The Sustainability Communicator

The profession of being a sustainability communicator is relatively new – and seems to be evolving with each passing day. Success in this emerging field requires understanding the intricate goals and objectives of both sustainability and marketing teams, and developing the unique skill of translating between these often disparate organizational functions. In this episode, Mike delves into the field's evolution over the past few decades through the lens of Jessica Appelgren, a remarkable professional with unmatched depth and breadth of experience in sustainability communication. * Follow [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaappelgren/] Jessica Appelgren on LinkedIn. * Read [https://hbr.org/2024/09/ai-can-mostly-outperform-human-ceos] "AI Can (Mostly) Outperform Human CEOs" on Harvard Business Review * Follow [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikehower/] Mike on LinkedIn * Subscribe [https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7168493261299408896] to The Sustainability Communicator LinkedIn newsletter * Sign up [https://form.typeform.com/to/MpkLefMS] for Hower Impact's ENGAGE newsletter * Visit [www.howerimpact.com] the Hower Impact website. * Email Mike at: mike@howerimpact.com

The results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election came as a shock to many in the world of corporate sustainability and beyond. In one night, it seemed like years of progress on social and environmental issues were shattered.  With a corrupt, climate-denying convicted criminal with blatant authoritarian ambitions heading to the White House in 2025 – corporate sustainability professionals are feeling disheartened at best and horrified at worst. While we don’t know for sure what will happen, we do know that the strength of our democratic institutions will be put to the test and federal efforts to address the climate crisis will likely be deflated in the coming years.  But it’s during times like these that we need to come together most, and on November 8, 2024 we organized an open door Zoom event called “Corporate Sustainability in a Second Trump Term.” In less than 24 hours, we had gathered interest from over 500 sustainability professionals, with more than 350 showing up for the call. During the call, in a series of fire starter chats we heard from Heather Clancy of Trellis, Matt Sekol of Microsoft who also is author of ESG Mindset, Jennifer Allyn of ClimateVoice, Patrick Flynn of Switchboard, and Anne Kelly of Ceres. In this episode of The Sustainability Communicator, we showcase some of the conversations from the call to give sustainability professionals the boost they need during these uncertain times. * Follow [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikehower/] Mike on LinkedIn * Subscribe [https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7168493261299408896] to The Sustainability Communicator LinkedIn newsletter * Sign up [https://form.typeform.com/to/MpkLefMS] for Hower Impact's ENGAGE newsletter * Visit [www.howerimpact.com] the Hower Impact website. * Email Mike at: mike@howerimpact.com

As global temperatures continue to rise and we see the negative effects of a warming world, it’s becoming clear that businesses can’t address the climate crisis through voluntary action alone. Businesses need good policy to shape the rules of engagement that unlock private sector innovation to tackle tough sustainability challenges like climate.  Many companies with sound corporate sustainability strategies aren’t speaking up in the policy arena for fear of alienating customers, investors, employees and other stakeholders.  In this episode, Mike speaks with Bill Weihl and Deborah McNamara of ClimateVoice a nonprofit that leverages the power of corporate influence from climate-positive companies to win crucial policy battles. Without getting too political, we explore the challenges companies face around advocating on climate policy, and the opportunities they face in ensuring that they back up their sustainability communication with policy action. * Follow [https://www.linkedin.com/company/climatevoiceorg] ClimateVoice on LinkedIn. * Sign [https://climatevoice.org/campaigns/] the LEAD statement calling for more climate action from the corporate sustainability community. * Check out [http://www.guiltbytradeassociation.com/] the Climate Policy Obstruction Scorecard spotlighting how 15 U.S. based companies are obstructing climate policy by financially supporting the Business Roundtable, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and hiring lobbyists who also work for the fossil fuel industry. * Find [https://www.vote.org/polling-place-locator/] your local polling center and VOTE.  * Follow [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikehower/] Mike on LinkedIn * Subscribe [https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7168493261299408896] to The Sustainability Communicator LinkedIn newsletter * Sign up [https://form.typeform.com/to/MpkLefMS] for Hower Impact's ENGAGE newsletter * Visit [www.howerimpact.com] the Hower Impact website. * Email Mike at: mike@howerimpact.com

While food isn’t always the flashiest sustainability topic, with agriculture being a significant driver of the climate crisis, strong sustainability communication is needed to educate and engage consumers to act. KIND is leading some cutting-edge work around regenerative agriculture – which comes with its own set of sustainability communication challenges. In this episode, Mike speaks with Lindsay Philpott, Sustainability Communication Manager at KIND to learn more about how the company navigates communicating complex sustainability topics to consumers. * Connect [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-philpott-b6a72097/]with Lindsay Philpott on LinkedIn. * Learn more [https://www.kindsnacks.com/almonds.html?srsltid=AfmBOopHObNNl-E5lSmAGZuTEJp1TCPOrFpRnTAsiJUU9EwyvrTONuQa] about the KIND Almost Acres Initiative. * Follow [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikehower/] Mike on LinkedIn * Subscribe [https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7168493261299408896] to The Sustainability Communicator LinkedIn newsletter * Sign up [https://form.typeform.com/to/MpkLefMS] for Hower Impact's ENGAGE newsletter * Visit [www.howerimpact.com] the Hower Impact website. * Email Mike at: mike@howerimpact.com

The role of the CSO has changed significantly over the years, from a backroom marketing function to being key figures in their company’s business operation and growth. Roughly 183 public companies in the U.S. now employ a CSO, up from 29 in 2011, according to a recent report from recruiter Weinreb Group. Of those, more than three-quarters sit on the company’s leadership team while just over a third report directly to the CEO. With this elevated status comes increasing responsibility for CSOs to be the chief communicator of a company's social and environmental efforts — both internally and externally. Yet with many CSOs coming from technical backgrounds, they aren’t always prepared to be the person behind the podium. In this episode, Mike connects with Ellen Weinreb, one of the world’s leading sustainability recruiters who has worked with countless CSOs over the years, to better understand the ever-evolving role of the CSO and what this means for sustainability communication.  * Connect [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenweinreb/] with Ellen Weinreb on LinkedIn. * Follow [https://www.linkedin.com/company/weinrebgroup/] Weinreb Group Sustainability Recruiting on LinkedIn. * Read [https://www.wsj.com/articles/sustainability-chiefs-say-their-roles-have-become-more-complex-and-relevant-d7f9ae0c] "Sustainability Chiefs Say Their Roles Have Become More Complex and Relevant" on The Wall Street Journal. * Read [https://weinrebgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-CSO-Report.pdf] the 2023 Weinreb Group Chief Sustainability Officer report. * Follow [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikehower/] Mike on LinkedIn * Subscribe [https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7168493261299408896] to The Sustainability Communicator LinkedIn newsletter * Sign up [https://form.typeform.com/to/MpkLefMS] for Hower Impact's ENGAGE newsletter * Visit [www.howerimpact.com] the Hower Impact website. * Email Mike at: mike@howerimpact.com