Sustainable Life Media today launched its “Issues in Focus” initiative, featuring monthly expert guest editors and a robust month-long editorial series that tackles issues key to business innovation for sustainability. The first of the series, The New Metrics of Sustainable Business, launched online today and will continue throughout the month of October 2011 featuring R. Paul Herman and Nick Gower from HIP Investor as guest editors. Herman and his team have curated a wealth of submitted and recruited content that will be delivered daily throughout the month, showcasing leading edge examples of business metrics being used to value, measure, manage and help connect financial, environmental and social impact. The new “Issues in Focus” website section and daily newsletter content will be combined with hosted online learning discussions and crowd sourced commentary. The first month’s virtual learning will culminate in an in-depth, face-to-face gathering on Oct. 24^th at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Here, business and thought leaders who are actively engaged in leading the effort on issues such as bringing eco-systems services on to the balance sheet, shifting people from an expense to an asset class, valuing industry collaboration and more, will gather to share challenges and learning.

“What we’ve heard from our community of sustainability and communications strategists is the need for a deeper and more comprehensive look at the many complex issues they face when making and managing sustainability commitments, taking a sustainable brand to market and managing it for the long haul.” said KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz, CEO of Sustainable Life Media (SLM). “Adopting a monthly Issues focus allows us to create a more comprehensive view into specific issues being grappled with in our community - one that can become a spark for productive virtual, and in some cases, face to face conversation.“

According to Skrzyniarz, “We encourage business leaders to bookmark this month’s Issues in Focus page and visit often throughout the month to get a sense of the value of this shared learning experience. New content will be posted daily, conversations will be created, and crowd sourcing of insights and best practices will come from our global Sustainable Brands community.”

SLM’s new “Issues in Focus” series launches with the support of prominent solutions providers SAP and PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as sponsors, and CFO Magazine as a media partner. SAP, one of SLM’s leading sustainable business solutions provider partners, has demonstrated rapid, intelligent and systemic commitment to sustainable innovation since determining the importance of sustainability to the future of business. About their involvement in this series specifically, Jim Sullivan, VP, Strategic Advisor at SAP said, "SAP recognizes that 21st century businesses are responding to dramatically shifting demand for greater transparency and efficiency. We are committed to supporting important thought leadership dialogue on the evolution of business metrics and pleased to be part of this important conversation taking place both online and at Wharton this month.”

Both SAP and PwC will be contributing to the conversation both online and at the conference along with dozens of other experts in the field. "At PwC we work with our clients every day to embed sustainability into their businesses and create value. Our leading clients recognize a critical next step in their journey toward sustainability is to measure the impact of that value. We are thrilled to share our learnings on this important topic through our support of The New Metrics of Sustainable Business," said Kathy Nieland, Leader, US Sustainable Business Solutions, PwC about the partnership. CFO will be on hand to document the conversation in order to help accelerate the important thinking being discussed at the event to their influential audience.

To take part in this month’s online learning and discussion, participants can simply visit Issues in Focus and create a user profile and/or follow the discussion on twitter at #newmetrics. To take part in the landmark dialogue that is taking place in Philadelphia at The Wharton School on Oct. 24^th, register at “The New Metrics of Sustainable Business.”

Issues in Focus is designed to extend the connections and creativity for the Sustainable Brands’ community now topping 50,000 brand strategists, sustainability consultants, designers, and communications specialists world-wide.

About Sustainable Life Media
Sustainable Life Media (SLM) is the most respected international producer of sustainable business conferences and educational events, with additional products and services designed to support profitable sustainable innovation including a peer-to-peer membership community, targeted e-newsletters, “Issues in Focus” editorial features and events, an online research and learning library, in-house training programs, SB Insights Research and its flagship Sustainable Brands Conference.

Sustainable Life Media, Inc.

Sustainable Life Media, Inc.

Sustainable Life Media is an integrated media company that delivers information, produces events and cultivates communities of interest to facilitate the shift to a flourishing and sustainable economy. Our mission is to inspire and enable forward-thinking individuals and organizations to innovate and implement ideas that contribute to individual and collective health and prosperity that can be sustained.

We bring together optimistic, visionary and courageous individuals from around the world who share a passion for purpose and a desire to create change. Leaders from around the globe are intrigued by Sustainable Life Media's ability to convene diverse stakeholder groups that create an atmosphere for open and transparent conversations that lead us towards a future of innovation and imaginative ideas that support a flourishing and sustainable economy.

Sustainable Brands – our flagship learning, collaboration and commerce community, draws together sustainability, brand and design/innovation professionals to share success stories and emerging best practices and to push the envelope of social and environmental brand innovation. Our goal in serving the Sustainable Brands community is to paint a clear picture of what is driving change in today's business landscape, uncover leading-edge sustainable brand strategies and tools, and facilitate community collaboration for shared benefit – all with the goal of helping more brands prosper by leading the way to a better world. To learn more, visit www.SustainableBrands.com.

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