The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) will present its 2018 Environmental Achievement Award to Lisa Jackson, vice president of Apple’s Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, on Tuesday, Oct. 23, in Washington, D.C. She’s being recognized for “her visionary leadership and outstanding environmental stewardship over a most distinguished career.”
“Lisa has exemplified leadership, innovation, and commitment to sound science and rule of law at each step of her remarkable career,” ELI President Scott Fulton says. “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, Jackson 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, she says, “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.”
Born in Philadelphia and raised in New Orleans, where she graduated class valedictorian from her high school, Jackson 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 Jackson to head EPA; she was confirmed by the Senate on Jan. 22, 2009, the day after Obama took office.
As EPA Administrator, she 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.
Jackson joined Apple in 2013. In addition to overseeing the company’s environmental efforts, she’s responsible for Apple’s education policy programs such as ConnectED, its product accessibility work, and its worldwide government affairs function.
And in January 2017, she was named to a a new advisory committee of the U.S. Department of Transportation to unify and regulate the introduction of automated vehicles to U.S. highways. According to the Department of Transportation, the main focus of the group is the “development and deployment of automated vehicles, and determining the needs of the Department as it continues with its relevant research, policy, and regulations.” In addition to Jackson, other board members include an avaiation attorney from Amazon, Lyft co-founder John Zimmer, Waymo CEO John Krafcik, and Hyperloop One Senior Vice President Henry Claypool.
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