Waste Management to host annual sustainability forum

Waste Management, Houston, will host its ninth annual Sustainability Forum Jan. 31, 2019, at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. National Geographic will take center stage at the forum, exploring solutions for “Plastic Waste in the Environment.” The forum will also examine “Cities of the Future” through panel discussions and presentations. The Sustainability Forum is free to attend, but preregistration is required.

Waste Management created the forum in 2011 as a collaborative space for corporate leaders, government leaders, experts, innovators and influencers to share insights and exchange ideas.

The morning session begins with Waste Management’s CEO Jim Fish offering his annual State of the Industry report, before turning the stage over to a variety of guest speakers, including:

• Why Plastics? Why Now? –  Valerie Craig, deputy to the chief scientist and vice president, Impact Initiatives, National Geographic Society; 
• Plastic Waste in the Environment – Panel discussion moderated by David Pogue, disruptive and future technology columnist, New York Times columnist, CBS tech contributor and "NOVA" host; 
• The Fallacy of Impossible – Mick Ebeling, founder and CEO, Not Impossible Labs; and
• Changing the Status Quo by Design – Dr. Leyla Acaroglu, designer and sociologist.

After a break for lunch, Waste Management’s Vice President of Recycling Brent Bell will deliver a recycling update, followed by the presentation “Global Environmental Trends and Local Impacts” by author and adviser Andrew Winston. The afternoon sessions conclude with a panel discussion on “Cities of the Future” led by Pogue. Panelists include:

• Clarence Anthony, executive director, National League of Cities; 
• Rob Kunzig, senior environment editor, National Geographic Magazine; 
• Andrew Winston, adviser and author; and
• Acaroglu.

Register here.

The forum is held during the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament. Since 2013, Waste Management has diverted 6.4 million pounds of tournament waste through recycling, composting, donation, reuse or creating energy. The tournament is the largest verified zero waste event in the world.