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MARCH 2012                                                                     VOLUME 5 NO. 3       

In This Issue
March Webinar: Creating A Sustainable Organization
April Workshop: Systems Thinking
April Webinar: Eco-Product Marketing
May Workshop: Life Cycle Assessment
June Webinars: Green Jobs and Careers
June Workshop: SPaRK Sustainability Planning
Board of Directors Corner
Strategic Coaching with Gil Friend
Sustainability Greenprint Reference Tool
Sustainability Conferences and Events
 
 

Run-Up To Rio+20ISSP Seeks Accreditation, Tracking Significant Activities for Sustainability Professionals

 

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) -- better known as the Rio+20 event --  will take place in Brazil on 20-22 June 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of the original Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The last major gathering in the UN sustainable development pathway was the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg in 2002.

Given the scope of the Rio+20 event and its potential outcomes, ISSP is carefully monitoring the run up to Rio+20 for its members. As a priority in ISSP's "Policy, Standards & Partnerships" workstream, various activities and webinars relevant to Rio+20 are being planned for members, and ISSP itself is seeking accreditation to the UN Rio+20 process. With four months to go until the conference, this article is intended to provide sufficient background for members to understand the process and to access relevant materials. 

The UN has structured the Rio+20 conference around two themes: encouraging a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; and evaluating the institutional framework for sustainable development. In the run-up process, Member States and stakeholders have also identified seven priority areas that will help guide the creation of a framework to advance green economies. These include poverty eradication and green jobs, energy, water, food security, urbanization, disasters, oceans and seas, as well as climate change and biodiversity. For full text of this article, click here. 
  
Next month's newsletter will include additional Rio+20 information and updates. The ongoing ISSP and Vermillion Institute webinars on "Innovators in Sustainability" are intended to showcase leaders and innovators in various sectors as a contribution to Rio+20. Finally, stay tuned for more details about ISSP's Rio +20 webinar scheduled for late May. In that webinar, ISSP Members will hear from a senior UN official and representatives from NGO's and business on the significance of Rio+20 for sustainability professionals.

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MarketingWkshop
MARCH WEBINAR:  CREATING A SUSTAINABLE ORGANIZATION  |  Approaches For Enhancing Corporate Value Through Sustainability

Join us as we host author, Peter A. Soyka, in an one-hour webinar.    

 

CREATING A SUSTAINABLE ORGANIZATION: Approaches For Enhancing Corporate Value Through SustainabilityThursday March, 2012 @11am PT (GMT -8) / 12pm MT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET / 8pm CET (GMT +1) TIME ZONE CONVERTER 

Please register for this event and if you are unable to attend live, you will receive the recording link to view/listen to later.   

   

Organizations that prioritize environmental, health, and safety (EHS) issues are well placed to attract better customers, better talent, and today's growing number of socially responsible investors. But, to gain these benefits, companies must choose the right sustainability strategies, and then manage and measure them well.

 

Leading business sustainability consultant Peter Soyka offers a complete and actionable guide to driving greater value through sustainability. In Creating a Sustainable Organization: Approaches for Enhancing Corporate Value Through Sustainability, Soyka bridges the disparate worlds of the EHS/sustainability professional and the investor/analyst.

 

During this webinar participants will learn what the evidence says about linkages between sustainability and value... how to manage key stakeholder relationships influencing corporate response to EHS and social equity issues... how to effectively manage sustainability throughout the business... how to evaluate sustainability posture and performance from the standpoint of external investors and internal management... how to maximize the influence of organizational actors focused on sustainability, and much more.

 

Who should attend?
  • Environmental, health, and safety decision-makers and professionals concerned with improving sustainability and value
  • Executives and strategists seeking long-term competitive advantage
  • Stock analysts evaluating potential investments
  • Researchers and MBA candidates currently studying the techniques and potential of corporate sustainability  

 Free to ISSP members and $10 for non-members. 

