SDG&E Presents: Sustainable Business Strategies Seminar

Businesses are increasingly applying strategic management tools to incorporate considerations of sustainability into decision-making and operations. While some businesses incorporate sustainable practices because of an ethical conviction to do well for society and the environment, most are motivated to address pressures from stakeholders such as regulators, shareholders, customers and neighbors and to exploit knowledge and experience for long term competitive advantage. This seminar will examine how businesses develop and implement strategies to promote sustainability. Participants will examine roles and responsibilities of sustainable strategic managers and learn how to apply the tools of strategic business management to problems of sustainability. Participants will consider how managers apply leadership practices to promote sustainable practices in their organizations..

What you will learn in this session:

• The seminar explores business strategies for achieving regional economic and environmental sustainability goals.
• Understand natural capitalism, cradle-to-cradle design, and business environmental strategies
• Examine how individuals, entrepreneurs, and local governments can facilitate organizational change
• Learn about energy generations, smart grid infrastructure, and the built environment
• Review the triple-bottom-line (economy, ecology, and equity)
• We examine how improving processes can reduce health and safety, and increase profitability.

Speaker: Jacques Chirazi, Certified Biomimicry Professional, has managed the City of San Diego’s Clean Tech Initiative since 2007. His focus is to create economic growth while fostering sustainability. One emerging initiative is to bridge clean technology with biomimicry. He develops and supports a clean technology cluster in San Diego. As a critical thinker analyzing complex programs and policies, he leverages his strong communication skills while collaborating across a diverse range of private, public, and non-profit sector groups. With a passion for learning about the natural world and understanding how nature could transform the corporate environment, his long term vision is to create new business models and financial instruments to accelerate the commercialization of biomimetic solutions. Jacque’s innovative thinking allows him to create the conditions needed for this transformation.