FES at GreenBiz20

Greetings from the Southwest! I spent the first week of February in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona attending the  GreenBiz 20 Conference. This conference brings together 1,500 sustainability leaders — from business, government, academia and NGOs — to explore the latest sustainable business trends and form valuable connections. As a current student, it was the perfect venue to learn more about current practices and network with leaders in the field. In addition, as a Californian it was a nice change of pace to be back in the Southwest during the middle of a New England winter.

Sundara Bhandaram, Marisa Repka, and Robert Little (Left to Right) enjoying the networking session

I was able to sign up for the Conference as a volunteer (along with two other FESers). In exchange for note-taking and working at the registration desk, I was able to see leaders in the supply chain and sustainability space talk about their best practices and challenges they faced. A highlight of the experience was being able to attend the Supply Chain Transparency Summit. During the Summit, I heard from sustainability staffers at Walmart, McDonalds, HSBC, and many others about their biggest challenges and opportunities. Beyond the events themselves, I was also able to network and speak one-on-one with many folks and learn about what they’re looking for from recent graduates – which was a great opportunity to see how I should market myself to these employers in just a few months.

This Conference was a great opportunity to see leaders in the field, learn about best practices, and see what new innovations and initiatives are occuring at the business and environment nexus. Beyond going to cool plenary sessions, round-table lunches, and networking receptions, I was also able to hike the Camelback Mountain and visit the Botanical Gardens!

Overall, this was an incredible opportunity and I’m so thankful to have gone and learned so much about what’s currently happening at the business and environment nexus!

Hello from the top of the
Camelback Mountain

Enjoying the view at the Desert Botanical Garden