March 2009 Speaker Series event

It is rare to hear a presentation that is so naturally given, so incredibly thoughtful and profound. Lorrie Vogel, the General Manager of Considered Design at Nike, accomplished this feat in front of a room full of 60 women and men at the most recent Speaker Series event for The Link For Women on March 5th. Lorrie's job title describes exactly what she does. She sets strategy for Nike designers to create sustainable products thoughtfully and intentionally. As a leading expert in design innovation and sustainability, she was able to succinctly explain the concept of sustainability, the current state of the Earth, and how Nike is playing an important role by adopting sustainable practices for a future "green economy". Not only does Nike now use a measuring system to gauge the sustainability of each and every product from inception on, but every product that Nike develops is now recyclable and can be turned into a new type of Nike product. These are not new product lines, as Lorrie explained. They are new “ethos” for Nike. With Earth Day approaching, this was the perfect speaker to highlight the gravity of the situation, the responsibility of the small percentage in the world who understands the idea of sustainability, and the optimism that can and should accompany the vision of and movement toward a sustainable future.

The atmosphere in the room was attentive and enthusiastic during the presentation and the question and answer period following the presentation. We captured some of the great responses from the audience members below:

“It was nice to have a speaker this time who provided educational information on a topic we hear about daily and who also gave us ideas of how we can make more of a contribution on a personal level.”

“Lorrie's presentation provided a great amount of information about Nike's initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint in their products. She showed that she has great and innovative ideas and the talent to implement them successfully. Thank you for sponsoring her presentation.”

“Great presentation and fun location. I'm so glad I came to another Link event. I'm definitely hooked on the group!”

We look forward to seeing you at our next event!
~ Felisa