Sustainability Applied 2011 - working together for a sustainable future 

Sustainability Applied 2011 was held June 9-10 at the St. Clair College Centre for the Arts in Windsor, Ontario.

A results-driven, interactive event, Sustainability Applied 2011 focused on inspiring and driving action on sustainability and breaking down barriers to change. It highlighted experiences, approaches and expertise of leaders and practitioners on the practical application of sustainability solutions in the private and public sectors.

The event would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors, especially the lead sponsorship provided by the Ontario Ministry of Environment.

We would also like to extend our thanks to the members of the advisory panel who contributed ideas, suggestions and valuable support throughout the planning process.

103 delegates from across North America attended Sustainability Applied 2011, including representatives from a variety of sectors: Industry/Business: 43; Government: 23; Consulting: 17; NGO: 11; Academia: 7; and Labour: 2.

The program maximized opportunities for discussion, networking, information exchange, creating new business relationships and motivating action amongst participants. The interactive sessions, lead by a remarkable group of facilitators, worked to frame sustainability issues and discuss opportunities to apply and implement solutions to enhance competitiveness, minimize business risks and reduce our environmental footprint.

Sustainability Applied 2011 began with the June 9 evening Gala. The evening featured a jazz trio, networking, keynote presentations and the presentation of the annual John de Gonzague Pollution Prevention Visionary Award to Joanne Di Caro, who is the Manager of Environmental Monitoring and Protection for City of Toronto, and a long-time pollution prevention leader.

On June 10, the Honourable John Wilkinson, Minister of the Environment, Ontario gave the opening keynote address. Session themes throughout the day included:

• Creating business value with sustainability integration 
• Motivating adoption of industrial energy efficiency practices 
• Toxics reduction/pollution prevention as a catalyst for reducing business risks and enhancing business value 
• Integrating sustainability in manufacturing industries 
• Water and its value throughout the supply chain 
• Greening the supply chain 
• Toolkits, practices and metrics for enabling industrial sustainability 

The sessions had consistently high quality content due to the calibre of the speakers and moderators, who shared their knowledge, insights and passion, and helped to bring Sustainability Applied alive for the delegates. One delegate summarized the experience: "Sustainability Applied 2011 was a success – great conference. When you get the right people talking about this important issue it can be quite invigorating. The broad cross-section of topics, speakers and attendees gave us an opportunity to discuss and share ideas and success stories, as well as identify how far we all need to go to build a sustainable future."

A collection of resources from Sustainability Applied 2011 can be found online including:

• Agenda
• Photo Gallery 
• Testimonials
• Speakers 
• John De Gonzague Memorial Pollution Prevention Visionary Award
• Sponsors  
• And more 

We encourage you to join us for Sustainability Applied 2012, planned for October next year in Toronto. We will be announcing details of the event here as they become available.