Norwalk, Conn. -- Aspecta Flooring supported the inaugural Women in Sustainability Leadership Awards (WSLA) Alumnae Group Mentorship program at the Living Future UnConference, which included matching high potential sustainability mentees with experienced mentors along with a session entitled “Mentorship: A Lifelong Endeavor.”
Rochelle Routman, chief sustainability officer for Aspecta, teamed up with WSLA alumnae at the Living Future UnConference to offer this valuable session. The other Alumnae included: Susan King, sustainable practice leader, Harley Ellis Devereaux (HED); Alicia Silva, director and founder, Revitaliza Consultores; and Nicole Isle, chief sustainability strategist, Glumac. >
The session’s learning objectives included: empower attendees to make a difference by learning the role of mentoring and encouraging the next generation to take action in achieving equity and potential in the workforce; understand being mentored and mentoring is a lifelong process, a strategic tool used to navigate career transitions through influential relationships; learn how to identify potential mentors and cultivate relationships from the advice of the panel leaders; help participants identify unconscious bias – discuss when, why and how audience has felt excluded and how to overcome through mentorship.
“Hosting this session as well as my involvement with the WSLA Alumnae Group mentorship program has been very powerful," said Routman. "There are many people trying to find their best role in the sustainability field, and we need to eliminate all barriers and help them achieve their goals. The world is depending upon diverse people having a voice so that we can achieve the transformational change that is needed to alter the course."
In conjunction with this session, several WSLA Alum’s hosted a mentee during Living Future through the JUST Scholarship Program, giving the mentees the opportunity to take part in Living Future activities. Additionally, Aspecta sponsored their attendance at the Big Bang dinner, a highlight of the annual Living Future Unconference, in which people and projects are recognized for their contribution toward a Living Future.
“In 2016, the International Living Future Institute launched the JUST Scholarship Program, which was designed to help improve the racial and ethnic diversity of participants who attend the annual Living Future UnConference,” said Francis Janes, associate director - JUST, International Living Future Institute. “The JUST Scholarship Program targets students and emerging professionals who are involved in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sectors. Applicants submit formal applications and are assessed on their ability to articulate how they might use knowledge gained at the UnConference to focus their career paths for work in the fields of regenerative design, deep green engineering and socially equitable construction.”
For more information, visit www.aspectaflooring.com.
