Unlock New Opportunities for Thought Leadership with SB Webinars

Mike Hower

Founder & Principal Consultant, Hower Impact

Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering best-in-class strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.

With more than 15 years of experience on both sides of the podium — as a journalist and communication strategist for leading global companies — Mike is on a mission to drive sustainability forward through the power of story. His expertise spans external/internal sustainability communication strategy and execution, sustainable branding and messaging, content creation and ESG reporting. Mike has served as a communication strategist at both large and small agencies, including Edelman, and has led in-house communication efforts at purpose-driven startups. His experience spans multiple industries from tech to apparel and consumer packaged goods — including working with The North Face, Mars, HP, Kashi, Snap, Westinghouse, Merck, SurveyMonkey and Norton LifeLock, among others.

As a journalist, Mike covered topics including sustainability strategy, climate policy, the circular economy, energy and more for GreenBiz, Sustainable Brands and Triple Pundit. Mike continues to share insights and ideas around sustainability storytelling on LinkedIn, writing his ENGAGE newsletter and blog, and hosting The Sustainability Communicator — a podcast exploring the intersection of sustainability strategy and storytelling.

Mike has a M.A. in Strategic Communication from George Washington University and a B.A. in Political Science and History from the University of California, Davis. When Mike isn’t communicating sustainability, he likes to travel, go on outdoor adventures with his golden retriever, and spend time with friends and family.

Mike Hower is tagged in 1051 assets. Page 1 of 53.
Article
The Time Is Now for Brands to Lead with Higher Values

It’s during moments of great difficulty that our authentic selves shine through — and the same is true for companies. Long after the COVID-19 crisis passes, the world won’t forget the values-driven companies that led with a conscience. The time... View More

Article
SB'19 Detroit: Transparency, Alliances Unsnarling the Tangled Webs We Weave

SB'19 Detroit was full of rich discussions from brands, technology providers and alliances driving holistic changes in supply chains and other complex systems — and shining light on problems along the way. ... View More

Article
Brands Large and Small on Driving the Change They Wish to See in the World

SB’19 Detroit was off to an engaging start this week, with powerhouses including Allbirds, Cisco, Eileen Fisher and Timberland comparing notes with rising craft brands and even Little Miss Flint on the most effective ways to continue to drive chang... View More

Article
Uncovering Solar Power’s Hidden Environmental Costs

It’s been a good couple of years for the solar industry. In 2015, some 7.5 megawatts were added to the grid in the United States, according to the Solar Industries Association (SIA), which fueled 19 percent in the photovoltaic market over 2014. ... View More

Article
How Framing Sustainability as Strength Can Help Win Male Audiences

Are traditional gender norms of “manliness” slowing the advancement of the sustainable economy? Turns out, they might, according to new research in the Journal of Consumer Research. But while prior research attributes this gender gap in sustainab... View More

Article
How Forest Restoration Is Turning the Tide on Deforestation

“Climate change and conservation are inextricably linked,” U.S. President Barack Obama said last week at the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii. “Few people understand the stakes better than our Pacific island leaders bec... View More

Article
#BusinessCase: Business Leaders Back Updated California Climate Law

The California State Assembly last week approved sweeping legislation that extends the state’s targets for reducing greenhouse gases from 2020 to 2030. Under SB 32, California would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 level... View More

Article
3 Low-Carbon Transportation Technologies Driving Development in the Global South

Transportation accounts for around one-seventh of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. And globally, greenhouse gas emissions are rising faster in transportation than in any other sector, with rapid ... View More

Article
Waste-Make-Retake: How Interface Is Setting Out to Change Industry with ‘Climate Take Back’

Carpet might not seem like a major player in the climate change fight, but the process of making it actually is quite impactful on the environment. Most carpets are synthetic — nylon, polyester, acrylic — all of which are petroleum-based products... View More

Article
California's RPS Generating Thousands of Clean Energy Blue-Collar Jobs

California’s aggressive climate policies — combined with the sheer size of its economy — have helped it create the most clean energy jobs of any state in the country, according to a new study by the UC Berkeley Labor Center. The report, The Lin... View More

Article
PepsiCo Steps Up to Amp Up Recycling in the U.S.

More than half of the United States isn’t recycling, and PepsiCo is setting out to help change that with a brand new ad. Designed to motivate people to recycle, the ad depicts a series of humorous examples of people doing activities halfway — lik... View More

Article
Furniture Store-Turned-Solar-Firm Invents Solar Wallpaper

Sometimes innovation comes from unexpected places — a father-son duo in Chino Hills, California has transformed a family furniture business into Sunflare, a solar energy company that produced solar “wallpaper,” among other high-efficiency PV pr... View More

Article
Avery Dennison, Outerknown Partner to Make More Sustainable Care Tags

When Stan Avery founded Avery Dennison in 1935, he set out to create a values-based business admired as much for its ethics and integrity as for its innovation. Eight decades later, the company still strives to adhere to its value-based mandate and i... View More

Article
How Tesla's Stationary Energy Storage Is Makin' 'Bacon' for Jackson Family Wines

“Facility managers are at a premium these days and are overtaxed,” said Julien Gervreau, director of Sustainability at Jackson Family Wines (JFW) during a Thursday breakout session at SB'16 San Diego. That’s why the winery is benefiting from Te... View More

Article
Less Talk, More Action: How Brands Are Effectively Communicating Around Purpose

“I think in an organization, when you’re trying to do something different, it’s important to take up that shared risk,” said Alex Thompson, VP of Communications & Public Affairs at REI, during the Thursday morning plenaries at SB'16 San D... View More

Article
Keurig, PepsiCo Discuss How Owning Up to Failure Can Lead to Long-Term Success

“Failure is temporary but change is real,” said Sophia Mendelsohn, head of Sustainability at JetBlue Airways, during the Wednesday evening plenary at SB'16 San Diego. While many Silicon Valley tech firms wear failure as badges of honor, many bran... View More

Article
How Microbes, Bio-Based Materials Can Help Industry Embrace Sustainability

“We’re an emerging sector. We’re the cool kids. And that takes time,” said Kathryn Sheridan, CEO and founder of Sustainability Consult, during a Wednesday morning breakout session on the rise of bio-materials and bio-based products at Sustain... View More

Article
Lessons from Spirituality, Nature and Business on the Meaning of Purpose and How to Activate It

The purpose of business is changing. While historically, business students have been taught that the purpose of business solely is to increase investors’ profits — known as the Friedman Doctrine — the most successful brands are searching for a ... View More

Article
Sustainability Investing Evolving, But Much More Change Needed

“I think we’re upright and we’re walking, but there’s no higher cortex functions yet,” said Gregory Unruh, sustainability editor at MIT Sloan Management Review, discussing where we stand in sustainable business evolution during a Tuesday br... View More

Article
How Big Brands, Small Startups Have Partnered to Push the Circular Economy

“It didn’t make sense to me — to make a bunch of products that use a lot of materials, and then throw it away,” Scott Hamlin, co-founder at Looptworks, said during a Tuesday breakout session on partnerships in the circular economy at Sustaina... View More

Upcoming Events

October 13-16, 2025
SB'25 San Diego
US Event
More Information

Thursday, December 5, 2024
Circularity by Design: How to Influence Sustainable Consumer Behaviors
Webinar
Sponsored by Sustainable Brands
More Information

December 11-12, 2024
SB Member Network: Shifting Customer Behavior and Demand December Member Meeting
Member Event
Sponsored by Amazon
More Information