November 2006 Volume IV Number 6

Net Contents
I. Network Presentation
Key Findings Perspectives

II. What’s New

III. The Women’s Network for a Sustainable Future
The Concept of the Network
Contact Information

I. Network Presentation
A big thank you to those who took the time to attend WNSF’s luncheon panel on November 15, 2006 entitled “Healthy Business: Climate Change, Health and Your Company’s Future,” hosted by JP Morgan Chase in New York City. The session featured speakers from JP Morgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson, and Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School discussing environmental change and it current and future effects on companies.

Key Findings

• The atmosphere is heating up, which is having catastrophic effects on weather patterns.
• This catastrophic weather is making business of various stripes riskier in many places in the world.
• Companies may be wise to put some of their resources into sustainability.

Perspectives

Moderator:

• Joanne Fox-Przeworski, Board of Directors, WNSF

Speakers:

• Paul Epstein, Associate Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School
• Amy Davidsen, Director of the Office of Environmental Affairs, JP Morgan Chase
• Michael Bzdak, Director of Corporate Contributions, Johnson & Johnson

Paul Epstein, the Associate Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, began the luncheon with a presentation about Earth’s current state. He explained that algal blooms formed off of the coast of Peru in 1991 have brought cases of cholera to three places in the country, reducing Peru’s revenues from shrimp harvests and from tourism. Dr. Epstein also discussed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) findings on climate change since 2001. The IPCC has learned that:

• The climate is changing
• Human activities are contributing to the changes
• Biological systems are responding to the warming
• Weather is becoming more extreme

Extreme weather is making energy more expensive, spreading disease (including mold and Lyme disease), and making business ventures riskier.

Amy Davidsen, JP Morgan Chase’s Director of the Office of Environmental Affairs, explained the company’s environmental policy:

• Policy: JP Morgan Chase was the first public bank to acknowledge the risk of global warming in 2005. The bank is also investing in energy-efficient projects with a predicted four-year payback
• Partnerships: JP Morgan Chase recently became a partner with the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School

Michael Bzdak, Johnson & Johnson’s Director of Corporate Contributions, grouped the company’s “Healthy People, Healthy Planet, Healthy Business” policy into 3 categories:

• Healthy People: Putting Healthy People goals into effect regionally and establishing a global benchmark for workplace safety
• Healthy Planet: J&J has stringent sustainability practices, such as cutting back on CO2 emissions, and has also invested in a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Healthy Ecosystems and Healthy People program
• Healthy Business: Bringing in new efficiencies, such as streamlined global EHS standards, policies and reporting, and online training

II. What’s New

• WNSF recently made presentations at the annual Net Impact conference in Chicago and at the international conference on sustainable development hosted in Beijing by the Chinese Association of Women Entrepreneurs.
• Look for announcements of upcoming WNSF roundtables in New York and Washington, D.C. on the WNSF website and via email.

III. The Women’s Network for a Sustainable Future
The Concept of the Network

The Women’s Network for a Sustainable Future (WNSF) provides a forum for businesswomen to congregate, reflect, and act on the convergent issues of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. Through meetings, training and simple electronic support tools, WNSF facilitates the exchange of experiences and best practices, building a community of businesswomen who can serve as powerful change agents for corporate responsibility sustainability in the US and internationally.

The Women’s Network for a Sustainable Future is a 501c3 organization. Gifts are tax deductible.

For more information, please contact:

Ann Goodman, Executive Director
Women’s Network for a Sustainable Future
Please direct inquiries to: info@wnsf.org

Board of Directors:
CHAIR: Kathy Robb, Esq., Partner and Head of Environmental Practice, Hunton & Williams; Dianne Dillon Ridgley, Director, Interface Inc. Board; Karen Flanders, Director of Sustainability, Coca-Cola Co.; Joanne Fox-Przeworski, Director, Bard Center for Environmental Policy, Bard College; Ann Goodman, Executive Director, WNSF; Sarah Howell, Director, Corporate Communications, BP; Michele Kahane, Special Projects Director, Center for Corporate Citizenship, Boston College; Clair Krizov, Executive Director of Environmental and Social Responsibility, AT&T; Joyce La Valle, Senior Vice President, Interface Inc.; Anita Roper, Director of Sustainability, Alcoa Corp.; Deborah Sliter, Vice President of Programs, National Environmental Education & Training Foundation.

This issue of Net Notes was written by Brittany Perkins and edited by Ann Goodman. WNSF thanks founding sponsors AT&T and the Ford Foundation for their generous support.