offer, was a BBRC member from 1996-2016, where his passion for nature was channeled toward the Preserve Planet Earth Committee. He met his wife, Kim Edberg, through Sharon Edberg, who was President of BBRC at the time, at a Rotary sponsored Preserve Planet Earth tree planting project. Alex and Cary became good friends through their shared passion for nature and remain committed to continuing the tradition of seeking adventure together each year.
Alex and Kim have two boys, Liam (18) and Declan (16) and professionally, Alex run Gallagher’s healthcare practice in the Western Region.
And BBRC members who were around in 1996 know that the “hook” might be necessary whenever Alex has the mic in his hand!