We are facing an ever-growing threat to our long-term sustainable prosperity as the global supply of essential natural resources drastically declines, often exacerbated by climate change. As more resource constraints are anticipated – such as shrinking water supplies, deforestation, depleted fisheries, and declining nonrenewable energy resources – those companies that anticipate these risks and take advantage of new business opportunities will fare far better than those that do not.

This session examines the sustainability risks facing investors and corporations today and explore how business leaders must incorporate these issues into their day-to-day and long-term decision making.

Panelists include:
Maude Barlow, National Chairperson, Council of Canadians; Chair, Food and Water Watch
Aron Cramer, President and CEO, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) (moderator)
Bill Green, Senior Managing Director, Macquarie Capital
Abyd Karmali, Managing Director and Global Head of Carbon Markets, Bank of America
Dorjee Sun, CEO, Carbon Conservation; 2009 TIME Magazine Hero for the Environment

Ceres Board Member, Ken Sylvester welcomes the Ceres Conference crowd and introduces keynote speaker Maude Barlow. Maude gives an eye opening address about the coming crises caused by our rapidly dwindling natural resources and later joined the Solutions for a Resource Constrained World plenary panel for an enlightening question and answer session.

What does it mean to be a sustainable corporation? In the 21st century, expectations for business leaders are growing and more attention is being paid to how companies manage and disclose information about issues like governance, supply-chain management, human rights, material risks posed by climate change, and much more. This panel of experts from the corporate, investor, and NGO worlds will take an in-depth look at why these new management standards are so important to the health of a company and how business leaders are meeting sustainability challenges along the way.

Panelists Include:
Gil Casellas
, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, Dell
Jack Ehnes, CEO, California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS); Board Director, Ceres (moderator)
Tom King, Executive Director, President, National Grid USA
Andrea Moffat, Senior Director of Corporate Programs, Ceres

Since 2002, Ceres and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) have given out awards for the best sustainability reports in North America.

The purpose of the awards program is to acknowledge and publicize best practice in reporting on sustainability performance and to provide leadership to those companies that are publishing or intend to publish sustainability reports.

Watch the awards ceremony for the 2009 Ceres - ACCA Awards as presented at the Ceres Conference 2010 in Boston.