“We define sustainability not as a green idea but as a way to manage complexity,” said Gary Lawrence, a global expert on sustainable development at Disrupt 100+ Innovation in Energy and Sustainability Conference earlier this month. This ideology is what is driving companies to abandon old paradigms and implement technological and framework changes in their industries.
Caesars Entertainment’s Gwen Migita, Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship, joined other established leaders throughout the energy, infrastructure and sustainability space in taking part in the two-day Agrion hosted event that focused on that innovations addressing the increasing demand for energy and growing risks brought about by climate change.
Day one of the conference featured a morning keynote address from Steve Cornell, Senior Vice President of NRG, and an evening keynote from Christine Bader, Author of The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist: When Girl Meets Oil.
During the afternoon, breakout sessions were divided between topics regarding energy efficiency, sustainability, and energy & the grid.
Gwen participated in a panel discussion titled, “Corporate Sustainability Leaders: Strategies for Embedding Sustainability.” The panel covered methods for integrating company-wide sustainability values into procedures and operations, job functions and management practices, and making sustainability a strategic priority. They also discussed the links between sustainability initiatives and corporate objectives.
Launched in 2007, Agrion is a global business network for energy, clean technology and corporate sustainability. Caesars Entertainment and Agrion have a history of working together. In April, Agrion interviewed Gwen on Caesars’ sustainability efforts. Representatives of Caesars have also attended previous iterations of the Agrion conference.
The conference broke the mold on the second day, sending participants out into New York City and the surrounding areas for one of three bus tours of sustainable businesses. Participants enjoyed up close and personal experiences with sustainability efforts, from green initiatives that turned the Brooklyn Navy Yard into a park to dual-purpose solar canopies at a local Whole Foods that shelter cars and provide 20 percent of the store’s electricity.
“Participating in conferences like Agrion’s Disrupt 100+ helps me stay on top of the latest issues and innovations in corporate sustainability, while also allowing me to share insights on some of the successes at Caesars Entertainment. The clean tech audience that the group draws is a great complement to the corporate sustainability and NGO audience,” said Gwen Migita.
