This year’s BLD PNW conference theme is Forest + Fire. We’ll host conversations and workshops that help businesses use these frameworks to examine their role in times of upheaval and regeneration.
We live and work amid radical change. The world is on fire, metaphorically and literally, and we can see accelerants like political polarization, technology, climate change, and systemic injustice contributing to the blaze. We know the wisdom exists to use fire to reduce risk and revitalize ecosystems instead of harming them. How can we harness disruption as a force for regeneration rather than destruction?
Our time calls for community resilience. In the face of failing norms and institutions, we sink our roots deeper, with networks beneath the surface to communicate and share resources. Like our venerable PNW forests, diversity is a sign of health, and the canopy of elder trees creates micro habitats for different organisms to specialize. How can we steward our communities like forests—interconnected, adaptive, and enduring?
We are looking for speakers and facilitators to join the BLD PNW 2025 program. Please provide content proposals based on the questions and prompts below. Submitting a proposal in partnership with other leaders/organizations is encouraged. Proposals may be considered for main stage sessions, breakout sessions, or both.
The deadline for submission is 5pm on Saturday, May 31. We will be in touch the following week to confirm your place in the program or for further discussion. Speakers receive free or discounted tickets to the primary conference day on September 10.
Consider these questions as examples and starting points. They might sound big, but focus on your role and experiences. You can touch on one of them or explore the connection between multiple questions.
- How can leaders find equilibrium between “forest” and “fire” mindsets to ensure long-term thriving? Does your team use frameworks of patient, iterative progress or more disruptive, wholesale transformation?
- How can businesses act as stabilizing forces in times of social, economic, or environmental upheaval? What do roots and resilience look like at your company?
- Life is an endlessly creative process. How have you used examples from the natural world in the workplace?
- Negative news and social narratives surround us. Companies need to speak up with their values, but we can’t respond to everything. How can we find a measure of equanimity or safe ground for our employees and brands? Has your team found it valuable to participate in the firestorm around certain issues?
- In times of threat or degradation, healthy forests have trees that send signals, share resources, and protect those most at risk. The PNW is among the largest and most diverse B Corp communities anywhere. What does your company have in surplus to share with the regional ecosystem? What does it need that others could provide?
To submit a proposal, please create an account. You will be able to save and edit your submissions before sending.
About BLD PNW
BLD PNW (B Corp Leadership Development - Pacific Northwest) is the largest gathering of B Corps and purpose driven organizations in the Pacific Northwest. By providing a unique opportunity for inspiration, networking and professional development, we build a stronger movement to use business as a force for good.
This is the 9th annual BLD PNW event, and it will be our biggest yet! We'll have programs and social events between September 9-11, with the primary conference day on September 10 at the World Forestry Center. While the event is designed with the B Corp community in mind, it is open to all, and a third of attendees typically come from values-aligned nonprofits, universities, and government. We expect 300+ leaders to attend.