In this episode of Sustainability Ambassadors, José María Figueres, Former President of Costa Rica, speaks with Rich about putting Costa Rica on the path to sustainability in the 1990s.

The conversation starts with WHY he saw sustainability as an opportunity for his country, and from there HOW he developed strategy, aligned stakeholder, and measured success.

Timestamps:

00:30 - Welcome to Sustainable Ambassador Podcast

01:20 - Jose Introduction

02:20 - Creating a vision for sustainable Costa Rica

03:50 - Conserving he environment is a fantastic business opportunity

06:40 - Making tough sells a reality

07:40 - Pushing for the things you believe in, and can prove with science

08:05 - Measuring success

10:30 - Sustainability & economic tranformations

12:05 - The role of subsidies to promote, or inhibit, sustainable investments

14:15 - The challenges leaders face to making decisions with long-term return

16:15 - How stakeholders are catalyzing leaders

17:50 - The role of storytelling to bring solutions to scale

20:00 - Advice to young professionals

About Jose Maria:

José María served as Minister of State and was later elected President of Costa Rica (1994–1998) at the age of 39.

As President he created a comprehensive national development strategy based on the tenets of sustainability: sound economics, investment in human development, and a strong alliance with nature.

José María pioneered the linkage between sustainable development and technology, which he continued after his time in government by helping to create the United Nations’ ICT Task Force, and then serving as its first Chairperson in 1999.

He was also the first CEO of the World Economic Forum, where he strengthened global corporate ties to social and governmental sectors. Later he was named CEO of Concordia 21, dedicated to supporting organizations that promote development and democratic values around the world.

In 2013, José María helped launch the Global Ocean Commission to formulate politically and technically feasible recommendations to address key issues facing the high seas. He currently serves as its Co-Chair.

Follow José María Figueres:

Website: https://www.figueres.cr/en-us/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Figuerescr

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/figuerescr

About Collective Responsibility

Based in Shanghai, Collective Responsibility is a strategic advisory firm founded by Richard Brubaker, one of Asia’s most recognized authorities on sustainability, innovation and responsible leadership.

Founded with the fundamental belief that a sustainable world can only be achieved through awareness of issues, finding tangibility in business cases, and development of cross-sector collaboration, Collective Responsibility acts as a knowledge base, catalyst, and facilitator between stakeholders.

Our mission is to:

– Create a knowledge base and catalyze discussion of issues related to the development of civil society, business sustainability and social development in Asia.

– Develop tangible interests, engagement, and action on issues of sustainability (economic, environmental and societal).

– Develop organizational capacity with the aim to help create stable and profitable enterprises.

Follow Us:

Website: http://www.coresponsibility.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CollectiveRe...

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coll...

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/beyondbau

WeChat: http://www.coresponsibility.com/wechat/

Contact Us:

Social@coresponsibility.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.