Review of CERES Stakeholder Conference

Last week, JustMeans attended the Ceres Conference 2008.  Ceres is a national network of investors, companies, environmentalists and other public interest groups addressing global sustainability since 1989.  Each year Ceres holds a conference of leading organizations and companies in Corporate Social Responsibility to discuss developments and solutions in the sustainability field.

The lively and well attended conference had workshops and sessions on timely and controversial topics such as:

- What does "Green" really mean, and who is creating the green collar jobs?

- What sustainability demands are investors making; how are companies responding?

- Who benefits from "cap and trade" and how should carbon permits work?

- The socio-economic and racial implications of the environmental movement

Timberland and Ford Motor Company shared the top sustainability reporting awards, chosen out of 87 nominations, for best practices for companies that publish corporate social responsibility reports. Dell Computer received an award for product stewardship reporting, while Suncor Energy was recognized for climate change reporting.

There were also frank exchanges on the need to move quickly on climate change, along with some of the necessary compromises.  Some advocated nuclear power while still pursuing solar and geothermal power, because "the best can be an enemy of the good."  Van Jones of Oakland-based Green for All, noted that retro-fitting buildings and other environmental work can be done right now by training lower income and under privileged residents to work in green collar jobs.

Damon Silvers of the AFL-CIO was blunt: "if we are not active in the next 10 years, the physics [of climate change] is going to outrun us."

Act now, indeed!

• Posted May 06, 2008
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