AN ORGANISATION representing more than 47,000 association and industry partners has joined forces with a global community of scientists to improve sustainability initiatives across the meetings industry.
ASAE – The Center for Association Leadership and the AGU, which advocates for Earth and space sciences, are collaborating to advance ESG (environment, social and governance) practices among association leaders.
Association executives participating in research conducted by ASAE’s 2022 Association Insights Center indicated they had a low degree of confidence when it comes to designing and implementing an ESG strategy.
AGU is regarded as a leader in ESG leadership, from reducing carbon footprints in meetings to moving its investment portfolio to be fossil-fuel free to leading the creation of a global framework on climate interventions. AGU will now share its best practices to guide association on ESG and sustainability commitments.
3 Initiatives at Heart of ASAE-AGU Partnership:
– AGU CEO and executive director Randy Fiser and ASAE president and CEO Michelle Mason will co-chair a Sustainable Association Collaborative to help association leaders explore sustainability issues. The initial focus will be “office space through the lenses of ESG and sustainability.” The group will be limited to seven organisations to maximise participation and value for participants.
– ASAE and AGU will develop a sustainability toolkit designed to help associations embarking on their sustainability journey. AGU will serve as subject matter experts for the toolkit and ASAE will help curate the types of resources that may be most useful to associations. The toolkit will launch at the 2023 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition.
– AGU will showcase its sustainability initiatives on the expo floor at the 2023 ASAE Annual Meeting and lead a session around how associations can develop workable approaches to the environment pillar of ESG.
“ASAE is committed to advancing the power of associations to effect positive change in the world today,” said ASAE chief executive Michelle Mason. “By partnering with AGU, an established leader and model for sustainability initiatives, ASAE is working to assist association leaders in understanding and overcoming roadblocks to sustainability and plan for the future.
“Associations have told us that ESG and sustainability are critical priorities for their organisations and, through this partnership with AGU and the collective knowledge sharing that will result, we look forward to creating avenues for associations to advance their ESG and sustainability prospects.”
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AGU’s Fiser added: “We are so proud to be in partnership with ASAE. At AGU, we walk our talk. Our members are the Earth and space scientists around the world confronting and answering the challenge of climate change. And in our climate leadership, we take every opportunity not just to champion open science but also opening science to greater diversity, open access to publications and a brighter, more collaborative, more just future for all.”
