Sissel Waage, Ph.D.

Sissel has over 16 years of experience working on environmental, social justice, and sustainability issues in North America, Europe, and Africa. Her areas of expertise include sustainable design, sustainable business, markets/payments for ecosystem services, community-based conservation, and conservation-based economic development.

Currently an independent consultant, she focuses on international environmental markets, with Business for Social Responsibility's Environmental Markets Working Group (comprised of BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, and Shell) as well as Forest Trends, as a senior strategist and analyst for the international Katoomba Group programs.

Previously, Sissel launched and directed the R&D Program at The Natural Step, an international advisory services and research organization focused on sustainable business. She also served as core staff with The Natural Step's Services Group, advising Fortune 500 companies on integration of sustainability into strategy, operations, reporting, and philanthropy (including McDonald's, Nike, and FedEx Kinko's).

Her work has been published in a range of journals including Corporate Environmental Strategy, Environmental Finance and the Journal of Sustainable Forestry. She has also edited two books entitled, Ants, Galileo, and Gandhi: Designing the Future of Business through Nature, Genius, and Compassion and Ignition: What You Can Do to Fight Global Warming and Spark a Movement.

Sissel completed her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and received her B.A. magna cum laude from Amherst College in Massachusetts. She has also studied at the University of Oslo in Norway as a Fulbright Scholar and at the National University of Singapore.

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