COST-US | Consultation on Sustainability and Transparency in the United States

Welcome – Sherman Teichman, Institute for Global Leadership

Introductions – Name, affiliation, brief answer to: What is the most interesting thing to you about this gathering?

Framing – “Challenges and Opportunity in Sustainability and Transparency,” presentation by Bob Massie, Chair, COST-US

Questions and discussion period

Boston College Circle Chart Exercise – Big Picture: Sustainability and Transparency Sustainability: the interdependent effects that advance the prosperity and health of the people and the planet without loss to future generations. Transparency: the principle of simplicity, clarity, and candor concerning the motivations, actions, and impacts of a person or organization. Transparency, particularly corporate transparency, is widely regarded as a necessary but not a sufficient condition of sustainability. Analysis and discussion: What are the challenges of achieving measurable improvement linking sustainability and corporate transparency in the United States over the next five years? Discussion led by Judith Weiss, COST-US Senior Advisor

Current Status – “Global Developments in the Field of GRI Reporting” presentation by Steve Lydenberg, Domini Social Investments

Small Group Discussions – Breaking into groups of five or six, we will spend one hour on three questions

• What are the most promising mechanisms by which universal uptake in the US could be realized?
• Who are the critical allies that one would need to realize universal uptake?
• What would a tipping point look like, and how do we get there in 18 months?

Report-Back Discussion led by Marcy Murninghan, Tufts / IGL INSPIRE Fellow and COST-US Senior Advisor

Shared observations, conclusions, and wrap-up

Reconvene – Brief observations about previous day

Needs and Offers Exercise led by Bob Massie

Summary of next steps, concluding remarks