Welcome to the 2013 IEEE Conference on Technologies for Sustainability – Engineering and the Environment (SusTech), sponsored by IEEE-USA and the IEEE Oregon Section with assistance from Region 6. This inaugural SusTech is being held in conjunction with the 2013 IEEE-USA Annual Meeting. Sustainability has been defined as: the pursuit of environmentally sound development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the future. [Source: UN Document A/42/427: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future, August 1987] Some have said that the developed world has achieved its success to date by stripping and mining the world of raw materials and resources, leaving behind piles of tailings and garbage. This is an ‘extractive view’ of society, rooted in the era of colonialism. It would appear this approach may not be sustainable in the long run. Especially as the people in developing nations want to improve their lives and raise their standard of living. As technologists, what can we do to develop new products and processes that while they may need or use resources, are more sustainable in the long run? Reduce, reuse, and recycle? Improve the efficiency of existing products and processes? Develop innovative or revolutionary approaches and processes? The goal of the 2013 IEEE Technologies for Sustainability (Sustech) Conference is to explore the development and application of technology in these areas: Alternative Energy (e.g. solar, wind, tidal, fuel cells, energy harvesting, nuclear) Energy Efficiency (e.g. building design, auto electronics & fuel economy, computer farms, aviation) Electric Vehicles (e.g. motors, drive controls, batteries, environmental & power distribution impacts) Smart Grid (e.g. communications, control, power electronics, energy storage) Electronic Materials (e.g. ROHS/no-Pb/CFCs, life-cycle assessment, global materials supply, nanotechnology & health/environment) Quality of Life (e.g. EM spectrum allocation, global warming, autonomous vehicles, water, medical electronics, global education & human resources)