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Equipping Students to be Sustainability Leaders in the Workplace
April 17, 2023 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Equipping Students to be Sustainability Leaders in the Workplace
Part 5 of the #EduClimate Webinar Series, brought to you by the University Climate Ambassador program
Too often, both corporate leaders and young professionals believe sustainability can only be carried out by those higher in the organization with official sustainability titles. This couldn’t be further from the truth and we have proof from more than 100 college students in one elective course who started green teams in their workplaces and implemented a wide range of sustainability initiatives, including convincing decision makers to invest in new equipment. These young leaders were able to spread awareness and drive positive culture change among their work peers. In this webinar, you’ll hear about the course approach and examples of the students’ career-changing experiences.
Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton is Founder and Chief Change Maker of Astrapto LLC, which she founded in 2016 to offer strategic insights and practical pathways to sustainability. Her passion is making sustainability approachable and she is driven by a belief that all desire dignity in their work. Dr. Benton adamantly insists her clients include all levels and all departments of an organization in sustainability programs so that the most robust outcomes and lasting change are possible. She has developed expertise in and spoken on topics ranging from supplier diversity and sustainable procurement to food and materials waste reduction. Dr. Benton has led three World Wildlife Fund food waste initiatives, most recently as the hospitality subject matter expert for the Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment sector pilots. She has also been a thought leader in industry initiatives such as the Event Industry Council’s (EIC) Sustainable Events Standards and she was the curriculum designer for the EIC Sustainable Event Professional Certificate course. She is a sought after speaker on sustainability at industry events including annual conferences and regional chapters for IMEX, PCMA, NACE, MPI, SITE, and GBTA.
Astrapto means to illuminate and our mission is to shed light on social and environmental issues in hospitality, travel, and events. Astrapto also works with other industries such as healthcare and technology to drive positive impact. Astrapto’s methodology is to help organizations gain traction in social and environmental initiatives through its PEACE Framework. Astrapto makes sustainability Practical, Economical, Approachable, Celebrated and Enjoyable. Through this methodology, Astrapto has helped more than 130 young professionals launch green teams in their place of work, trained more than 400 professionals globally on sustainable procurement, and led organizational transformations in the fight against food waste. In addition to its focus on training and development, Astrapto provides services such as assessing sustainability practices, creating sustainability strategies and plans, generating ESG reports, conducting emissions inventories and waste audits, and building business cases for social and environmental impact projects. Astrapto’s clients include World Wildlife Fund, Sodexo Live, Direct Travel, Hard Rock International, The Baltimore Convention Center, Accor, Hilton, and other tourism and hospitality companies.
