Michigan Sustainable Business Forum is launching two new permanent committees of its Board of Directors that will allow it to better advance its mission and strategic plan: a statewide membership committee, and for the first time since the organization\u2019s founding, a Policy Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Engagement and Impact Committee will focus on enhancing the value of Forum participation for current and prospective members. The Committee will support strategic membership growth by identifying opportunities to foster meaningful connections across regions and sectors, expanding the Forum\u2019s presence across the state, elevating member voices, and aligning resources and programming with member needs. It will also lead the nomination process for the annual Sustainable Business of the Year Awards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The E&I Committee will include five sitting directors of the board, at large members, designated regional champions and liaisons for key member constituencies. It will be supported by Operations Manager Carrie Veldman and Sustainability Associate Hanna De La Vega Sanchez, and co-chaired by Roger Cargill, president of FinitePhoenix LLC and Devan Dodge, Sustainability Manager for the City of Royal Oak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Policy Committee will evaluate policy proposals and recommend positions to the Board of Directors. It will include two sitting directors of the board and an estimated 10 at large members of the Forum that understand and support its strategic goals: expand sustainability programs and investment, mobilize business to advance environmental justice, support the creation of a circular economy in Michigan, and eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions in the state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Policy Committee will work closely with the Membership Committee and its regional subcommittees, as well as the Forum’s six councils and relevant working groups. It will be co-chaired by Mike Csapo, General Manager, Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of Southwest Oakland County and Executive Director Daniel Schoonmaker, with staff support from Sustainability Associate J Heise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Evolution of the Forum’s Infrastructure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When the organization became an independent non-profit organization in 2009 following an amicable separation from West Michigan Environmental Action Council, it chartered nine committees reporting to the Board of Directors. The three infrastructure (program, marketing, fund development) and six “value-added” committees formalized the ad hoc groups and initiatives that emerged over the 15 years the Forum spent as a WMEAC program, when the organization grew from 10 to 80 active corporate members between Greater Grand Rapids, Holland and Muskegon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The value-added committees focused on Sustainable Design, Social Responsibility, Scholarship Award, Tools & Resources, Energy Demand Management, and Sustainable Business Practices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n All of the infrastructure and value-add functions were consolidated or centralized as the organization matured and hired full-time staff. For the past decade, the Forum has favored roundtables and working groups aligned with strategic initiatives and market transformation goals. Several of the Forum’s long-standing working groups went into hiatus post-pandemic as their members became increasingly scheduled with meetings and other obligations. Since then, the Forum has prioritized participatory campaigns and projects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n