Celebrating Earth Day with Our Top Sustainability Speakers

This Earth Day we want to shed light on some of our dedicated speakers who champion environmental sustainability. Their work across different areas of environmentalism, social entrepreneurship, and eco-activism is changing the world for the better. Get inspired through their stories and lessons to be the reason our world is a better place.

Chad Pregracke, Founder and President of Living Lands & Waters

Chad’s life mission is to clean up the American rivers. At the young age of 17, he established a now internationally recognized non-profit, Living Lands & Waters, dedicated to taking better care of the rivers he grew up diving. In its 23 years, Living Lands & Waters has amassed over 70,000 volunteers and removed over 8 million pounds of garbage from the American river system. It has also planted over 730,000 trees through MillionTreesProject and educated thousands of students aboard Chad’s floating classroom barge.

Chad is accomplishing his mission to clean up America's rivers and has created a social movement that engages people and betters the world in the process. His speaking inspires his audiences and explains how the average person can make a big difference.

Doc Hendley, Founder and President of Wine to Water

As a bartender, Doc used his experience of bringing people together over drinks and music to better our world. In 2003, he began fundraising through bartending to help fight water-related issues, diseases, and deaths around the world. Eighteen years later and Doc’s non-profit Wine to Water aims to help the 1.1 billion people worldwide who lack access to clean water.

Doc was named one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes for 2009 and calls himself proof that anyone — even a tattooed keg-tapper — can cure what ails the world. In his keynote, he dives into the importance of seeing yourself as a force of change and crossing perceived barriers to help a global community.

Erin Brockovich, Iconic Environmental Activist & Consumer Advocate

Most of us know of Erin from the Oscar-winning film based on her advocacy, Erin Brockovich, which tells the story of her exhaustive investigation into corporate misdeeds that led to the largest lawsuit payout in US History. After exposing Pacific Gas & Electric for poisoning the small town of Hinkley’s water for over 30 years, she fought to take them down and win the Hinkley residents $333 million in damages.

Erin used her law degree to fight for the little guy in all matters regarding the health and safety of our planet and our citizens. As President of Brockovich Research & Consulting, she is currently involved in numerous environmental projects worldwide. She is currently working on groundwater cases in California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri.

Her speaking breaks down her method for success in uncovering and winning disputes based on ethics and she shares her passion with audiences of all sizes around the world.

Jill Buck, Thought Leader in Sustainable Business Systems

Jill Buck puts sustainability through the lens of profits to help every corporation see its benefits. As Founder and CEO of Buck Consulting, she teaches business leaders how to quantify ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) initiatives in order to meet reporting standards for third party ratings like the Global Reporting Initiative, as well as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the NASDAQ Global Sustainability Index. Jill’s proven techniques help businesses drive revenue up and cost down through environmentally responsible business practices.

Her training and speaking are applicable across all industry sectors and focuses on building a more sustainable company while increasing profits. Win-win!

Peter Thum, Founder & President of Ethos Water

In 2005, Starbucks bought Peter’s first social enterprise, Ethos Water which has granted over $14 million to provide water, sanitation, and hygiene education to more than half a million people worldwide.

Next, he moved on to found Liberty United and Fonderie 47, an enterprise that protects and educates more than 3,200 at-risk children in dangerous neighborhoods from gun violence. They are funded by selling jewelry, accessories, and art made from illegal guns, diminishing gun violence in African war zones and at-risk American neighborhoods.

His speaking drives social responsibility in today’s corporate America, as well as defines the keys to being a successful social entrepreneur.

Daniel Esty, Former Obama Administration Environmental Adviser

Daniel Esty is a Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale University. One of the world’s leading experts on corporate environmental strategy, he has advised dozens of companies in a range of industries across the world on energy, environmental, and sustainability issues. In 2002, Daniel received the American Bar Association Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy for “pioneering a data-driven approach to environmental decision making” and developing the global Environmental Sustainability Index. Six years later, he played a significant role in President Obama’s campaign as an energy/environmental advisor.

In his keynote, he provides tangible ways corporations can make environmentally sustainable changes that will help prevent climate change.

Tom Kostigen, Award-winning, New York Times Bestselling Author and Journalist

As an environmental journalist, Tom has written for every publication from National Geographic to his column in USA Today, The Climate Survivalist. He has written 6 nonfiction books, most of which are focused on environmentalism and climate change.

Kostigen speaks widely at major conferences and events around the globe, including The Climate Project in Seville, Spain where he shared the stage with Nobel Prize winners Al Gore and Rajendra Pachauri; The Aspen Institute; The Commonwealth Club; Disney’s Environmentality conference; and other forums large and small. Bring his environmental expertise and exciting stories about traveling the world to your next event.