Sustainability Today: A Concordia Event in Partnership with Rubicon

Welcome to Sustainability Today: A Concordia Event in Partnership with Rubicon

Corporate sustainability work has embraced divergent perspectives in recent years, incorporating both cutting-edge technology as well as  long-established practices of sustainable living.  Embedding sustainability into everyday practices is critical,  but for this to be successful, it must be done by adopting a balanced and long-term approach. These opening remarks will set the scene for the afternoon’s discussions and highlight trends that are redefining what it can mean to engage in corporate sustainability work.

Elected officials across the United States are publicly committing to designing more sustainable, equitable, and inclusive societies that further a national growth agenda. But how will this be achieved, and how will progress be measured? Smart city innovation in line with climate goals can provide actionable insights and data-driven solutions for sustainability improvements that serve the public. Furthermore, these innovations can be harnessed to create solutions related to mobility and livability, creating communities that are better equipped to evolve and grow in the coming years. Innovation in cloud and data tech can both complement and advance the work of municipal governments through partnerships with digital technology companies. What cutting-edge technologies are cities investing in for smart sustainability solutions, and how will they grow over time? How can the data and insights provided be applied beyond just sustainability solutions?

The Intervention Flashpoint will succinctly demonstrate some of the challenges presented in various types of reporting on sustainability efforts, and share a solution that may be useful to peers in this space. The intervention will showcase a best practice learned by the speaker’s company in solving a challenge in sustainability reporting, describing the goal, the problem or challenge, and the solution or intervention put in place.

This Flashpoint will speak to the importance of defining KPIs and promoting transparency in sustainability efforts.

Industry leaders are coming together to evolve beyond “do no harm” climate policies to “doing good”. While certain sustainable swaps have become industry standard, more involved shifts towards net zero and zero waste initiatives often require infrastructure and technology that involve costly or full ecosystem change. It is critical at this junction to identify the obstacles, set goals based on data, and commit to regeneration of both the environment and the communities that are most directly impacted by climate change. This session will explore a call to action that is twofold: to the public sector, to create policy incentives around tackling the bigger challenges, and to the private sector, to join the movement towards industry-wide changes that reflect this shift.

Translating the idea of regenerative agriculture into practice at scale requires bringing together innovative technology with committed stakeholders and farmers- but how does this work in practice? The challenges of investing resources in regenerative models of agriculture are often posed as unnecessary hurdles for businesses, but leaders in the area have increasingly demonstrated that the benefits span the value chain and reach far into the future. This session will explore how harnessing data and technology and investing in farmers enables smart partnerships and policy making, builds more sustainable value chains, and supports environmental sustainability alongside economic growth.

The Intervention Flashpoint will succinctly demonstrate some of the challenges presented in various types of reporting on sustainability efforts, and share a solution that may be useful to peers in this space. The intervention will showcase a best practice learned by the speaker’s company in solving a challenge in sustainability reporting, describing the goal, the problem or challenge, and the solution or intervention put in place. 

This Flashpoint will speak to governance structures behind integrated reporting practices.

Well-crafted energy policies play a key role in driving environmental sustainability. Crucially, bipartisan support for smart energy policy is in existence, especially at the state and local level. Policies such as the Open Back Better Act harness innovation and resiliency as critical infrastructure on the road to pandemic recovery and an environmentally conscious future. This conversation will not only explore the unparalleled role of energy policy, but will also identify some of the stickier issues that create dissonance in energy policy conversations. It will examine how entities like the Alliance to Save Energy are working in an advocacy capacity to reconcile these challenges and craft strong policy that is transforming the landscape of sustainable energy in the United States.

The Intervention Flashpoint will succinctly demonstrate some of the challenges presented in various types of reporting on sustainability efforts, and share a solution that may be useful to peers in this space. The intervention will showcase a best practice learned by the speaker’s company in solving a challenge in sustainability reporting, describing the goal, the problem or challenge, and the solution or intervention put in place. 

This Flashpoint will dive into how NCX is using remote sensing and AI to derive habitat metrics from U.S. forests and why accurately quantifying natural capital values beyond just timber is key to sustainable ecosystems.

COP26 presents a unique opportunity for the private sector to both support and drive forward climate policy and goals and showcase their progress towards 2030 goals. It is important to concretely consider ahead of COP26 what goals the private sector would like to accomplish for a successful meeting, and what is currently missing from the planning that must be addressed. This session will explore how leading companies are preparing internally, what kinds of commitments and strategies are being considered, and how public-private collaborations are in play for this landmark meeting. 

Concordia will use this conversation to report out and set the groundwork to collaborate over the coming months to support players who are committed to the ideals of COP26.

Thank you for attending Sustainability Today: A Concordia Event in Partnership with Rubicon!