Review of 2010 Summits
Highlights from WNSF’s 2nd Annual West Coast Summit
Nov. 12, 2010 in San Jose
WNSF’s 2010 West Coast Summit Report Now Available! Buy Now
On November 12, 2010, women and men from corporations, non-profit organizations and government agencies attended the 2nd annual West Coast Businesswomen’s Sustainability Leadership Summit. The theme of the 2010 Summit was “Sustainability: We Get It….Now What?—The Cleantech Scenario”
Key themes from the day include:
Innovation as a critical force in creating sustainable solutions: Innovation drives economic growth, improves quality of life and addresses major environmental and social challenges. By developing new technologies—or new ways to use existing technologies—the US could potentially find solutions to reduce negative environmental impacts. Companies and the public alike would be well served by a willingness to invest in innovation.
Business competition: The innovation paradigm is changing. Traditionally, competition has helped drive creativity, as companies worked independently and internally, in silos. Today, companies are identifying “shared values’ and collaborating through networks. Increasingly, companies competing in the same sector are recognizing that by working together they create better products and develop solutions faster.
Government’s Role: Senior US leaders understand that if the country wants to continue to be a leader, it needs to build a clean energy economy to create new jobs, curb green house gases and reduce dependency on finite resources, such as oil. The US government believes that while innovation must ultimately come from American people and companies, the Federal Government can play an important role in setting an example and encouraging policies that foster innovation.
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Highlights from WNSF’s 7th Annual Businesswomen’s Sustainability Leadership Summit
Oct. 5, 2010 in NYC
WNSF’s 2010 NYC Summit Report Now Available! Buy Now
On October 5, 2010, women and men from corporations, non-profit organizations and government agencies attended the 7th annual Businesswomen’s Sustainability Leadership Summit. The theme of the 2010 Summit was Sustainability: We Get It….Now What?
Several themes emerged:_
Identify defining moments and answer the call to action. Understanding a person’s defining moment can lead her to dare to do things differently. Daring can lead to radical organizational transformations and new business paradigms that prove a company can do good and be profitable at the same time.
Sustainability can be a potential business solution to the dual economic and environmental crisis. Investing in sustainable manufacturing technologies in the US can create domestic opportunities, as well as high-value jobs, and improve the overall economy. The US can look to European companies and China as a source of inspiration and for best practice examples.
Clean tech may be a potential fix to environmental crises. Innovation in technology could be the biggest contributor to addressing sustainability and reducing environmental impacts. Companies are already working to innovate, and there are many more opportunities for businesses.
The next generation - the Millennial Generation -is already thinking radically. These young men and women are volunteers with a plan for future service and sustainability. As the millennials begin to take leadership roles in business, communities, and government, there is growing hope for a sustainable future.
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