At 12:15 p.m. today in Smith Wilkes Hall, the Chautauqua Climate Change Initiative hosts “Sustainable Business Forum at Chautauqua: How Western New York Businesses are Protecting our Environment and Water Resources.”
Panelists include Liza Casella, vice president of sales and organic growth for Casella Waste Systems; Erica Grohol, landscape designer at Wendel Companies; Tom Akers, co-founder and CEO of Junk Free Skin; Econse CEO Derek Davey; and Jamie Hamann-Burney, chief strategy officer for Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. Joining the discussion will be Mark Wenzler, director of the Chautauqua Climate Change Initiative, and Anna Attea, who serves as executive director of the Western New York Sustainable Business Roundtable.
Chautauqua Institution has been a part of the consortium — more than 70 businesses strong — for several years, Wenzler said. Being a consortium member connects Chautauqua with “precisely the companies that we want to know who are environmental leaders” in the region.
“Each of the companies we are profiling in our forum, they’ve already stood up for sustainability by joining the coalition,” Wenzler said.
Most coalitions like this one, Wenzler said, tend to be statewide; “we’re unique in Western New York, that we have our own roundtable. … I’ve been amazed at the incredible number of companies in our Western New York region that are leading on sustainability.”
From Lake Erie to Chautauqua Lake and countless rivers, streams and wetlands in between, Western New York is blessed with abundant water resources. That makes the region attractive to people and businesses across the United States, especially as many other areas struggle with expanding drought and other climate threats. But like freshwater resources across the globe, Western New York’s waters face environmental challenges — and the business community is stepping up to address them with innovative technologies and practices.
In Smith Wilkes, panelists will discuss what environmental stewardship means from a business perspective, and make the business case for sustainable practices. They’ll also discuss strategies they’ve found successful in the face of natural resource-related challenges.
Several of the business leaders speaking today have direct connections to the Institution through their work.
At Casella Waste Systems, vice president Casella is bringing a next-generation perspective to the solid waste and resource management industry. Casella Waste Systems is a recognizable name on the grounds — Chautauquans see the name “Casella” on service vehicles nearly every day.
“Even though I had been seeing their trucks for years, I was never aware of how deeply committed they are to sustainability until I got to know the company through our work with the roundtable,” Wenzler said. “They are one of the most deeply committed waste hauling companies on matters of sustainability.”
Similarly, Grohol’s company — she’s a landscape designer at Wendel Companies — is no stranger to working with the Institution, and Chautauquans have seen Wendel’s design work all over the grounds, whether they know it or not.
“The engineered landscapes we have on the grounds — the bioswales, the rain gardens, the permeable surfaces, the bioretention areas — a lot of that engineering work was done by Wendel Companies,” Wenzler said.
While today’s panel is focused on the work being done in Western New York, the lessons hopefully gleaned from the discussion can be applied anywhere in the country, back in Chautauquans’ home communities.
“Maybe they’re inspired by some of the business practices they’ll learn about in this forum and look for similar businesses in their home communities,” Wenzer said. “I hope that, too, they’ll be inspired to seek out the sustainable business coalitions that cover their own area.”
