Registration

Craft a Winning Sustainability Story for Your Brand

Participants will practice using strategy tools for developing new myths and transforming a brand itself into an unfolding story that captivates audiences and customers. By the end of the session, you will have a working draft of brand story elements including your brand archetype and hero.

Presented by: Jonah Sachs Co-Founder and President, Free Range Studios

Life Cycle Assessment

This highly interactive in-depth tutorial will explore the scope, challenges, and possibilities in applying LCA for business applications, and help you understand the full environmental and health impacts of your products and how to build capacity within your organization.

Presented by: Tom Gloria Managing Director, IE Consultants

Engaging Employees: How to Make Sustainability Simple, Effective and Fun

This session will explore strategies and techniques in gamification and the social web to motivate employees and customers to make healthy green changes at work, at home and in communities. It will also include an interactive experience where the goal is to have each participant walk away with at least two ideas to bring back to their company. Plus, hear from top experts about ways they're helping to take some of these concepts and put them into practice at top companies.

Presented by: Susan Hunt Stevens Founder & CEO, Practically Green; Mario Herger Senior Innovation Strategist, SAP; Megan Rast Environmental Sustainability Manager, Sony Pictures Entertainment; Edward Butler Sustainability Manager, Nokia

Understanding GRI for Your Organization

Informative presentations and highly interactive exercises will offer attendees an in-depth look at GRI and the process of putting together a report. This session will take participants through every level of the GRI process, from a high-level overview of sustainability reporting and the GRI framework, to envisioning the report and planning the process, to materiality issues, metrics and goals, to understanding how to use your report to deliver the most value to your company.

Presented by: James Margolis Partner, ERM

Welcome & Introductions

State of Green Business 2013

GreenBiz Founder Joel Makower, VP & Senior Analyst John Davies, and Trucost CEO Richard Mattison bring to life the 6th Annual State of Green Business Report, reviewing key trends and indicators in sustainable business from 2012 and what this means for the 2013 year ahead.

Presented by: Joel Makower Chairman & Executive Editor, GreenBiz Group; John Davies VP, Senior Analyst, GreenBiz Group; Richard Mattison CEO, Trucost

The New Language of Sustainability: Risk & Resilience

Presented by: Susan Mac Cormac Partner, Morrison & Foerster LLP; Jean Rogers Executive Director and Founder, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board

In conversation with: Aron Cramer President & CEO, BSR

One Great Idea: Microsoft Carbon Fee Model - Raising Funds for Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Presented by: Josh Henretig Director, Environmental Sustainability, Microsoft

One Great Idea: It's All in Our Heads - The Psychology of Sustainability

Psychology has the ability to transform engagement around sustainability. In this talk, Sethi will detail how we process and share information, illuminate our collective reluctance to address social and environmental challenges, and highlight ways to foster dialog with unlikely allies.

Presented by: Simran Sethi Journalist, Strategist, Educator

One Great Idea: Reuse it for Music

Presented by: Adam Wegener CEO & Founder, Trash Amps

One Great Idea: Upcycling

Presented by: Scott Hamlin Founding Partner, Looptworks

The New Platforms

Presented by: Molly Turner Director of Public Policy, Airbnb; John Zimmer Co-Founder & COO, Zimride & Lyft

In conversation with: Eric Faurot CEO, GreenBiz Group

One Great Idea: The Power of a Coalition

Presented by: Suzanne Shelton CEO, Shelton Group

One Great Idea: Commercializing Innovative Solutions Inspired by Nature

Presented by: Larry Stambaugh Managing Director, Centre for Bioinspiration, San Diego Zoo

Keynote Interview: Continuing the Climb Up Mount Sustainability

Presented by: Dan Hendrix President and CEO, Interface

In conversation with: Joel Makower Chairman & Executive Editor, GreenBiz Group

GreenBiz Guru Pitches

Five Successful Tips for Saving Energy, Saving Money, and Supporting Your Sustainability Goals

As companies look to improve the sustainability of their operations, reducing energy use is a great place to start. In this workshop, you will hear from Genentech and Meyer Sound Laboratories, both of whom have collaborated with Pacific Gas and Electric Company in innovative ways to achieve real energy savings and save money. Learn their strategies for success and how these projects link to their broader sustainability goals. PG&E will moderate the panel in this lively discussion, which will culminate with the panel’s top tips to save energy, leaving you with practical steps you can take back for your own operations.

