The Women in Sustainability Leadership Awards (WSLA), gb&d magazine’s annual accolade, recognized the most powerful women making a difference in the world through sustainability at the annual awards ceremony. Aspecta was the title sponsor of the awards, which were created to grow awareness, promote advancement, and support the development of women leaders.

Rochelle Routman, Aspecta’s chief sustainability officer, spearheaded the formation of the WSLA Alumnae Group, comprised of past winners, to extend the impact of the WSLA by creating a formal network that would enable them to collaborate and together create positive change in the world, specifically through mentorship. The inaugural WSLA Alumnae Summit, held prior to the WSLA Awards, was attended by 30 alumnae and guests. Guest speakers Sandra Henry, the chief sustainability officer of the City of Chicago, and Arathi Gowda, educator and architect, discussed their strategic work in sustainability as well as the importance of risk taking for women in this field.

At the WSLA Award program, Routman showed a video with highlights from the Summit. “With this new group of women honored tonight, WSLA winners now number 66 strong,” she said. “We have leaders in many fields: architects, designers, scientists, inventors, entrepreneurs, corporate and non-profit leaders, educators, and everything in between. In addition to the U.S., we have women that are practicing sustainability in Mexico, Turkey, Canada, and now Pakistan and Hong Kong. This truly is a global effort with incredible potential and we are already seeing the benefits of the alumnae group, which has been in place for only one year.”

For more information, visit gbdmagazine.com/wsla.