By Laura Clise, Director, Sustainable Development and Continuous Improvement, AREVA
Recently, GreenBiz brought hundreds of thought leaders and sustainability executives for the New York installation of their annual forum. The program included insight and innovation from Interface , IBM, Wal-Mart, and Gazelle on topics that ranged from sustainable consumption, to the further integration of sustainability into core business areas, to the conVERGEnce of energy, building, information, and transportation technologies.
Last week, I made my way to the Big Apple to facilitate a GreenBiz Guru session on stakeholder engagement, a topic that is near and dear to AREVA as evidenced by our recent dialogue in partnership with the Greater Washington Urban League. The dialogue I facilitated on stakeholder engagement touched upon how companies can and should develop a multi-pronged approach to stakeholder outreach that serves as a platform for collaboration and innovation, facilitates stakeholder feedback, supports business’ license to operate, and helps companies to anticipate and respond to a variety of stakeholder expectations. AREVA’s approach to stakeholder engagement includes national and international stakeholder dialogues, local mapping, and community engagement activities and is complimented by our participation in industry level groups and initiatives.
In the broadest sense, we (business, government, civil society) are all critical stakeholders regarding the challenge and global imperative known as sustainable development. We influence and participate in a complex and interconnected system that results in our various economic, environmental and societal realities. Clean, safe, affordable energy is at the heart of many of the solutions that effectively balance responsible growth, to which AREVA is committed, with the well-being of the global community and the fundamental sustainability of our planet.
