Sustainability with an Edge
2010 Sustainable Business Conference
On Friday, March 19th, Concordia University’s downtown campus staged its sixth annual Sustainable Business Conference (SBC), organized by the John Molson Sustainable Business Group (JSG). Business leaders, professors, and students reunited in the new LEED-certified JMSB building on Guy Street to share ideas about how the corporate world is developing and implementing sustainable initiatives.With terms like ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘footprint reduction’ quickly rising among marketing buzz-phrases, the conference presented how some companies are taking these issues above and beyond the jargon, and how sustainability is becoming a competitive advantage within their organization. Events included a mix of individual and panel speakers drawn from both globally recognizable companies such as IBM, to local enterprises including Montreal’s Public Transit Agency (STM).
In addition to providing information on successful sustainable initiatives, the conference itself was sustainable. Food was locally-sourced and all leftovers were composted. Tickets were printed on recycled paper and marketing was mostly digital. Attendees were encouraged to use public transportation. In addition, as a form of carbon offsetting, the JSG team opted to make a donation to Terre des Jeunes, whose work in educating youth in the benefits of reforestation and conservation has most recently figured in areas like West-Africa and Haïti.
Alessandra Boezio and Philippe Noeltner, JMSB students and co-organizers of SBC 2010 (tilted Sustainable Edge: Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage), worked tirelessly for months to coordinate speakers, logistics, sponsorship, marketing and volunteers. In the end, the conference attracted over 200 participants, from Concordia, McGill and HEC, as well as from the general public, and the entire organizing team was flooded with positive reviews. The JSG team has already begun planning for next year’s edition of the yearly event.
The John Molson Sustainability Group was founded in 2008 to provide all JMSB undergraduate and graduate students with the resources to effectively, and professionally incorporate sustainability in their pursuit of becoming ecologically aware, socially just, and economically responsible business leaders. For more information visit the John Molson Sustainable Business Group’s website.
View the photos from SBC 2010.