Presented by: Chris Benjamin Senior Manager of Corporate Sustainability, Pacific Gas & Electric Company; Jerry Meek Senior Manager, Energy & Sustainability, Genentech; Gary Robinson Director of Facilities and Campus Expansion, Meyer Sounds Laboratories

Using Strategic Philanthropy to Promote Employee Engagement

Finding ways to effectively engage broad groups of employees in a company’s strategic philanthropic and business mission can be challenging. Companies must balance corporate strategy and individual interests with nonprofit needs and community initiatives. In this workshop, Wells Fargo and GRID Alternatives will walk participants through their corporate-nonprofit partnership, sharing best practices on engaging employees through volunteerism and strategic philanthropy. This workshop will help participants learn how to select a strategic green economy partner and how to connect their community work back to core business strategies, outcomes, and metrics, while still supporting the important mission of the partner nonprofit.

Presented by: Krista Van Tassel VP Environmental Affairs, Wells Fargo; Erica Mackie Executive Director and Co-Founder, GRID Alternatives

Valuing Natural Capital: The EP&L Journey

Workshop participants will learn what an Environmental Profit and Loss (EP&L) statement is and how businesses are strategically using this new tool. Participants will also learn why there are advantages to measuring environmental performance in business terms and how natural capital valuation can be a strategic advantage in selecting more sustainable suppliers, and developing more sustainable products and supply chains.

Presented by: Libby Bernick Senior Vice President, North America, Trucost; Richard Mattison CEO, Trucost

Sustainability at a Crossroads: Which Direction is Your Program Going?

Over the past five years, there has been a multitude of sustainability programs emerging from corporations and organizations - at a variety of levels of acceptance and engagement. Why have some programs flourished while others have struggled to establish their identity? Using MGM Resorts International as an example, attendees will learn how building a strong foundation and strategic plan for implementation of a large-scale sustainability program can drive sustained momentum and create an environment that fosters commitment and innovation.

Presented by: Cindy Ortega Senior Vice President & Chief Sustainability Officer, MGM Resorts International

Break

What's Material in Your 10-K?

What undisclosed liabilities, hiding in your balance sheet, present potential risks? Through this workshop, learn to view sustainability through the lens of materiality. Topics covered include SASB’s role in identifying the most material sustainability issues for 88 industries and how investors are utilizing sustainability data.

Presented by: Jerome Lavigne-Delville Director, Standards Development, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board; Marisa Mackey Senior Manager, Education Services, SASB

The Virtuous Cycle of Energy Efficiency: Harnessing People Power to Save Energy

In the past five years, EDF Climate Corps has worked deep within more than 100 leading companies to cut energy costs and curb carbon emissions. Not only has the program identified an average of $1 million in energy savings for each organization involved, but it has learned a lot along the way. We've tracked and analyzed what does and doesn't work, reporting the common barriers to energy efficiency that we encountered and the most powerful strategies for breaking them down. We've released the latest iteration of this research, The Virtuous Cycle of Organizational Energy Efficiency. It's a model of change we’ve discovered that applies to energy efficiency across even radically different organizations with five powerful, interdependent components. Attendees will learn about EDF’s newly released framework The Virtuous Cycle of Organizational Energy Efficiency and hear firsthand success stories of Climate Corps companies that have cut millions in energy costs.

Presented by: Sitar Mody Project Manager , Environmental Defense Fund; Nicole Peill-Moelter Director of Environmental Sustainability, Akamai Technologies; Christina Page Global Director of Energy and Sustainability Strategy, Yahoo!

Making Coalitions Work

This workshop will address how the retail and apparel industry has been able to set a precedent for industry-wide commitment toward sustainability throughout the supply chain - from product to factory to brand. The session will review lessons learned via this industry collaboration facilitated by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, a trade association accounting for more than 1/3 of the global apparel and footwear industry (including Nike, Target, Li & Fung, and Timberland), comprised of brands, retailers, manufacturers, government and non-governmental organizations and academic experts, all with a common goal of influencing a large-scale transformation in the environmental health of the apparel production process. You'll learn how members of the Coalition were able to use a test pilot of 60 companies, 150 products, 1,000 comments, and over 1,200 man hours to create the Higg Index (covered by Marc Gunther for GreenBiz in July), the apparel community's first industry-wide tool for measuring and evaluating the apparel and footwear product sustainability performance.

Presented by: Jason Kibbey Executive Director, Sustainable Apparel Coalition; Amy Roberts MEC Social Compliance, Mountain Equipment Co-op; Melissa Fifield Director, Environmental Affairs, Gap Inc.

