Apple VP Lisa Jackson receiving Environmental Achievement Award for ‘greening Apple’s supply chain’

Lisa Jackson, Head of Apple’s Environment, Policy & Social Initiatives, and Former EPA Administrator, to Receive Prestigious Environmental Achievement Award

(Washington, DC): The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) is pleased to announce that it will present its 2018 Environmental Achievement Award to Lisa Jackson, Vice President of Apple’s Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, in recognition of her visionary leadership and outstanding environmental stewardship over a most distinguished career.

According to ELI’s President Scott Fulton, “Lisa has exemplified leadership, innovation, and commitment to sound science and rule of law at each step of her remarkable career. She has been a tireless champion for both sustainability and environmental justice, and has left an enduring mark on both the private sector and the public sector. Her work in greening Apple’s supply chain and in reducing the company’s carbon and natural resource footprint has been exceptional, reflecting the power and reach of business leadership in advancing environmental performance and stewardship.”

At Apple, Lisa oversees the company’s efforts to minimize its impact on the environment and climate through use of renewable energy, energy-efficiency measures, deployment of greener materials, and invention of new ways to conserve and repurpose precious resources. Speaking about Apple’s recent pledge to use 100% recycled materials in a closed supply loop for future fabrication of its devices, Jackson recently said, “I think there’s a business opportunity for people who are willing to rethink recycling. There’s incentive to you to get those resources back and work on re-using them.” And concerning Apple’s voluntary, but absolute, commitment to reduce its carbon footprint, Jackson said, “if we can do it, you should expect the same from every company.”

“Lisa’s journey to where she stands now is truly remarkable,” Ben Wilson, Chair of ELI’s Board observed. “From humble beginnings, she rose to the highest levels of government and now stands out as a leader in the private sector, burnishing Apple’s brand with cutting-edge approaches to sustainable resourcing for products and packaging. She is a true standard bearer for private-sector innovation and commitment to environmental integrity.”

Born in Philadelphia and raised in New Orleans, where she graduated class valedictorian from her high school, Lisa studied chemical engineering at Tulane University and then Princeton, where she received her master’s degree. She began her career at EPA as a staff-level engineer, first at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and then at its New York regional office, where she later served as deputy director and acting director of the region’s enforcement division. After 16 years with EPA, she joined the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, where she ultimately became Commissioner. In 2008, then President-elect Barack Obama tapped Lisa to head EPA; she was confirmed by the Senate on January 22, 2009, the day after Obama took office.

As EPA Administrator, Lisa focused on reducing greenhouse gases, protecting air and water quality, preventing exposure to toxic contamination, and expanding outreach to communities to ensure environmental justice. It was on her watch that EPA made its “endangerment finding” for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs), fulfilling the Supreme Court’s mandate in Massachusetts v. EPA, and opening the door to GHG regulation under the Clean Air Act. She also oversaw environmental and public health concerns during and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including monitoring impacts on human health and aquatic life and assessing environmental damage.

Lisa joined Apple in 2013. In addition to overseeing the company’s environmental efforts, Lisa is responsible for Apple’s education policy programs such as ConnectED, its product accessibility work, and its worldwide government affairs function.

ELI is honored to present the 2018 Environmental Achievement Award to Lisa Jackson on Tuesday, October 23, in Washington, D.C.