NYC Chapter - page 2

To celebrate the holidays and ISSP-NYC's inaugural year, chapter members and guests gathered for a festive holiday networking reception, at the home of ISSP-NYC Founder Mark Wolf.

Event Chair and ISSP-NYC Founding Co-Chair Trisha Bauman invited Tensie Whelan, Director of the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business, to offer a breakfast keynote to Chapter members and colleagues. The former president of the Rainforest Alliance, Whelan discussed how the emphasis on quarterly performance destroys value for both the enterprise and society. By contrast, companies managing for environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are demonstrating better short- and long-term financial results. Whelan invited an open discussion on the ways in which embedding sustainability into a company’s core business strategy can drive innovation, risk reduction, stakeholder trust, and impressive financial results.

Hunter Lovins, President of Natural Capitalism Solutions and a member of the ISSP Sustainability Hall of Fame, joined ISSP-NYC to give a Leaders In Sustainability breakfast keynote. Invited by Event Chair and Founder & Co-Chair Mark Wolf, Lovins presented an inspiring talk, offering insights on our global crises, a positive view of progress made, and how each of us can craft a life of service and meaning by building a better world for all of humanity. A networking reception followed the keynote and Q&A discussion.

ISSP-NYC screened Green Fire Productions’ award-winning documentary Ocean Frontiers II. With brilliant cinematography, the film recounts how New England coastal communities are meeting the challenges of increased sea traffic, energy-industry development, and climate change. Moderated by ISSP-NYC Founding Co-Chair Trisha Bauman, a post-screening panel, including Noah Chesnin, Policy Program Manager for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) New York Seascape Program; Matt Gove, Mid-Atlantic Policy Manager for the Surfrider Foundation; and George Povall, Leader of All Our Energy, discussed the newly-released Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean Action Plan. The evening concluded with a networking reception overlooking Rockefeller Plaza.

ISSP Executive Director Maureen Hart, joined ISSP-NYC for a comprehensive information session on ISSP Sustainability Professional Certification: what it is, how it works, what it will do for you, and what is required. Hart led a lively discussion on the ISSP professional certification and offered insights on the growing job market in the sustainability sector.

In celebration of Earth Week 2016, ISSP-NYC co-sponsored the New York City screening of Love Thy Nature, an award-winning documentary narrated by actor Liam Neeson. Through brilliant cinematography, the film tells how our renewed connection with the natural world is central to not only our personal well-being, but also to solving our global climate and environmental crises. Following the screening, the film's director, writer and producer, Sylvie Rokab, joined the audience for a Q&A discussion.

ISSP-NYC members and guests gathered at the Manhattan restaurant Avra for a spring networking reception for NYC area sustainability professionals. The evening included a raffle to win a copy of Michel Gelobter's Lean Startups for Social Change: The Revolutionary Path to Big Impact, with raffle proceeds going to the Environmental Defense Fund.

ISSP-NYC members and guests gathered at the PRINT Restaurant at the Ink48 Hotel in New York for the Chapter's kick-off holiday networking reception. Among the country’s leading farm-to-table restaurants, PRINT is dedicated to seasonal, sustainable cuisine. The reception closed with a raffle offering of a copy of Greener Products: The Making and Marketing of Sustainable Brands by Al Iannuzzi, PhD. All raffle proceeds were donated to the Environmental Defense Fund.