Sustainable and smart development that poses no harm to our mother planet should no longer remain a call for awareness, but a call for action.

On Monday, Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley will do just that when they sign an agreement in Shanghai to formalize an Eco-City Partnership to enhance cooperation between the two cities.

Meanwhile, more than 250 business leaders and government officials will gather in Shanghai today to discuss how to convert the call into real action for building green cities.

The three-day 2010 Sustainability Conference, which is organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and the Asia Society, will be an occasion for businesses and the government to discuss and map out some plans for the future.

Mark Ginsberg, senior executive at the Office of Energy, Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the United States Department of Energy, Christine Gregoire, governor of the US State of Washington, and Fu Zhihuan, chairman of the Finance Committee of the 10th National People's Congress are among government officials who will take part in the conference and deliver keynote speeches.

Among businessmen, GCL Solar Energy's chief executive officer Hunter Jiang, Kevin Wale, president and managing director of General Motors China, and Shane Tedjarati, CEO of Honeywell China and India, will participate and share their experiences in sustainable development.

"We have many things to say," Tedjarati told Shanghai Daily. "As a company dedicated to making human life better, we hope our technology can save a fortune - because if people want to make a fortune, the first thing is to save one."

Tedjarati pointed out that nearly half of Honeywell's product portfolio is about energy efficiency and said the company is eager to share its technology in China.