Tuesday 9th November, 7:00-8:30pm at Sherbrooke Mosspark Parish Church
We’re at a point in history where science, sustainability and business simply have to come together and meld.
Whatever business or service sector you are involved in, the consensus from the scientific community is clear: respect and recognition must be made and responsibility taken for the resources your organisation is squeezing from planet Earth.
The term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was officially coined in 1953 by American economist Howard Bowen in his publication Social Responsibilities of the Businessman.
In crude short form the concept essentially encourages organisations to, at the very least:
Pay the world back for what they’ve taken from its resources and ideally, give the planet a little bit more.
CSR has undoubtedly gained more traction in recent years, particularly with rising awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). However, that message hasn’t yet filtered through to the entire global business community and it has to.
An estimated 90% of companies on the S&P 500 index published a CSR report in 2019, compared to just 20% in 2011. 25% of consumers and 22% of investors cite a “zero tolerance” policy towards companies that embrace questionable practices on the ethical front.
ESG seems to be the latest buzz acronym: Environmental and Social corporate Governance. It’s basically an evaluation of a firm’s collective conscientiousness for social and environmental factors. It is typically a numerical score compiled from data collected surrounding specific metrics related to intangible assets within the enterprise.
The problem is, the SDGs, CSR and ESG all run a risk of whoshing right over the heads of the countless thousands of small enterprises and sole proprietors who are just trying to make a living. That needs to change.
Every business, regardless of its size, needs to know how to work and live more sustainably or our world will continue to hurtle head first into pure climatic chaos and it won’t make a jot of difference what business you’re in, it’ll be the least of your worries as our existential crisis squeezes the global north and south in an ever tightening grip.
Agenda
Opening remarks from Chair, Simon West and introductions from the panel – 5 mins.
Talking Science and Sustainability – 7-10 mins each (prepared section)
Tracey West – CEO and co-founder The Word Forest Organisation
Bill McGuire – Processor Emeritus UCL, scientist, volcanologist, and contributor to the Paris Agreement
Dominic Hundall – Founding Partner Oaklin Consulting
Jake Causley – Sustainability Coordinator Falmouth University
Q&A and conversation between panel – 20 mins
Closing statements – 10 mins