Building Employee Brand Ambassadors: From the C-Suite to the Frontline

A company’s brand identity can be one it’s most valued assets, promoted and protected with relentless vigor. But it’s that other valuable asset—employees—who are responsible for delivering on your sustainable brand promise. This means that everyone from the C-suite to customer service needs to think and act like brand ambassadors. Join us for this engaging and entertaining workshop and learn how to equip your workforce to live the brand in everything they do.

Presented by: Amon Rappaport Chief Storyteller, Rappaport Communications

GreenBiz Guru Sessions

Clean Energy Finance: Funding the Transition with Adam Boucher Picking Metrics and Setting Goals with Mike Brown Reimaging Waste with Tom Carpenter How to Engage Employees During Earth Week with Katie Excoffier The Power of a Really, Really Big Brand Promise with Gil Friend Climate Solutions: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) with Karin Burns Selling Energy Efficiency Inside & Out of your Organization with Christina Page Scaling Your Green Message with Erin Reilly The Power of Collaboration & Changing Behavior with Suzanne Shelton Stakeholder Engagement with Bill Shireman Commercializing Innovative Solutions Inspired by Nature with Larry Stambaugh How to create a partner in Human Resources to move your sustainability agenda forward with Ellen Weinreb What every business needs to know about CA's Cap & Trade with Kristin York

Presented by: Adam Boucher Founder & CEO, Adam Capital; Michael Brown Owner, Brown and Wilmanns Environmental, LLC; Katie Excoffier Sustainability Manager, Genentech; Gil Friend President and CEO, Natural Logic; Mike Korchinsky Founder, Code REDD; Erin Reilly Lead for Green Marketing, Google; Suzanne Shelton CEO, Shelton Group; Bill Shireman President & CEO, Future500; Larry Stambaugh Managing Director, Centre for Bioinspiration, San Diego Zoo; Kristin York Adjunct Professor, Sustainable Urban Economic Development, Presidio Graduate School; Ellen Weinreb Managing Director, Weinreb Group; Christina Page Global Director of Energy and Sustainability Strategy, Yahoo!; Tom Carpenter Director, Sustainability Services, Waste Management

Closing Remarks

Welcome & Introductions

Presented by: Joel Makower Chairman & Executive Editor, GreenBiz Group

Keynote Interview: How a Values-Based Company Cultivates Sustainability

Presented by: Dominique Conseil President, Aveda

In conversation with: Joel Makower Chairman & Executive Editor, GreenBiz Group

One Great Idea: How Blue Plus Brown Makes Green

Presented by: Thomas Day Chief Sustainability Officer, US Postal Service

One Great Idea: Business Leaders as Mythmakers

Presented by: Jonah Sachs Co-Founder and President, Free Range Studios

Sustainability in Sport

Presented by: Jill Savery Head of Sustainability, America's Cup Event Authority; Mike Lynch Managing Director, Green Innovation, NASCAR; Jennifer Regan Global Sustainability Director, AEG

In conversation with: Stephen Linaweaver Principal, BluSkye

Sustainability in the Supply Chain

Presented by: Brittni Furrow Director, Sustainability, Food and Consumables, Walmart; Kim Marotta Director, Sustainability, MillerCoors; Gary Beck Farm Manager, Hillside Ranch

In conversation with: John Davies VP, Senior Analyst, GreenBiz Group

One Great Idea: Green Without Gold: Sustainability on a Shoestring

Presented by: Amy Hargroves Director, Corporate Responsibility, Sprint

One Great Idea: Creating Solar Energy Together

Presented by: Billy Parish Co-Founder & President, Mosaic

One Great Idea: Bringing Technology to the Farmers Market

Presented by: Benzi Ronen CEO, Farmigo

Keynote Interview: The Responsible Company

Presented by: Yvon Chouinard Founder, Patagonia

In conversation with: Joel Makower Chairman & Executive Editor, GreenBiz Group

Breakthrough Brand Stories

Humans have always conveyed truths about how the world works and how to behave with mythic stories. This is equally true for brands and organizations. To empower your audiences and call them to a higher purpose, we’ll explore how business leaders and communicators can develop mythic brand stories.

Presented by: Jonah Sachs Co-Founder and President, Free Range Studios

Supplier Engagement and Scorecards

Learn how a prominent global retailer and an emerging organic food brand are building sustainability into their products, engaging suppliers, and the mechanisms that they use to evaluate progress. They will share with us the challenges and successes of their respective programs while offering insight on how product & supplier scorecarding is a necessary and essential component of their corporate sustainability strategy.

