Date: Thursday 3 December 2009
Time: 6:30pm
Venue: Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Speakers: Dr Martin Blake, Dr Victoria Hands
Chair: Dr Richard Perkins

What strategies can individuals use to make their organisation more sustainable.

Dr Victoria Hands is Environmental & Sustainability Manager at the London School of Economics & Political Science where she has focused on positioning the LSE as a leader in sustainability, in particular in terms of campus management. In 2009, LSE came second in the sector benchmark, the People and Planet Green League.

LSE has led on reuse too, with pilot projects in LSE halls of residence expanding to cover 40,000 student residents in London, winning the 2006 Best Partnership Project in the National Recycling Awards and the 2009 Best Waste Minimisation Project for the diversion of 86 tonnes of reuseable items from landfill in 8 UK universities.

Dr Martin Blake is Head of Sustainability for Royal Mail. For the past six years, he has led its Social Responsibility and Sustainability teams, and designed and implemented a very successful Carbon Management programme to combat climate change.

Dr. Martin Blake persuaded Royal Mail that cutting carbon isn’t just good for the planet – it’s good for the company’s bottom line too. By presenting the business case for sustainability and engaging staff in initiatives - for example, by donating a percentage of energy savings to charity - Martin achieved startling results. These included multi million-pound savings, eliminating thousands of tonnes from Royal Mail’s carbon footprint, and an inspired and motivated workforce.

Victoria Hands and Martin Blake’s experiences are featured in Climb The Green Ladder: Make Your Company and Career More Sustainable by Amy Fetzer and Shari Aaron (Wiley), launched on 13 November 2009. Victoria and Martin will discuss the strategies that individuals within organisations can use to make their organisation more successful and sustainable. They will also highlight how taking the lead and helping your organisation can future-proof your career by marking you out as a dynamic, creative achiever.

The event is free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. Any queries, email events@lse.ac.uk or phone 020 7955 6043.

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