Register Now >>     

   

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Sust101APRIL VIRTUAL WORKSHOP:   Alan AtKisson's Practical Tools and Methods -> Systems Thinking

Instructor:  Alan AtKisson

Alan AtKisson
Alan AtKisson
 
Workshop's Live Webinars meet on-line on Thursdays (April 5, 12, 19, 26) 2012 for 60 to 90 minutes.
12pm PT | 1pm MT | 2pm CT | 3pm ET | 9pm CET | 7pm GMT  TIME ZONE CONVERTER  

 

Participants also meet online at the ISSP's Learning Center 24/7 over 4 weeks. For more information and to register, click here

 

This course will guide practitioners through the jungle of sustainability techniques and change processes, and help you learn when and how to apply them successfully. Using the ISIS Method (Indicators | Systems | Innovation | Strategy) as a guiding structure and sequence, you will deepen your understanding of these general methodological categories, as well as specific sustainability tools, with AtKisson's ISIS Accelerator tools in focus. You will begin to apply both the ISIS Method and a variety of tools you select (from the Accelerator suite) to develop a sustainability project or initiative, and will work to produce a detailed strategic action plan.  You will dig into case studies, examine the inner workings of selected tools, and consider the ethical dimension of strategy development. 

On completion of the workshop, participants will have received a thorough orientation to the art of Sustainability Change Agentry and be eligible to apply for recognition as a Certified Practitioner of the ISIS Method and ISIS Accelerator tools.

Alan AtKisson has been working at the forefront of sustainability for over twenty years; and he has helped to initiate, guide, train, or strategically develop sustainability initiatives in many different countries. As a consultant, he has worked with clients in many different sectors as well, from small businesses to global corporations, from large cities to small islands, from UN and World Bank funded programs in Africa to US military bases. Among other books and publications, he is author of The Sustainability Transformation: How to Accelerate Positive Change in Challenging Times, a required book for the workshop. His most recent publication is the just released Life Beyond Growth report and is dedicated to the memory of Donella Meadows, lead author of The Limits to Growth (first published in 1972). 

Register Now>>       

 

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MarketingWkshop
APRIL WEBINAR:  Eco-Products | A Living Case Study with Sustainability Maven, Claudia Capitini

Wednesday April 25, 2012 @ 11am PT (GMT -8) / 12pm MT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET / 8pm CET (GMT +1)  Please register for this event and if you are unable to attend live, you will receive the recording link to view/listen to later.   

   

Claudia A. Capitini Sustainability Maven Eco-Products, Inc
Claudia Capitini

Eco-Products, Inc., is a small Colorado foodservice company, that produces plates, cups, utensils and more from renewable and recycled-content materials instead of virgin plastics. Despite their size, Eco-Products strives to move the industry away from foam, polystyrene, and non-renewable plastics toward better, more environmentally responsible single-use products.

 

On Wednesday April 25, 2012 Claudia Capitini, officially titled Sustainability Maven at Eco-Products, will share her sustainability journey and discuss the challenges of sustainability in an industry that is not traditionally known for its "green". Ms. Capitini leads all sustainability efforts at Eco-Products internally and externally and has over 10 years of experience in the pursuit of sustainability across a wide variety of sectors. 

 

Free to ISSP Members and $10 to non-members.  

Register Now >>       

   

 

Sust101MAY VIRTUAL WORKSHOP:   Life Cycle Assessment 101 | A Simulated Approach

Instructor:  Tom Gloria  

Tom Gloria
Tom Gloria
Workshop's Live Webinars meet on-line each Tuesday (May 1, 8, 15, 22) 2012 for 60 to 90 minutes 12PM PT | 1PM MT | 2PM CT | 3PM ET  TIME ZONE CONVERTER  

Participants also meet online at the ISSP's Learning Center 24/7 over 4 weeksFor more information and to register, click  here.     

Learn the steps involved and complete a simple life cycle assessment in a business simulation.  You will gain an understanding of the scope, challenges and possibilities in applying life cycle assessment to decision-making processes.     

This is a great introductory workshop for sustainability professionals: 

> wondering if LCA would be a good field to get into 
> who may need to hire a firm to do a detailed LCA and need to know enough about the process to manage the project 
> who need an introduction to LCA before taking the 'deep dive' into the certification training.

 

Thomas P. Gloria, PhD is Managing Director of Industrial Ecology Consultants. He has more than 19 years of professional experience in sustainability management consulting and information technology engineering design. His work encompasses product innovation; LCA; LCM; methods and policy implications GHG inventories; and energy efficiency feasibility analysis.

