Who: Mallikarjuna Iytha, Executive Director of the Fair Trade Forum – India (FTF – I)

Date:  Saturday, November 6, 2010

Time:  10:00 a.m.

Place:  Harbor East Campus

Description: 

Please Mark Your Calendars for this Saturday Morning!

 We are pleased to announce that Mallikarjuna Iytha, Executive Director of the Fair Trade Forum – India (FTF – I), will meet with Net Impact members (and all who would like to attend) for an informal discussion about Fair Trade in India. 

 Mr. Mallikarjuna Iytha is a Micro Enterprise Development Expert in India with more than a decade’s experience and presently working as Executive Director of Fair Trade Forum-India (FTF-I). He is also associated with many Not for Profit Organizations like SEARCH and Co-President of Confederation of NGOs of Rural India (CNRI), Delhi State Chapter.

Market Development for Pro-Poor Micro Enterprises of SHGs and Producer Groups is his expertise area. At present he is actively engaged in strengthening Fair Trade Movement in India. Mallikarjuna has extensively travelled throughout India as part of  Nationwide Network Building initiative in Development sector among NGOs, CBOs, MFIs, SHPIs, SHGs, Government officials, Academicians and Social Activists, and established direct contact with grassroots Artisans and Producers. Successfully implemented various grass root level micro enterprise development, cluster development projects throughout India and well versed with the challenges in the pro-poor market development. Instrumental in creating a Section-25 Company (MFI) to carry out Micro Finance Operation from Vidharbha region of Maharastra. Conducted several Research Studies, authored few books and Recipient of “Pillar of Civil Society in India” award from Honourable President of India and several other recognitions and prizes throughout the career.

 The Fair Trade Forum – India (FTF-I) is the national network for Fair Trade in India. Through 75 member partners, FTF-I is reaching out to more than 100000 grassroots level producers including artisans & farmers in India. FTF-I as the Indian national network, is working in close coordination with WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization). FTF-I is also working as the country office is WFTO-Asia.

 Fair Trade Forum – India (FTF-I) website:  http://www.fairtradeforum.org/headpage.php?headid=3

 We apologize for the short notice, but are fortunate that Mr. Iytha has consented to speak with us during his visit to the United States.  Thank you to Raghu Pulakurthi, Net Impact member, for arranging this meeting. 

 We hope you can all join us!

 Date:  Thursday, September 16th
Time:  12:00-1:00pm EDT
Led by:  Nancy Turett, Global President, Health, Edelman; Mark Grundy, Vice President, CSR, Edelman; Marc Gunther, Contributing Editor, FORTUNE

An emerging argument in the CSR space is that business has to factor health into its business strategy, not only to fulfill its social contract with all stakeholders but to realize its full market potential, and even be viable. Edelman has come forward with evidence that business has gone “green”; now it’s time to go “Health.” Their claim is that the public expects this; and takes action for and against companies accordingly.

In this webinar, FORTUNE journalist Marc Gunther will interview Nancy Turett, Global President for Health at Edelman, and Mark Grundy, Vice President, CSR, Edelman, about the public’s evolving relationship with health. They’ll discuss how health is joining green as central to sustainability of the people, the planet, business, culture and society.

Findings from the Edelman Health Engagement Barometer 2010, along with results of the pre-webinar survey will be explored, and provide a basis for this discussion.

Bios:

Nancy Turett

Nancy Turett is Global President for Health at Edelman, the world’s leading independent public relations and public engagement firm.

Nancy helps clients operate in a changing context where effective engagement with all publics is essential to thrive and lead. She counsels corporations, health providers, universities, advocacy organizations, foundations, government agencies, and organizations in other sectors. Her Health Engagement strategies address issues such as personal health empowerment, aging society, access to health care, trust and the business of health, the digital health revolution, behavioral health issues such as obesity, inactivity and tobacco use, and global infectious diseases.

Mark Grundy

Mark Grundy drives New York CSR’s environmental offering to financial, corporate, governmental and NGO clients. He provides both global and national media strategy expertise as well as counseling on CSR platforms, stakeholder mapping and engagement, influencer outreach and events as well as crisis management.

Mark is a Vice President in the firm’s CSR practice in New York and his client portfolio includes: UPS, PepsiCo, G.E., Suzlon Wind Power, PwC and CBRE as well as the NGOs: Environmental Defense Fund and Carbon Disclosure Project.. He consults on climate clean energy, green industry and carbon across the global Edelman network and is a regular writer on the subject in PR Week. Mark has experience in the fields of climate change, energy, air pollution and biodiversity loss.

Marc Gunther

Marc Gunther is a leading thinker, writer and speaker about business and sustainability. All of his work is animated by his belief that companies that make the world a better place—by serving their customers, their workers and their communities—will deliver superior results to their owners in the long run.

Marc is a contributing writer to FORTUNE magazine and the author of Faith and Fortune: How Compassionate Capitalism is Transforming American Business (Crown Business, 2004). He is conference chair of Brainstorm: Green, FORTUNE’s conference about business and the environment.

