About Mike Hower

Based in Oakland, California, Mike Hower is an independent sustainability communication executive with more than 15 years of experience on both sides of the podium — as a journalist and communication strategist for leading global companies. As founder and principal consultant at Hower Impact, he partners with corporations and agencies to fill gaps of sustainability and ESG communication expertise and capacity. 

Mike’s core competencies include external/internal sustainability communication strategy and execution, sustainable branding and messaging, content creation and ESG reporting. He has served as a communication strategist at both large and small consultancies, including Edelman, and has led in-house communication efforts at purpose-driven startups. Mike’s experience spans multiple industries from tech to apparel and consumer packaged goods, including working with The North Face, Mars, HP, Kashi, Snap, Westinghouse, Merck, SurveyMonkey and Norton LifeLock, among others. 

As a journalist, Mike wrote for GreenBiz, Sustainable Brands and Triple Pundit where he covered multiple sustainability topics, including sustainability strategy, climate policy, the circular economy, energy and more. Today, he still contributes to GreenBiz,where he writes about the latest trends in sustainable business and communication.

An active thought leader, Mike shares insights and ideas around sustainability storytelling on LinkedIn, writing his ENGAGE newsletter and blog, and hosting The Sustainability Communicator, the podcast exploring the intersection of sustainability strategy and storytelling. 

Mike has a M.A. in Strategic Communication from George Washington University and a B.A. in Political Science and History from the University of California, Davis. When Mike isn’t communicating sustainability, he likes to travel, go on outdoor adventures with his golden retriever and spend time with friends and family.