Register Now>>     

 

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JUNE WEBINAR:  Make Your Transition to a Greener, More Sustainable Career Successful

 

Join us June 21, 2012 at 11am PT as we host Carol McClelland, PhD and Vicki Lind, MS for an interactive webinar on Make Your Transition to a Greener, More Sustainable Career Successful. During the webinar, you'll discover: 

  • Ways to assess the state of green opportunities in your field. 
  • How to streamline your career transition.   
  • How to identify your next step in your transition journey.
  • Why searching for a job may not be your best transition strategy.  
  • How to avoid potential detours that can cost you valuable time during your transition.  
  • The "Top Ten Mistakes" make in career transition and job search.
Carol and Vicki have hosted several ISSP career webinars. The two of them designed a Career session at the 2011 ISSP Conference that Vicki moderated along with co-panelists Eryn Emerich and Roger Hughes.  
Carol McClelland
Carol McClellan

 

Carol is one of the nation's leading green career experts. Throughout her career, Carol has helped thousands of people find work that matches their values and interests.  Carol is the founder and Executive Director of Green Career Central, an online coaching center dedicated to helping experienced professionals leveraging their existing skills, experience and passions in the ever-evolving green/clean/sustainable economy

Vicki Lind
Vicki Lind

 

Vicki is one of the leading career counselors in Oregon with a specialty in jobs in sustainability and is author of "Finding a Job Worth Having: for Creatives and People Who Want to Make a Difference" and co-author of "Portland Green Guide to Networking and Jobs."   

 

Stay tuned for more details and the registration link.

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JUNE 2012:  SPaRK - Sustainability Planning - Virtual Workshop

Instructor: Marsha Willard, PhD. 


Workshop's Live Webinars meet on-line on Tuesdays (June 5, 12, 19, 26) 2012 for 60 to 90 minutes. Click here for more information.

 

This popular ISSP workshop will walk you through the steps of creating a comprehensive sustainability plan: from justification for your sustainability efforts, through impacts assessment and determination of measures.  Over 4 weeks you will develop a "draft" plan and experience applying each of the key steps of the process. You will be provided a trial version of the SPaRK tool which is an Excel based file that includes the worksheets and data entry tables for recording your key planning decisions.   

 

Marsha_Willard
Marsha Willard

Course instructor is Marsha Willard, author of The Step by Step Guide to Sustainability Planning, is co-founder and CEO of AXIS Performance Advisors, Inc. a Northwest based consulting firm specializing in helping organizations implement sustainable business practices. She has worked with organizations in both the public and private sector providing training,  consulting, facilitation and executive coaching services. Marsha is also Executive Director of ISSP.   


Here's what a participant from the January 2012 workshop reported: "Everything is going well! I've just talked our Chief Academic Officer into starting a major sustainability project using my sustainability plan from Marsha's class!!!!  We are steering the ship in the right direction."

Register Now>>   

THE  BOARD OF DIRECTORS CORNER  

 

ISSP Brokers New Sustainability Partnership
Between EcoSTEPS and SustainAsia!


As a professional association, ISSP improves the skills of sustainability practitioners through education, knowledge sharing and research.  Consequently, we are proud that the connection made through their ISSP relationship of two of our Board members, Julian Crawford (EcoSTEPS) and Christophe Bongars (SustainAsia) has led to a great practical result.

EcoSTEPS
and SustainAsia have recently signed a cooperation agreement to work closely together and progress their individual and collective business development strategies. The geographic and service ranges of SustainAsia and EcoSTEPS are extremely synergistic and it is anticipated that the closer working relationship will result in greatly improved sustainability consulting service opportunities for all clients. EcoSTEPS is a trans-disciplinary consultancy based in Australia that specializes in Strategy and Sustainability since 1999.  EcoSTEPS' emphasis is on sustainability training, education, practices and strategies. 

SustainAsia is a specialist advisory firm based in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India and Japan, focusing on the clean technology sector, as well as energy
&  environment infrastructure projects in the Asia Pacific region. Since 2005, SustainAsia provides sustainability consulting and investment advisory services, expertise and tools to high performance companies and investors.