Date:  Wednesday, August 25th
Time:  12:00-1:00pm EDT
Led by:  Chris Librie, Director of Global Sustainability, SC Johnson
 

For Details and to Register:  http://tinyurl.com/yze7q2 

SC Johnson is a 124-year old, privately held consumer products company – the maker of well-known brands like Windex, Ziploc, Pledge, Glade, Raid and OFF! SC Johnson has been active in Africa for many years – ethically buying natural active ingredients to support local communities and helping to educate consumers on the prevention of diseases like malaria. More recently, SC Johnson has created three sustainable businesses in Kenya, Ghana and Rwanda.

Chris Librie will speak in particular about the business in Rwanda and how SC Johnson is leveraging partnerships with USAID and Texas A&M University to revive an important export industry for that developing country. In the process, the sustainable business will help raise living standards and health care for nearly 50,000 rural poor.

Chris Librie is the Director of Global Sustainability. In this role, he provides global leadership to facilitate the development and implementation of environmental and safety policies, strategies and actions.

Chris directs the company’s efforts to continually reduce its environmental footprint through energy efficiencies and renewable energy sources. Chris leads programs that advance social progress throughout the world, particularly in Base of the Pyramid communities. He oversees the company’s efforts to select earth-responsible raw materials through its patented and award-winning Greenlist™ process. Chris also manages the company’s initiatives to help prevent and combat insect-borne diseases like malaria and dengue.

Chris has more than 20 years of marketing and general management experience with SC Johnson and Unilever. He previously served as Managing Director of Marketing – Europe, in which he was responsible for the marketing of SC Johnson’s $1,500MM business in Europe, Australia and Japan. Prior to this role, Chris was Director of Global Brand Equity.

Chris has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Chris is married to Felicity. They have three children, Alexander, Eleanor and Dominic.

Date:  Friday, May 7th
Time:  12:00-1:00pm EDT
Led by:  Ryan Fix, Founder, PUREPROJECT
 

For Details and to Register:  http://tinyurl.com/yze7q2 

Today more than ever we must build smart, read ‘sustainable’ solutions, to addressing the world’s most critical issues. There is a groundswell of social entrepreneurs with solutions bubbling up around the world. If we had a network of incubation hubs that offered support services and the ability to facilitate cross-pollination and sharing of best practices, both in person and online, we would then be in a position to put more resource behind the activation of PUREPROJECTS.PURECENTERS are innovation hubs focused acutely on the incubation of PUREPROJECTS, which are values-driven ventures and initiatives using creativity and innovation to blend social, environmental, cultural and financial sustainability in pursuit of a common good in the world.

Bio:

Ryan Fix Infused with entrepreneurial spirit, Ryan Fix embodies a life dedicated to sustainability, environmental action, global social awareness, holistic health, wellness education, and artistic expression. Using ‘values-driven business principles’ as his vehicle of choice, Ryan employs his communication skills and vast networks to draw people together to effect a common goal.Educated in Foreign Policy from American University, trained in Finance on Wall Street, engaged in Real Estate Marketing & Development in the Halls of NYC, and riding the dot-com wave of the late-90s, Ryan is well prepared for just about any mission. Defined by his heartfelt ambition, consistent drive, unrelenting spirit, and overwhelming love for life & mankind, Ryan greets every day and every opportunity with open arms.Ryan Fix is the founder of PUREPROJECT, an organization that uses creativity and innovation to promote sustainable solutions that advance a common good in the world. After successfully incubating several ventures, they are currently opening an innovation hub to support others in the incubation of their own ‘pure projects.’

Date:  Wednesday, May 12th
Time:  12:00-1:00pm EDT
Led by:  Andrea Brown-Smatlan, Assistant Program Manager, WBCSD and Brad Sparks, Director, KPMG International

For Details and to Register:  http://tinyurl.com/yze7q2

As greenhouse gas reporting evolves, businesses are increasingly interested in understanding the emissions of individual products and supply chains. Building on the success of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) have recently released draft standards for emissions reporting on products and supply chains. These standards are currently being piloted by sixty companies around the world.Andrea Brown-Smatlan, Assistant Program Manager at the WBCSD, and Brad Sparks, Director at KPMG International, will discuss current trends in emissions reporting by business, the draft product and supply chain standards, and applications for third-party assurance on such reporting.

Bios:

Andrea Brown-SmatlanAndrea Brown-Smatlan joined the Energy and Climate team in June 2008 where, on behalf of the WBCSD, she leads the development of two new international greenhouse gas standards. This project, under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative in partnership with the World Resources Institute (WRI), brings together over 1,400 experts around the world to develop new standards to measure and report supply chain and product carbon emissions. She also is engaged in leading other energy and climate related activities, including the “Envisioning our 2050 Future” session at the Global Business Day at COP 15; the WBCSD “Two Tonne CO2e Life Challenge” to video diary the lives of 8 participants around the world struggling with the challenges of a low carbon life for one week; and WBCSD presence at the World Business Summit on Climate Change. Brad SparksBrad Sparks is a Director with KPMG International. He is responsible for the firm’s climate change strategy, working with KPMG member firms to measure, report and reduce the network’s global carbon emissions. In addition, he works closely with the KPMG Global Sustainability Network to produce thought leadership and develop services related to sustainability and climate change. Prior to Brad’s current position, he served as a Director with KPMG LLP Advisory, assisting clients with corporate responsibility initiatives such as sustainability reporting, greenhouse gas inventories and supply chain integrity.