Presented by: Tim Greiner Co-Founder & Managing Director, Pure Strategies; Karie Crisp Independent Sustainability Consultant; Shauna Sadowski Director of Sustainability, Annie's

Advance Preview: Findings from Ernst & Young and GreenBiz Group New Survey on Sustainability Risk Management and Reporting

Be the first to hear the findings of a new survey conducted during the fall 2012 by Ernst & Young and GreenBiz Group. Join an interactive discussion on how these findings may impact your sustainability strategy and initiatives.

Presented by: John DeRose Executive Director, Ernst & Young; Kate Baker Manager, Ernst & Young; Jessica Bramhall Senior Manager, Ernst & Young; Rebecca Sternberg Senior Manager, Ernst & Young; John Davies VP, Senior Analyst, GreenBiz Group

The Future of Fuels

With world energy consumption set to rise by nearly 40 percent by 2030, we have an opportunity to improve the sustainability impacts of all fuels that will be with us during our extended transition to a low-carbon future. BSR’s Future of Fuels initiative has brought together some of the world’s largest users, producers, and financiers, together with NGO and academic experts, to help large-scale fuel purchasers make viable decisions that lessen impacts to the environment and society and enhance economic growth and development. In this session, we will share findings from our recent research on the total sustainability impacts of commercial transportation fuels as well as the market outlook for a complete range of fuel types: gas/diesel, natural gas, biofuel, hydrogen, electric power (battery-powered vehicles), as well as the “fuel” represented by greater efficiency.

Presented by: Eric Olson Senior Vice President, BSR

Futures Techniques to Drive Change

Forum for the Future uses futures techniques such as scenarios, visions and trends to help understand the change that we need to prepare for and strategic actions to take today. At this session Helen will explain how to use futures thinking to drive strategy for sustainability, and participants will have the chance to try some of the approaches themselves.

Presented by: Helen Clarkson Director, Forum for the Future US, Forum for the Future

Corporate-NGO Engagement in a Time of Increasing Activism

Future 500's CEO Bill Shireman and Senior Director Danna Pfahl will provide an overview of best practices and common mistakes in corporate-NGO engagement, imparting lessons using stories from the organization's nearly 20 years of experience working with executives from leading brands and NGOs across a host of sectors and issues. We will close with a discussion of the top 10 most pressing stakeholder issues for 2013 and implications for companies.

Presented by: Bill Shireman President & CEO, Future500; Danna Pfahl Senior Director of Stakeholder Engagement, Future 500

Chemical-Intensive Products Sustainable Innovation – Getting Ahead of the Curve

It is estimated that more than 95% of all products in commerce are enabled by chemistry. Industries such as building materials, household products, toys, apparel, automotive supplies, electronics and many others make wide use of chemicals as the building blocks that allow them to provide the benefits we expect as society. These products must be safe throughout their life cycles, yet there is a constant drum beat of chemicals in our products that are accused of being problematic. This interactive session will address both short-term and long-term best practices for getting in front of the curve and staying there. Short term alerts include identifying chemicals that likely represent the “next chemical backlash”, defining how these chemicals might affect your business and brand, and what you can do now to manage and mitigate this risk. Longer-term innovations include understanding the sustainable innovation best practices to get ahead of this curve, monitoring and anticipating the chemicals that could be targeted for deselection and regulatory ban in the future, and determining what innovation practices can help you pre-empt these problems – and even make them an advantage over unprepared competitors.

Presented by: Tony Kingsbury Director of Corporate Sustainability, Cardno ChemRisk; Phil Metz Co-Founder and Top Dog, SingingDog

Finding Millions Downstream: How To Successfully Collaborate Across Your Value Chain

Requests to join initiatives of cross-industry collaborations on sustainability are becoming more common. Done well, they can unlock millions of new dollars within value chains. Done poorly they can lead to inaction, greenwashing, and wasted time and money. Drawing from our experiences with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, the Corporation for Battery Recycling, and Alcoa’s Action to Accelerate Recycling, join Erin Billman, Principal at Blu Skye as she discusses how to identify the characteristics of good collaborations, how to design them, and tips on how to make the most of your participation. The workshop will close with a brainstorm on what kinds of collaborations could be most useful in audience industries and how you might begin to enroll your peers’ support.

Presented by: Erin Billman Principal, BluSkye