NetPositive Enterprise

NETPOSITIVE ENTERPRISE

On Thursday, March 15, 2018, the Office for Sustainability in collaboration with WMU’s Center for Sustainable Business Practices and the Haworth College of Business will host a free public lecture with Dr. Gregory Norris from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

Dr. Norris, an internationally acclaimed expert on life-cycle and social impact assessment, will speak on “NetPositive Enterprise: a new form of accounting for achieving well-being societies, sustainable economic development, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.” Dr. Norris’ work centers on developing methods to account for the “credits” side of individual and corporate sustainability ledgers — not just the “debits” or harms being caused, as with ecological footprinting.  

The public lecture will be held at Sangren Hall Room #1910 from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. The event is free and complimentary parking will be available in Sangren lot #41. 

Dr. Norris will also be participating in a Student Meet & Greet at the Lee Honors College Lounge from 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. on March 15. This session will offer students a unique opportunity to learn about Dr. Norris' background and research in a student friendly environment

Biography

Dr. Gregory Norris is an internationally acclaimed Life Cycle Assessment expert, who goes beyond traditional Life Cycle Assessment to also consider social impacts, both positive and negative. Norris co-directs the Sustainability and Health Initiative for NetPositive Enterprise (SHINE) at Harvard’s School of Public Health. Norris is also Chief Scientist with the International Living Future Institute, whose programs include the Living Building Challenge, the Living Product Challenge, and the Living Community Challenge. These programs point the way to restorative futures in which buildings, products, organizations, and people “give more than they take.” He is the founder of New Earth, a non-profit institute that develops technologies to help citizens across the globe drive sustainable development “from the bottom up.” Its projects include the Social Hot Spots Database (a transparent data source on supply chain impacts and opportunities for improving human rights, working conditions, community, and other social impacts) and Handprinter (which helps people take actions that compensate for their environmental and social “footprints,” at home and the workplace).