November 14, 2007 -- SAN LUIS OBISPO - Several international companies sensitive to the issues of sustainability have stepped up to do something about it. Kodak, Mohawk Papers, Quebecor World, and Xerox are initial sponsors of the upcoming sustainability conference at Cal Poly, titled "The Business of Green Media."
The conference, set for Jan. 24, will bring together leaders in the production of sustainable media. Sessions will focus on the business challenges and opportunities that face the graphic arts community and those involved in media production. This includes printers, publishers, packaging companies, advertising agencies, graphic designers, Web and Internet site developers, and equipment manufacturers and supply vendors, and educators.
A reception and banquet featuring The Honorable Robert C. Tapella, Public Printer of the United States, will follow the conference at the Embassy Suites Hotel in San Luis Obispo.
"The Business of Green Media" will focus on what the graphic communication industry is doing currently and what it plans to do in the future to address issues related to sustainable business practices, said Harvey Levenson, head of Cal Poly's Graphic Communication Department. "The conference will provide advice and strategies for companies to become 'green' and, hence, more appealing to clients and more profitable." Levenson said.
"Kodak, Quebecor World, Mohawk Papers and Xerox are leading industry advocates of communication through sustainable media. We welcome other industry sponsors that support sustainability efforts and are doing something about it," Levenson said.
Don Carli, senior research fellow at The Institute for Sustainable Communication and conference chair, will provide an overview of key sustainability trends and best practices for sustainable communication supply chains. "Attendees will learn how challenges of sustainability and global warming are changing communication supply-chain requirements and creating opportunities for innovators," Carli said. Additional discussion will focus on:
- How to build the business case and gain support at the top for the investments and changes
- The changing needs and rewriting "vendor scorecards"
- The implications of the California Global Warming Solutions Act for printers, print buyers and their suppliers
- Guidelines for developing a sustainability policy, and
- How to determine the "carbon footprint" of business.  
The Cal Poly Graphic Communication Institute, supported by the Cal Poly Graphic Communication Department, will host the event in conjunction with SustainCommWorld, LLC. Cal Poly's College of Liberal Arts is also a co-sponsor of "The Business of Green Media."
For more information on "The Business of Green Media" sessions and activities, visit <http://grci.calpoly.edu/sustainability.html>http://grci.calpoly.edu/sustainability.html.
For more information on sponsorships and registration contact Levenson at 805-756-6151 or [email protected] or Terry Wellman at SustainCommWorld, 206-275-9992 or [email protected].