 
Clifford Bast Shares Tips on How To Plan for Impending
"Grey Tsumani" in EHS/Sustainability Arena
 
  

New ISSP Board member Clifford Bast participated in a panel during last October's Annual EHS Management Forum hosted by the National Association of Environmental Management (NAEM) that addressed the need to develop a highly capable next generation of EHS/Sustainability leaders. With many senior professionals nearing retirement, the panel was organized around concerns about a coming "grey tsunami" and how this development is creating the critical need for corporations to take a strategic approach to succession planning.

 

Clifford's colleague and co-panelist Mark Coleman, Senior Program Manager, Golisano Institute for Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology, reviewed the sobering statistics that substantiate this premise. For example, Mark asserted that "many senior leaders in Fortune 500 companies or federal agencies like USEPA share concern that up to 75 percent of their (professional EHS/Sustainability) staff is nearing retirement age." And "when they retire, they will leave behind a large gap of fundamental and institutional knowledge between the Baby Boom generation and those that will fill their shoes."

 

Clifford Bast

Clifford then emphasized that a strategic approach to succession planning needs to consider how the demands on EHS/sustainability leaders resulting from today's complex global business environment have evolved; and how these demands have influenced the essential skills and capabilities that today's leaders require. He then described an historical framework, developed from his 20-year tenure leading Hewlett-Packard's pioneering Global Product Environmental Stewardship/Sustainability program, which consists of five phases, i.e., "Compliance", "Risk Management", "Prevention", "Product Stewardship" and "Sustainability".  

 

Each of these phases generated new business demands and the resulting need to acquire a new set of capabilities to meet those demands. At the same time, as he addressed each new phase with his team, Clifford was able to capitalize on the unique opportunity to galvanize greater involvement by business and functional leadership and to achieve greater integration of EHS/ Sustainability into the company's core business strategy and processes.

 

"It's precisely the challenge and opportunity of equipping today's leaders with the right mix of skills and knowledge that motivated me to join the ISSP Board," said Cliff, who is Managing Director for Bast SustainGroup LLC.    


 
K.J. McCorry Advances Sustainability In Rocky Mountain Region As Faculty Member of University of Colorado Sustainable Practices Certificate Program

K.J. McCorry, owner of eco-officiency and an ISSP board member, is on the faculty of University of Colorado Sustainable Practices Certificate Program. She teaches two classes for the program, one on Sustainability Planning and one on Sustainable Business Practices.

K.J. McCorry

 

The Sustainability Planning course teaches the fundamentals of developing a sustainability plan for an organization. Students learn various approaches to facilitating and creating a sustainability plan for organizations as well as determining metrics and ROI. In addition, ideas and best practices are introduced on how to engage employees in the process of implementation.

 

The Sustainable Business Practices course teaches the fundamentals of business sustainability. It provides a basic understanding of sustainability terminology and frameworks, as well as learning about the historical background and evolution of sustainability in business. Students also learn a broad overview on consumer market and trends, communications, sustainability claims and certifications, industries within sustainability and learning how to build the business case for sustainability.  

 

The students in the program are either interested in or already practicing sustainability within a variety of organizations. Students come to the program from a wide array of backgrounds to advance their current career in sustainability or for professional development towards a new career in sustainability. Students range from professionals in business, non-profits, local government agencies to current undergraduate and graduate students.  

 

K.J. has been part of the Sustainable Practices Program for two and half years.  She is also a contributing author to Simple Path to Sustainability; Green Business Strategies for Small and Medium Sized Businesses released in Spring of 2011. Click here to learn more about K.J.'s background.

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Members, Send Us Your News !!! 

Have you or your company done something interesting lately? Did you recently publish an article, win an award or make a presentation to a large group?  Let us know what you've been up to so we may share it with your fellow members here in our newsletter.NewsLogo  Send your news items to
with the phrase Newsletter Item in the subject line.  See you on-line! 
   

StrategicCoaching

 Hall of Fame Recipient Gil Friend Offers ISSP Members

Special Discount on Strategic Coaching  


ISSP Hall of Fame recipient and veteran sustainability consultant, Gil Friend, has made a generous offer to ISSP.  Gil will extend a discount on his professional coaching service to any ISSP member. The coaching service provides confidential, one

Gil Friend

-on-one conversations directly with CEO Gil Friend to help you clarify and advance your company's, your client's and your personal sustainability goals.  

