Diversity in Sustainability’s Post

DiS Office Hours with Eli Browne Join us for a special livestream version of DiS Office Hours with Eli Browne. Eli Browne is a sustainability professional with over 15 years’ experience bringing sustainability initiatives to life in complex corporate settings. Currently, Eli is the Head of Sustainability for CHEP Canada, joining in 2024. Eli has extensive prior experience in bringing sustainability to life in complex corporate settings. She previously worked for Empire Company Limited, the second largest national grocery retailer in Canada. She has been recognized by the Canadian Grocer Magazine as a Star Woman in Grocery in 2022 and is also a recipient of the Generation Next Award in 2021.

We are thrilled to announce the addition of Jasmine Rana as our Communications Intern for this summer! Jasmine is a recent graduate of Dalhousie University, where she earned her Bachelor of Commerce degree with a specialization in Marketing. Her dedication to promoting diversity within the creative sector and her commitment to amplifying BIPOC voices through community building make her a valuable addition to our team. Read more about Jasmine in her Colour Commentary here: https://lnkd.in/ewBtYqY6

Happy summer to you all! Join us for our first livestreamed version of DiS Office Hours with Eli Browne, Head of Sustainability for CHEP Canada, on July 12 at 8-9AM PT/11AM-12PM ET/4-5PM GMT.    Our Office Hours are designed for you to hear from a seasoned sustainability professional about their journey and for you to ask them questions you’re curious about as you navigate your own career! This Office Hours session will take place on LinkedIn Live.   More about Eli: Eli Browne is a passionate sustainability professional with over 15 years’ experience bringing sustainability initiatives to life in complex corporate settings. Currently, Eli is the Head of Sustainability for CHEP Canada, joining in 2024. CHEP’s parent company is Brambles, which is recognized by Time Magazine as one of the most sustainable companies in the world. CHEP’s pallets, crates and containers help the world’s biggest brands transport their goods more efficiently, sustainably and safely. As pioneers of the circular economy, CHEP created a sustainable logistics business through the share and reuse of its platforms under a model known as ‘pooling.’ As a member of the Canadian leadership team, Eli is responsible for engaging internal and external stakeholders to lead programs in support of CHEP’s corporate sustainability targets and to incorporate sustainability as part of the company’s value proposition to customers. Eli has extensive prior experience in bringing sustainability to life in complex corporate settings. She previously worked for Empire Company Limited, the second largest national grocery retailer and the parent company of leading retailers including Sobeys and Safeway. In that role, Eli led a national team responsible for developing and managing sustainability strategy, Environment Social and Governance (ESG) reporting and executing strategic initiatives. These initiatives included setting Empire’s science-based climate targets (becoming the first national grocery relator to obtain target validation from the Science Based Targets initiative), eliminating single-use plastic checkout bags (removing 800 million plastic bags from circulation each year) and launching a national food donation program across Empire’s stores and warehouses, in partnership with Second Harvest (which rescued over 30 million pounds of food in 2023). Eli has been recognized by the Canadian Grocer Magazine as a Star Woman in Grocery in 2022 and is also a recipient of the Generation Next Award in 2021. She holds a Master of Applied Science degree from Toronto Metropolitan University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Guelph.   RSVP here and submit your questions in advance at https://lnkd.in/gyHZPFEP

This week, we have three new featured job postings from Native, a Public Benefit Corporation and The Climate & Clean Energy Equity Fund. To apply to these jobs, and see other opportunities, visit our jobs board: https://lnkd.in/gFV_S7GK

Last Chance to Take Advantage of the 4th Anniversary DiS Circle Discount! Today is the final day to join DiS Circle with an annual membership at 20% off with the code FOURYEAR. Don't miss out on resources, community, and exclusive events. 

Our upcoming Office Hours will be hosted with Marie Jurcevic on June 27th. This event is open to all, but going forward will be a regular event exclusive to Diversity in Sustainability Circle members! Our Office Hours are designed for you to hear from a seasoned sustainability professional and for you to personally ask them questions in an intimate, virtual setting. Over an hour, Marie will provide an overview of her career in sustainability and answer any questions you might have related to your career. More about Marie: “Marie Jurcevic is one of the Co-founders of Diversity in Sustainability and the Sustainability Lead at ARC Resources. Marie leads ARC Resources’ ESG reporting, and disclosure efforts and she supports the development and integration of sustainability strategy within the organization. Marie has been a corporate sustainability practitioner for about 15 years. She has held sustainability roles at Enbridge and Canadian Business for Social Responsibility. Prior to working in the energy industry, Marie worked in the non-profit sector. She specialized in youth engagement and supported youth in various capacities, most notably she was involved in a youth-led anti-racism initiative called Youth Reach Out Against Racism. Marie has a BA in Sociology from the University of Calgary and an MSc in Responsibility & Business Practice from the Faculty of Management at the University of Bath.”

As we approach our fourth-anniversary celebration event, we want to take some time to reflect on the growth DiS has undergone these past years! Don't forget to take advantage of our one-time, 20% discount for annual Circle Memberships, so that you can experience what it’s like to be part of the DiS community. Learn more about Circle over at https://lnkd.in/dcKAmHtz. 

LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE! Tickets are quickly selling out to join us in celebrating our 4th anniversary for Diversity in Sustainability with a two-part event! We love creating engaging and thought-provoking events that cultivate meaningful connections for BIPOC sustainability practitioners and allies, and we are hosting a gathering at Arcadia Earth Toronto, followed by a fun evening at one of Canada's only Black-owned Breweries, Mascot Brewery, just a 12-minute walk away. Each ticket includes a drink ticket and some nibbles — come meet the DiS community and celebrate what we’ve done together these past four years! Reserve your ticket here: https://lnkd.in/exATNNDv 

This June, we are celebrating our fourth anniversary as an organization. The past four years we’ve cultivated a community, and faced a variety of challenges, created innovative solutions and developed experiences to grow together. As we look back on the last four years, we invite you to take part in our reflection of how Diversity in Sustainability has grown and changed throughout its journey. Today we have some insight into the process of the Inclusion Blueprint Dialogues from our intern Julieta Mulangu, who shares how profound and insightful the experience of crafting these reports has been. Keep your eyes peeled as we ask more members of the Diversity in Sustainability team to share their thoughts on DiS’ journey.