Educators and Business Executives Agree: Green is the New Black

Global Sustainability Megatrend is Focus of Upcoming Business Conference

IRVINE, Calif., March 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Can you green your company and your bottom line?  This question and more will be explored on March 24 at the Irvine Marriott during the Profit Plus Planet? global sustainability conference presented by UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business.  The conference will bring together hundreds of southern California businesspeople, leading edge corporate sustainability executives, clean tech investors and researchers to explore the future of green innovation and learn best-practices techniques to harness the power of sustainability as a driver of innovation and competitive advantage.  

A powerful assortment of educational panels will be featured led by industry leaders, environmental researchers and investors at the forefront of sustainability innovation. Included will be representatives from American Honda Motor Company, Burson-Marsteller, Intel, Oracle, Rockwell Automation, Siemens, UC Irvine, UPS, Wal-Mart and Yahoo! Among the sessions scheduled are:

• The Business Case for Sustainability
• Global Perspectives and Best Practices
• PR, Marketing & Messaging – Communicating Your Commitment
• The Future of Clean Tech; Good for Investors?
• Cultivating a Culture
• Supply Chain Management.
• Strategic Partnerships
• Green Innovation

In a special session, Fortune 500 executives will share their experiences leading sustainability efforts. Panelists include:

• Kathleen Matthews, executive vice president, Global Communications & Public Affairs, Marriott International, Inc.
• Geoff Massingberd, senior vice president, Corporate Responsibility, Mattel, Inc.
• Christopher Harrington, chief CSR officer and VP, Strategy & Business Development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.

Keynote speakers include:

• Sarah Backhouse, environmental media host, Planet Green
• Edwin D. Fuller, president and managing director, International Lodging, Marriott International, Inc.
• John Picard, founder, John Picard & Associates
• Pierre-Andre Senizergues, CEO and founder, Sole Technology Inc.
• Steve Westly, former California state controller and managing partner, The Westly Group
• Scott Wicker, vice president of sustainability and vice president of corporate plant engineering for UPS Worldwide

For more information or to register for the conference visit planetplusprofit.com.

About The Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine

The Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine offers four dynamic MBA programs – plus Ph.D. and undergraduate business degrees – that deliver its thematic approach to business education: sustainable growth through strategic innovation. For more information visit the website at merage.uci.edu.

SOURCE The Paul Merage School of Business