Topic: The (Sometimes) Winding Road To A Sustainability Related Career

The journey toward a sustainability-related career is rarely a linear one. Each of this month's panelists has had a unique pathway to their current positions involving a variety of internships, jobs, volunteer opportunities, and educational degrees. We'll explore what parts were most beneficial and which less so, as well as what advice they have for those seeking to find their own way toward a more sustainability-related profession. Whether your interest is in design/architecture, nonprofit leadership, consulting, working for a large corporation, or a range of other sectors, this month's guests have a range of experiences upon which to draw to answer your questions and motivate your next steps toward the job you desire.

Paneists

Laura Flanigan
CPG Sector Lead, PE INTERNATIONAL, Inc. & Five Winds Strategic Consulting
Laura Flanigan is a sustainability consultant with ten years of experience in developing, implementing and evaluating customized strategies, frameworks and tools to help clients achieve their visions for sustainable products, business practices and operations. Her projects have included the quantification and improvement of impacts related to consumer products and packaging, development of product sustainability frameworks and tools, and marketing of life cycle-based product claims. Project clients include Wrigley, Kraft Foods, SC Johnson, Newell Rubbermaid, Johnson and Johnson, Clorox, and more. Laura holds an MBA with a Manufacturing Concentration from the Ross School of Business and a MS in Sustainable Systems Analysis from the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan, through the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise. Prior to joining Five Winds International, Laura served as Director and Co-founder of the Chicago Sustainable Business Alliance.

Lynn Laszewski
Resource Conservation Analyst, PepsiCo
Lynn has over 15 years of experience leading Resource Conservation and Sustainability programs for companies such as Newell Rubbermaid, HP, Ball Aerospace, Caterpillar, CH2M Hill and most recently PepsiCo.While working for these companies, she has developed and implemented product design for environment programs, incorporated environmental performance into supply chain processes and instituted policy to improve corporate reputation. Lynn has a Master of Public Health degree with an emphasis in Environmental Management from Loma Linda University, California and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Health from theUniversity of Wisconsin at Eau Claire.

Florian Pfahler
President, Hannah's Bretzel
Hannah’s is the first and leading environmentally friendly quick service restaurant in the Chicago market. Since opening the first location in May 2005 Hannah’s has increased its share of biodegradable packaging to  95 percent. In 2007 Hannah’s opened the first LEED certified retail business location in the mid-west and in 2008 Hannah’s was awarded the Chicago Magazine Green Award for outstanding contributions toward environmental awareness in the retail category. Hannah’s plans to be carbon neutral and certified organic by 2011.

Schedule
5:45-6:30pm Power Networking (optional)
6:45-7:45pm Presentation / Discussion
7:45-8:30pm Socializing/Networking

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