The opening plenary session will set the stage for the Congress, providing a common platform to practitioners of various physical and ecological sciences, engineering, economics, and social sciences for exchanging emerging ideas about strategies for protecting the environment and addressing resource depletion. The session will discuss ways to achieve sustained economic growth and societal benefits on a long-term basis. The speakers will provide insights into what the sustainability challenges are to corporations and what they are currently doing and planning to do to meet those challenges.