Community Updates

Arizona State University convenes sustainability leaders for inaugural Sustainability Solutions Festival

Published 11 years ago | About a 4 minute read

TEMPE, Ariz -- Arizona State University, the nation’s leader in sustainability education, is partnering with global leaders in sustainable business, consumer innovation, renewable energy, science and the arts for a weeklong celebration of sustainability solutions. The variety of activities, events and audiences reflects the encompassing nature of opportunities in the sustainability arena. Themed “It’s time to find a better way”, the inaugural Sustainability Solutions Festival is convening a series of events from February 17-22 that are targeted at a wide variety of audiences, from families and the ASU community to film buffs and leaders of industry. Featured partners for the Festival are the GreenBiz Group and the Sustainability Consortium, along with additional partners Arizona Solar Summit, Arizona Science Center, Arizona SciTech Festival, Sedona Film Festival and the City of Tempe. “The Sustainability Solutions Festival exemplifies ASU’s endeavor to address the world’s environmental, economic, and social challenges of the twenty-first century through collaborative, transdisciplinary, and solutions-oriented thinking and training,” said Michael M. Crow, president of Arizona State University. “As citizens of this planet we have an obligation to future generations to embrace sustainability as a transformational core value in order to develop a society that is more environmentally sensitive, economically disciplined and socially just.” The Sustainability Solutions Festival is one of eight programs within the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives at the ASU Global Institute of Sustainability. Supported by a generous investment of the Rob and Melani Walton Fund of the Walton Family Foundation, the Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives are designed to utilize the brightest minds in sustainability science to advance sustainability solutions, accelerate global impact, and inspire future leaders. “Incredible thinkers, courageous business leaders, dedicated practitioners and distinguished scholars are producing remarkable solutions to sustainability challenges. The Festival will celebrate and promote innovations that will ensure economic prosperity, cultural vitality and environmental resilience for many generations,” said Patricia Reiter, director of the Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives. The Festival will kick off on Presidents’ Day, February 17, with two events at the Arizona Science Center in downtown Phoenix. Sustainability Solutions Family Day begins with kid-friendly sustainability demonstrations and ends with a special screening of Carbon Nation hosted by the film’s director and producer Peter Byck. The Sustainability Consortium, a group of global corporations whose founding members include Clorox, BestBuy, Coca Cola and Disney, will also commence their first day of member meetings at the Mission Palms in Tempe to further their aim of improving consumer product sustainability. Day two (Feb. 18) is headlined by the opening day for the sixth annual GreenBiz Forum at the Montelucia Resort in Paradise Valley. This three-day conference defines the trends, challenges and opportunities in sustainable business, including the presentation and release of the State of Green Business report. Notable speakers and guests include Mark Tercek (President and CEO of The Nature Conservancy), Peter Bakker (President and CEO of World Business Council for Sustainable Development), Anisa Kamidoli Costa (Chairman and President of The Tiffany & Co. Foundation), Len Sauers (Vice President of Global Sustainability at Procter & Gamble), and ASU president Michael Crow, who will deliver the conference’s opening address. "The ASU-GreenBiz-Sustainability Consortium partnership, and the terrific program we have planned, are attracting many of the world’s largest companies,” says GreenBiz Group Chairman and Executive Editor Joel Makower. "The registration list is growing at an unprecedented rate and we’re expecting another sell-out event." In tandem with the GreenBiz Forum, ASU will be hosting a first-ever GreenBiz shadow conference at the university’s Tempe campus. Combining live streaming of the conference’s program with unique panels and presentations on campus, this shadow conference will allow members of the ASU community an exclusive opportunity to engage in the conference. On day three (Feb. 19), the Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives is proud to present the Sustainability Solutions Celebration at the historic Heard Museum in Phoenix. GreenBiz Forum and Sustainability Consortium guests will enjoy local food, drinks and entertainment while exploring the sustainability-oriented practices of Native Americans across North America that are on display throughout the museum. The fourth Arizona Solar Summit anchors day four (Feb. 20) at the SkySong Innovation Center in Scottsdale. The summit focuses on introducing innovative policies, programs, and technologies critical in reshaping Arizona energy markets. Day five (Feb. 21) is devoted to the Sedona Green Film Festival, as the world-renowned Sedona International Film Festival comes to Tempe. Sustainability-themed selections and panel discussions will appeal equally to those who embrace films as well as green practices. The Sustainability Solutions Festival closes on Saturday, Feb. 22 in Tempe with Picnic in the Park, a grand community celebration open to the public, designed to honor the spirit of farm-to-table with great food, activities and entertainment for kids and adults. For more information about the Festival visit sustainabilityfestival.asu.edu. ### The Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives are the result of a $27.5 million investment in Arizona State University’s Global Institute of Sustainability by the Walton Family Foundation. Within the Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives, diverse teams of faculty, students, entrepreneurs, researchers, and innovators collaborate to deliver sustainability solutions, accelerate global impact, and inspire future leaders through eight distinct initiatives. For more information visit sustainabilitysolutions.asu.edu.