REI’s sustainability chief to speak at Ohio State

Combine your work and passions and you can climb mountains. Including real ones.

That’s the message of a presentation being given by Vik Sahney, vice president for sustainability for Seattle-based REI, on April 12 at Ohio State.

Sahney, who at age 38 has climbed the highest peaks on all seven continents, including Mt. Everest, will present “From Summits to Sustainability: Reaching for High Places, Personally and Professionally” at 7 p.m. in the Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom in the Ohio Union in Columbus.

The event is a signature event of the Ohio State-based Environmental Professionals Network (EPN).

Outdoor retailer REI, whose motto is “A life outdoors is a life well-lived,” is the largest consumer co-op in the U.S., with more than 6 million members. In Ohio, it has stores in Columbus and Cincinnati.

Lofty goals? Bring your passions

David Hanselmann, the network’s coordinator and a lecturer in Ohio State’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, said Sahney “will share how it’s possible to follow one’s personal passions to also successfully pursue lofty professional goals.” The school is part of the university’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

Sahney, a Michigan native, has five degrees in engineering and management from the University of Michigan and MIT. In the past, he has worked for Ford, Boeing and the management consultant firm McKinsey & Company.

REI’s bold, broad programs

Hanselmann said Sahney also will talk about REI’s “aggressive, multifaceted” sustainability and stewardship programs — programs that focus, among other things, on the co-op’s manufacturing, business and labor practices and on creating, protecting and improving outdoor places.

EPN’s past signature events have drawn more than 1,000 people, Hanselmann said. The network also hosts a series of monthly breakfast programs.

How to register

Admission to Sahney’s presentation is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required at go.osu.edu/Br3x. Further details on the event are at go.osu.edu/Br49.

The Ohio Union is at 1739 N. High St. Paid public parking will be available in two parking garages next to the building.

Co-sponsoring the event are Ohio State’s Office of Energy and Environment, Sustainable and Resilient Economy Discovery Theme, and Energy Management and Sustainability program in the Office of Student Life.

 

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