Conferences and conference planners don’t take the summer off

This is the month we say goodbye to spring and hello to summer … and to all of the lovely sun-dappled conferences described below.

Foremost forums upcoming

• Conference Board Citizenship and Sustainability Conference (June 20 – 21; Washington, DC). Event focuses on best practices for “solving the world’s toughest problems” through corporate citizenship and sustainability programs. 2012 theme: The Management Challenge of Ethics, Citizenship, and Sustainability – A New Business Model. Representative topics include: Getting started with sustainability reporting; Smart green leadership—case studies in sustainability strategic planning; the business and ethics nexus—why “who you are” is as essential as “what you do.” Read more.

• Economist Ideas Economy Series: Information (June 5 – 6; San Francisco). Information forum focuses on “how data can be better leveraged to ensure lasting progress in the coming decades,” including by corporations and government agencies. Event looks at this subject from a range of perspectives, connecting the ideas from industry, government and academic experts in how to deal with real-world problems.

• Ethos Institute International Conference (June 11 – 13; Sao Paulo). Conference focuses on identifying and examining the contributions, challenges, dilemmas, and roles of companies, government, civil society, and citizens in the construction of a sustainable society. Representative topics include: Challenges for the construction of sustainable societies; achieving a balance between the development of economic activities with high impact on the forest; and how commitments to corporate citizenship can help reduce emissions.

• Aspen Institute Environment Forum (June 22 – 25; Aspen). Forum focuses on providing “a critical framework for committed voices to address a significant milestone—a global population of seven billion and how to reconcile Earth’s finite resources with its ability to sustain our expanding human needs.” The program is characterized as “part convocation, part roundtable, and part local town meeting,” with an overriding objective of helping attendees “expand and enhance your views on key environmental issues and further your understanding of the magnitude and complexities of the challenges we face.”

• Corporate Eco Forum Annual Meeting (June 24 – 26; New York). Meeting aims to bring together senior business leaders from across business functions “to synthesize the most important actionable, best-practice insights on eco-strategy execution and green ROI.” Program is comprised primarily of sessions that focus on “actionable, ROI-driven executive plans and practices” and promote “peer-to-peer exchange.” Representative topics include: Supply chain carbon management; designing eco measurement systems; and brand positioning.

• TED Global (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) (June 25 – 29; Edinburgh). UK-based edition of the TED franchise focuses on “dreams from the intersecting worlds of science, business, globalization, invention, and creativity.” Program examines the ways in which “the ways we relate, the means by which we learn about one another and develop mutual understanding and the rules about what we hide and what we share” are evolving in an increasingly interconnected world. Read more.

• Responsible Business Summit US (June 28 – 29; New York). Summit aspires to provide “one-stop shopping for CSR professionals,” where attendees can learn about the sustainability and CSR challenges facing US businesses in the coming months. Sessions address such issues as business critical sustainability; supply chain efficiency; stakeholder engagement; what it means to be a sustainable company; performance measurement; and CSR reporting.

Noteworthy conferences beginning agenda planning this month

• Asia-Pacific Association for the Advancement of Science has issued a call for papers for its International Conference on Green Buildings and Sustainable Cities taking place October 17 – 18, 2012 in Hohhot, China, with a proposal submission deadline of June 22, 2012. Event is self described as providing a “forum for sharing knowledge and results in theory, methodology, and applications” with a goal “to provide a platform to the researchers and practitioners from both academia as well as the industry to meet and share cutting-edge development in the field.” Representative topics include; Sustainable urban planning; green building materials; and sustainability in civil engineering.

• Edgell Communications will begin agenda development for its Consumer Goods Growth and Innovation Forum being held September 19 – 21, 2012 in Miami Beach. Organizers plan to have agenda completed by August 27, 2012. Event focuses on how consumer goods executives and analysts can drive innovation and spark creativity. Representative topics include: Consumer-focused innovation; “green” innovation; and consumer trends.