This service is especially designed for sustainability professionals -

even those at the top of their game - who are interested in continuous improvement, learning and capacity building.  Think about it: as good as you are, how much more could you get accomplished with the consistent, committed support of an experienced coach?

If this is something that sounds right to you, Contact Gil directly. Mention your membership in ISSP and he will offer ... 

10% off on one month contract

20% off on two month contract

30% off on three month contract 

 

Call Gil at 510-435-6346 or email [email protected]
For more information go to Natural Logic  

 

StrategicCoaching

ISSP Lexicon Project Inspires Development of  

Sustainability Greenprint Reference Tool  

 

In September 2011, the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) held its inaugural meeting in Portland, Oregon, and featured a working session by Ira Feldman and the ISSP Sustainability Lexicon Project,™ as an attempt to promote a consensus among practitioners in various disciplines with respect to sustainable terminology.

 

One of the hallmarks of the sustainability movement as it has emerged in the past quarter century has been its international origins and interdisciplinary nature. Because of the great diversity of disciplines and cultures, even professional practitioners have difficulty communicating across their fields.

 

David Hendrickson

This became evident, at least to conference attendee David Hendrickson, during the session. As a consequence, students of sustainability are confronted with a kaleidoscope of terms, agencies and contexts within diverse fields such as planning, business, design, economics, psychology, chemistry, human rights, biology and finance.

 

What's more, the proliferation of so many labels, certifications, standards, principles, models and assessments coming on line-increasing by the month it would seem-makes it exceedingly difficult even to track them all.  Just to stay current with the flood of the latest models, certifications and terminology becomes a formidable challenge.

 

David went home from the conference inspired to add to the discussion. What he came up with was the Sustainability Greenprint, a handbook that attempts to encapsulate the diverse field of sustainable development and assist practitioners and others by providing a primer or handy reference tool to those who may otherwise be intimidated by the jargon and "alphabet soup" that has become part and parcel of sustainability's "greenspeak."

 

This work outlines a range of terminology in a straight-forward manner that focuses on various guidelines, principles, models, certifications, organizations and frameworks. It focuses on the key terms and ideas that provide a common ground to build a foundation about what sustainability is a and why sustainability is so complex and dependent on the situation.

 

It is by no means comprehensive, but it does offer a useful vantage point from which to view the lay of the land and segue into a fast-changing and exciting domain. It isn't intended as a treatise to be read from beginning to end, although some may find it instructive to do so, and he intentionally tried to expand the field from its environmental roots to include social and economic aspects that often get left out. When possible, examples of best sources and best practices help the reader move beyond understanding what a concept is to see how it may be applied.

 

The material is arranged into various sections, each featuring a particular facet of sustainability.

  1. Building A Sustainable Foundation
  2. Finding Common Ground
  3. Measuring Performance: Sustainability Standards, Assessments & Tools
  4. Sustainable Communities and Green Buildings
  5. Bending the Bottom-line
  6. It's All About the People
  7. What We Can Learn from Nature
  8. Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
  9. The New Frontier
  10. Forging Ahead
  11. In Search of  the Wayfinders
  12. Sustainability Players
  13. The Alphabet Soup of Sustainability

Undertaking an assignment of this nature was a bit daunting; like peeling an onion, the further you go, the more layers you find underneath. Yet instead of going hungry with tears in our eyes, David's mentality was to start frying something up to fill up our bellies, while discussing the nuances of the field.

 

You can find out more information by clicking here.  David welcomes feedback and comments that will help to reveal that next layer and expand the scope of discussions and understanding.

 

David Hendrickson is an experienced advisor, analyst, strategist, author and mentor, with broad experience in sustainability community planning and policy, international development, partnership development and stakeholder engagement. David has acquired a reputation for his pragmatic, "get-things-done" style, effective facilitations and his ability to bring out the best in teams and individuals. He advises communities and governments locally and internationally on sustainable development policy and planning and is based in Vancouver, BC Canada. David has a PhD in sustainable community development and is the Principal of David J Hendrickson Consulting.

 

 

SeptEventsSUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

 

See details about these events on the Partner Events page of the ISSP Website.      

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