Press release

2007 Peter Kilburn Memorial Lecture

November 1, 2007

Sustainability Reporting and Transparency

  • Featured Speaker: Alyson Slater, Global Reporting Initiative
  • Host: The Centre for Applied Business Research in Energy and the Environment
  • When: Thursday, November 8, 2007 - 6 pm to 7 pm
  • Where: Stollery Executive Development Centre
    Room 5-40, Business Building, University of Alberta

Reception to follow lecture.

Thousands of companies issue sustainability reports each year, but who reads them? As key forces in society, organizations of all kinds have an important role to play in achieving the goal of sustainable development which is to "meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Yet in this era of unprecedented economic growth, achieving this goal can seem more of an aspiration than a reality. As economies globalize, new opportunities to generate prosperity and quality of life are arising through trade, knowledge-sharing, and access to technology. One of the key challenges of sustainable development is that it demands new and innovative choices and ways of thinking.

Alyson Slater is the Communications Director for Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. GRI is a unique, multi-stakeholder organization that manages the Sustainability Reporting framework of which the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines are the cornerstone and provides guidance for organizations to use as the basis for disclosure about their sustainability performance.

The Peter Kilburn Memorial Lecture series is planned jointly by the School of Business and the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Peter Kilburn, the first CEO and President of IISD, established the memorial to his father in 1990 to research policy solutions for global sustainable development.

Please RSVP by November 6, 2007 online, by Phone: (780) 492-6303 or E-mail: cabree@ualberta.ca. 

About IISD

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISD’s staff of more than 250 experts come from across the globe and from many disciplines. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, our work affects lives in nearly 100 countries.