Sustainability Leaders Series

A presentation on how corporate water management strategies are developed and implemented, featuring Will Sarni, Director and Practice Leader of Enterprise Water Strategy and Sustainability at Deloitte.

Two thought-provoking conversations on how corporate water management strategies are developed and implemented, featuring Tom Cooper, Corporate Water Programs Manager at Intel, and Greg Koch, Directer of Global Water Stewardship at The Coca-Cola Company. Moderated by Brad Gentry.

Best Global Green Brands examines the tension between corporation's environmental practices and consumer's perceptions of those practices. The study celebrates the payoff for making sustainability a priority and striking a balance between focusing on performance and building marketplace perceptions, while being transparent about the journey (and occasional stumbles) on the road to sustainability. Join Interbrand's Emma Hrustic, Global Director of Brand Intelligence, as she discusses key findings from the study of over 12,000 consumers across the top 10 markets by GDP, including deep insights on their attitudes towards environmental issues and the impact of those attitudes on purchase intentions and brand preference.

Many have questioned whether corporations can fulfill a social purpose while still earning a profit --- from the early American corporations chartered to serve a public purpose, to Henry Ford's desire to spread the benefits of the industrial system to the greatest possible number, to modern Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts. However, the operating environment for business has increasingly moved away from encouraging companies to pursue social purposes in their business activities. General incorporation statutes, limited liability laws, and changes in the post-war period have led to a situation in which corporations now mostly act with impunity --- largely free of requirements to serve a public purpose or even report the damages they cause to society and the environment. Last fall, Pavan Sukhdev a leading expert on the green economy, released the book Corporation 2020: Transforming Business for Tomorrow's World. In the book, Sukhdev argues that in order for corporations and society alike to survive and thrive, we need to rethink the way the business world works. This requires not just action by corporations, but also the strength of governments directed toward transforming regulations and creating incentives for corporations to change and adapt. With the clock ticking toward 2020, Sukhdev is returning to Yale a year later to break down how his sweeping vision of how a better corporate model is being realized.

On Friday, February 22nd, The Yale Center for Business and the Environment hosted a panel discussion between Yale researchers and Google Developers on "Geotechnology and the Future of Sustainability." The discussion addressed the emergence of geotechnology as tool to address global problems and featured Rebecca Moore (Google), Professor Walter Jetz, Professor Karen Seto, and Professor Dana Tomlin.

Please join Mark Crumpacker, CMO of Chipotle, as he explains how Chipotle's commitment to its "Food with Integrity" mission is driving forward a new way of thinking about sustainability initiatives within the fast food industry. Mr. Crumpacker will also discuss how consumer preferences and Chipotle's status play a role in shaping the company's sustainability initiatives and its approach to marketing and advertising.

Do environmental mega-trends, such as climate change, rapid urbanization and resource scarcity really drive strategic decision-making at a Fortune 500 company? What role can the private sector play in creating more resilient, adaptable communities in the face of mounting environmental pressures? Can we realize financial advantages while addressing the most pressing environmental and social concerns of our age? On Tuesday, October 30th at 5:30pm (EST), Gary Lawrence, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of AECOM, will discuss how AECOM delivers solutions that create enhance and sustain the world's built, natural and social environments. AECOM, is an $8-billion global provider of professional technical and management support services. AECOM's 45,000 employees - including architects, engineers, designers, planners scientists and management professionals - serve clients in more that 130 countries around the world.

The Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies will host a public event to launch the new book Corporation 2020: Transforming Business for Tomorrow's World, by Pavan Sukhdev. The book launch will feature a discussion between Yvon Chouinard (Founder of Patagonia and Co-author of "The Responsible Company"), Vincent Stanley (writer and editor for Patagonia and Co-author of "The Responsible Company") and Pavan Sukhdev (Author of Corporation 2020).

Moderated by Whole Foods Market's Senior Global Grocery Coordinator, Errol Schweizer, this event features four esteemed panelists from Yale who will explore everything from food access and security and their impacts on human health, to sustainable food supply chains and institutional food procurement. Panelists: Patrick Stuebi, Founder & CEO, Fairtrasa Mark Bomford, Director, Yale Sustainable Food Project Kelly Brownell, Professor of Epidemiology & Public Health, Director, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity Rafi Taherian, Executive Director, Yale Dining

The discussion explores whether hydraulic fracturing, better known as hydrofracking or fracking, will enhance America's energy security, or deter the development of renewable energy sources and foster a continuing dependence on fossil fuels.

Whole Foods' Global Leader of Sustainable Engineering and Energy Management, Kathy Loftus, will discuss how the company weaves its Green Mission into everything it undertakes, and how this has enabled it to emerge as the nation's leading green food retailer.