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Purpose & People

Tuesday, Feb 14, 2017

8:30am to 12:00pm

Tutorial: Bold Action for Leaders: Developing and Acting On Breakthrough Ideas (All-Access Pass holders)

Breakout

Grand Canyon 9

Sustainability leaders need bold ideas and action now more than ever, but new thinking tends to face enormous resistance within organizations. Nobody will say they want “safe thinking” but that’s what teams tend to act on, especially in times of rapid change when unsafe ideas are needed most. In this interactive session we’ll explore the psychological and social barriers to change that bold thinkers must face. And we'll introduce you to strategies for generating, pitching and acting upon breakthrough ideas.

GreenBiz 17 In-Depth Tutorials are intensive half-day sessions held prior to the start of the conference. These are designed to offer participants an opportunity to dive deeper into a topic of interest and develop tangible knowledge and skills. In addition, attendees will have a greater opportunity to network with their peers in these interactive sessions. Concurrent tutorials will be held the morning of Tuesday, February 14, and are available only to those who purchase an All Access Pass.

8:30am to 12:30pm

Tutorial: Transformative Organizational Success through Leadership (All-Access Pass holders)

Breakout

Grand Canyon 10-11

Many sustainability programs struggle because they are developed or integrated in ways that miss important organizational dimensions. Participants will learn how to incorporate four key pillars of success for lasting, sustainable change: leadership, strategy, communication and global-context. This cross-functional team of expert practitioners and faculty will provide insights on how to:

Create and identify sustainability strategies that promote broad organizational success through an effective suite of actions.
Apply global sustainability principles to your specific organizational context by integrating your organization's own perspective through a lens of sustainability with a global-context.
Employ leadership competencies and behaviors that are critical to leading lasting, transformational change.
Communicate effectively about sustainability with key stakeholders and audiences.

GreenBiz 17 In-Depth Tutorials are intensive half-day sessions held prior to the start of the conference. These are designed to offer participants an opportunity to dive deeper into a topic of interest and develop tangible knowledge and skills. In addition, attendees will have a greater opportunity to network with their peers in these interactive sessions. Concurrent tutorials will be held the morning of Tuesday, February 14, and are available only to those who purchase an All Access Pass.

Wednesday, Feb 15, 2017

12:30pm to 1:45pm

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Being a Transformational Change Agent During Turbulent Times

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

We are in the midst of unprecedented cultural and ecological changes that require us to create innovative solutions and to courageously take on a new level of responsibility for sustainability. From the unanticipated new U.S. Executive leadership and the unforeseen international power shifts, to the emerging impacts of climate change and the persistence of social inequity, how do you navigate the turbulence? What are the implications for your company or institution? How can you harness the power of the chaos to more deeply integrate your intended impacts as a sustainability change agent within your organization? How can these seismic shifts provide you with new perspectives on your role? We will discuss experiences and tools that will empower us to create the transformation we want to see.

Join like minded attendees for interactive moderated lunch discussions around a particular topic. Each table discussion will be led by an expert or thought leader, held at roundtables of up to 10 participants. These are freeform discussions, so bring your own challenges, questions, and ideas to talk through and get to know your fellow conference participants.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Embedding Sustainability Strategy into Traditional Business Models

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

There is increasing business value to be derived from embedding sustainability into corporate strategy. Yet, while the benefits of “more money, less cost, better brand, and lower risk” might seem obvious to those that work in the discipline, they are not always apparent to executive managers, particularly those operating in legacy business models (e.g. utilities, transportation, etc…). This table talk is designed to explore the challenges of working in a progressive field at a conservative organization, share stories from the trenches of those trying to drive new corporate directions, and discuss strategies and tactics to address obstacles and obtain sustainability wins—even if they aren’t initially the ones we would advocate.

Join like-minded attendees for interactive moderated lunch discussions around a particular topic. Each table discussion will be led by an expert or thought leader, held at roundtables of up to 10 participants. These are freeform discussions, so bring your own challenges, questions, and ideas to talk through and get to know your fellow conference participants.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Changing the Lens - A Different Perspective on Sustainability Leadership

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

Many sustainability executives are transferred from other leadership roles within the organization. What lessons learned from those other business functions apply to the field of sustainability? What are some of the first items they have to learn in their new role? How does their new perspective help them become a more effective leader?

Join like minded attendees for interactive moderated lunch discussions around a particular topic. Each table discussion will be led by an expert or thought leader, held at roundtables of up to 10 participants. These are freeform discussions, so bring your own challenges, questions, and ideas to talk through and get to know your fellow conference participants.

1:45pm to 2:45pm

Lessons in Building City Resiliency

Breakout

Grand Sonoran J

This workshop will focus on lessons learned by private sector, non profit and city administrator partners working to build resilience in the city space. This interactive workshop will leverage the knowledge of the session leaders as well as those in the audience in the creation of an actionable model for engagement in building city resilience. The participants will walk away with a tangible model that will help guide their thinking and activity in this, one of the most pressing issues facing communities today.

Aligning Social & Labor Sustainability Metrics in the Textile Industry and Beyond

Breakout

Grand Canyon 12

Social issues in the textile sector are highly visible and still in need of attention for verified progress to occur. One example of an effort to provide a solution is the Social and Labor Convergence Project, which aims to develop a simple, unified, and effective industry-wide assessment framework that accelerates social progress in the apparel and footwear sector. The panel will discuss how sector stakeholders are leading the way in harmonizing social and labor metrics to improve social sustainability assessments. Come learn more about the current social metrics landscape and how you can address social sustainability in the supply chain.

Fostering Wellbeing in the Workplace

Breakout

Grand Sonoran K

Wellbeing in the workplace requires much more than the typical incentive program. It requires a holistic approach to creating and sustaining a supportive physical and social environment. There are many dimensions to consider when developing an authentic and intentional strategy to helping employees improve their wellbeing. They range from meaning to mindfulness. Please join us for a spirited and interactive session to gain a deeper understanding of which wellbeing dimensions matter most and how to begin to apply them.

3:00pm to 4:00pm

Understanding Consumer Perceptions Around Sustainability & Trust

Breakout

Grand Canyon 10

Building on his Tuesday main stage presentation, GlobeScan co-CEO Chris Coulter offers a framework for the learnings around trust from the 20th annual Radar Report, along with leaders from three corporations and their experiences applying these insights to their own companies.

4:30pm to 5:30pm

Unlocking Performance With Purpose

Breakout

Grand Canyon 12

As leaders we constantly seek the most effective ways to drive performance and strong culture for our organizations. New research has confirmed what we have always intuitively known - the people who will carry culture and drive performance for our organizations are the ones who come to work for more than a paycheck. These are purpose-oriented employees. Hiring them and ensuring they are aligned and fulfilled becomes a clear pathway to unlock organizational success. For the first time ever we have the ability to identify these people and to measure and manage purpose in the workplace. This is unearthing powerful new strategies that are changing the way we design our systems and measure success. In this interactive session you hear an expert briefing on the latest research on the science of purpose, its implications for leaders with examples from leading companies that are are already harnessing it.

Thursday, Feb 16, 2017

8:30am to 9:30am

Putting Purpose in Employee Engagement

Breakout

Grand Canyon 11

Employee engagement has evolved dramatically. Where green teams led the way in years past, much of their work has become operationalized within leading organizations. Many sustainability leaders are focusing their efforts to create the foundation for establishing a passionate and values-driven employee base, one that can rally a global workforce to drive service and engagement. This workshop will share practices on how to start (or re-start) your program and rally your workforce to drive service and engagement.