Communicating Sustainability Successfully: A Roundtable Discussion

Hosted by the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence and the City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Sustainability

Join GRI Director (USA) Mike Wallace, Cater Communications Vice President and former CNN environmental correspondent Natalie Pawelski, Executive Director of Sustainable Atlanta Suzanne Burnes, and Centre for Sustainability and Excellence Founder and President Nikos Avlonas for an engaging conversation on today's most pressing issues of communication from a sustainability point of view. The discussion will be moderated by the City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Sustainability.

Today, if you turn on the radio, television, or magazine e-reader, there is a story about the environment that will catch your eye. Whether it is a politician's perspective on global warming or a company saving millions in energy reduction, you are engaged. Want to know the best ways to be transparent and have a more discerning eye on sustainability issues? To know the best, you should hear from the best.

Our prestigious panelists will provide diverse examples from the perspective of sustainability and corporate responsibility; to highlight successful and unsuccessful processes and methodologies for communicating the issues of sustainability -- climate change, social awareness, corporate governance, etc. -- in a transparent manner.

December's roundtable provides an excellent opportunity from the market's environmental and sustainability leaders on the most relevant topics facing businesses today. The roundtable is also a great place to network and build long-lasting connections!

We hope you can join us for this discussion of best practices and shared experiences among colleagues.

About the Panelists:

Natalie Pawelski is Vice President at Cater Communications, specializing in climate change, energy, and environmental issues. She works with national security voices, business groups, scientific organizations, non-profits, foundations, and local governments.

Natalie was CNN's Environment Correspondent, and hosted the award-winning weekly program Earth Matters. She also contributed to CNN.com, CNNRadio, and CNN International.

Before joining Cater, Natalie was Vice Consul for Political, Press, and Public Affairs at the British Consulate-General in Atlanta. Her climate-change-related work there included organizing conferences and visits, and producing a Foreign office video that has been shown around the world.

Natalie was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 2002-2003. She earned a master's in journalism from Columbia, and graduated cum laude from Georgetown. She has taught at Oglethorpe University, and has spoken at universities, conferences, and other venues domestically and abroad.

Mike Wallace  is Network Director for the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) in the United States and part of GRI's Strategic Management Team. Mike's primary focus is the implementation of the Focal Point program in the U.S., as well as Canada. Mike is based at The Conference Board in New York City.

Mike has almost 20-years of international experience in the sustainability field and has lived and worked in Australia and Europe. He has worked with corporations, non-profits, and government agencies on the development, implementation, and integration of sustainability programs. He is a recognized expert in the field; speaks and writes internationally on the subject of sustainability and reporting, and has specific expertise in how the financial markets use sustainability information.

Suzanne Burnes is a veteran with nearly two decades of environmental experience. Prior to joining Sustainable Atlanta she served as the Assistant Director of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Sustainability Division. There she was responsible for managing budgets and deliverables for the division’s EPA and DOE grants, and for coordinating the department’s Sustainable Energy Management Plan and Council. During this time she also managed the division’s flagship environmental leadership program, the Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia. Ms. Burnes’ experience also includes consulting to U.S. EPA and the military on environmental cleanup and compliance issues.

Nikos Avlonas  is one of the Founders and President of the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE). He specializes in Sustainability, CSR, Corporate Governance, and Business Ethics. During the last 15 years he has carried out numerous projects in leading organizations and has trained over 5000 executives, managers, and leaders in 20 countries worldwide. He has been distinguished as one of 2010's "Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior" by Trust Across America, an organization dedicated to promoting dependable business practices.

Food and Beverages will be provided.