Greening of Industry Network Conference 2007
SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEM AND SOCIAL STEWARDSHIP
June 15-17, 2007
The
CMA Centre for Responsible Organizations was pleased to host the “Sustainable
Ecosystem and Social Stewardship Conference” in collaboration with the
International Greening of Industry Network (GIN) from June
15 to 17, 2007. The conference was attended by
approximately 125 thought leaders in sustainability from 20 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. The conference brought
together leading thinkers on sustainability from industry and government,
non-governmental organizations, and academia to present the latest research on,
and to discuss, three major themes: Sustainable Energy and Transportation,
Sustainable Innovation, and Sustainable Business Models for the Base of the
Pyramid.
To
make genuine progress on sustainable development, businesses need to move from
separate strategies for “greening” and “community engagement” toward an
integrated stewardship of the resources, ecosystems, and communities that are
impacted by their operations along the entire supply chain—from cradle to
grave, from one generation to the next, from one species to another, and from
one society to another. Sustainable stewardship requires an understanding of
how the local and regional ecosystems and communities impact on, and interact
with, global ecosystems and communities. This understanding and practical
action requires a collaborative process of shared learning, knowledge creation
and integration, multiple stakeholder engagement, and innovation.
The
attendees included corporate leaders from companies such as Philips NV the
Netherlands, LG Industries Korea, GE Energy USA, Baker Hughes USA, Suncor
Canada, CIBC Canada, Alcan Canada, and the Forest Products Association of
Canada; managers from various environment ministries, municipalities and other
public sector institutions; and leading academics from USA, Canada, Finland,
Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Argentina, Australia, New
Zealand, Thailand, India, and Africa.
A
summary of the conference findings will be made available in a special issue of
the journal Business Strategy and the
Environment (John Wiley & Sons) published by the Greening of Industry
Network and in a special book volume to be published by Edward Elgar Academic
Publishing. The conference papers will also be available on the GIN website (www.greeningofindustry.org) for
GIN members.
The
“Sustainable Ecosystem and Social Stewardship Conference” conference was presented
by the CMA Centre for Responsible Organizations, the Laurier School of Business &
Economics, and the International Greening of Industry Network.
Laurier Home
School of Business & Economics
