Desautels Business Conference on Sustainability
The 2012 Desautels Business Conference on Sustainability (DBCS) was held at McGill from January 19th to 21st to promote discussion and education among business-minded delegates through a three-day speaker series.
Built around the theme of "Sustaining Success," the event consisted of talks by several speakers, among other activities such as the Sustainability Fair, SSMU Summit, and interactive discussions. "It's healthy to go to these conferences once in a while, to broaden your vision," explains Eileen Chen, a U1 Management and Environment student who attended this year's DBCS - "after, you start thinking and acting differently."
Exceeding past attendance records, this year's 9th annual DBCS hosted about a hundred registered delegates, with an additional hundred attendees coming exclusively for the keynote opening. The three high-profile keynote speakers - Craig Kielburger, Bob Willard, and Ken McKinnon - were chosen to expand previous years' definition of sustainability, presenting a broader meaning of the term in a business context.
Though environmental sustainability was generally the predominant topic of discussion, the 2012 Organizing Committee wanted to include social and economic sustainability within their theme. Combined, these three facets of sustainability enticed the target audience to adopt a more holistic perspective on business practices and their impact on society.
Funded by generous donations from the The Hantho Fund for Sustainability and Environmental Management, speakers' messages were accordingly directed to business students and future corporate leaders, emphasizing "where businesses and sustainability movements meet, and how they come together," said Dylan Kristofic, co-chair of the 2012 DBCS committee.
Read full article: , January 23, 2012