Environmental Defense Fund is working with Stanford’s Graduate School of Business Center for Social Innovation to discuss the the next generation of sustainable business. Beginning October 26 at 1:00 pm ET, we will host an 8-part series of one-hour expert interviews and open dialogues on business and environmental collaboration. The collection of conversations will be available as podcasts to help encourage discussion and innovation in this dynamic field.
Background
In 1990, EDF and McDonald's announced an alliance to reduce the environmental impact of the fast-food chain's packaging waste. This partnership was a risky move for both organizations, and reactions ranged from skepticism to outrage. The New York Times explained the situation saying "if it works, [it] could change the way environmental groups interact with Corporate America. But, if it fails, positions could harden on both sides, with executives dismissing environmental advocates as impractical visionaries and environmentalists becoming more determined than ever to use the courts and political process to force change."
The heretical partnership succeeded, and collaboration between corporations and non-profit organizations went on to become one of the most recognized sustainability innovations of the last two decades. Over the years, EDF has partnered with numerous companies, generating positive returns for business and the environment – while accepting no funding from these companies. This model has been successfully adopted by other non-profits including Conservation International, NRDC and World Wildlife Fund as well as government agencies.
The Challenge
Despite the success of this collaborative approach, climate change and other environmental threats facing the planet and human health are increasingly dire. Business is evolving, but not rapidly enough to meet the scale of our collective environmental challenge.
Its been a full 20 years since the McDonald's partnership was announced. What should be the priorities for the next generation of partnership and collaboration with business in an effort to create truly transformative solutions for our environment?
That is the question we're asking with this third module of the EDFix conference call series. We're "thinking out loud" about what we and others have learned about making business sustainable and what the opportunities and priorities should be for the next generation of our efforts.
The conference calls will be open calls moderated by host Jerry Michalski and joined by featured guests. We invite you to call-in to join the live calls. We'll also record the calls and make them available online as podcasts.
Schedule and Topics
While some of these topics and speakers may change, here's the current lineup:
- 20 Years of Business Partnership Lessons – Gwen Ruta, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at EDF and Bob Langert, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at McDonald's. October 26 – 1:00-2:00 PM ET
- Barriers and Game Changers – Peter Senge, Author and Director of MIT’s Society for Organizational Learning, and Darcy Winslow, former "sustainability innovator" at Nike and founder at Designs for a Sustainable World Consulting. November 2 – 1:00-2:00 PM ET.
- New Sustainability Business Models – November 9
- Can Corporations Really Change? – November 16
- The Power of Sharing – November 23
- Making More by Selling Less – November 30
- Greening Around the World – December 7
- Wrap Up: What Would You Do? – December 14
How to Participate
To learn about upcoming calls and podcast releases sign up to receive email updates or follow the "EDFix Calls" category on this blog.
To join a live call dial:
Phone number: +1 (213) 289-0500
* Code: 267-6815#
