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Breaking News
ISSP Conference 2013:
Call for Presentations Now Open for Meeting To Be Held Next May In Chicago
Planning has begun for the next ISSP Member Conference, to be held in May 8-10, 2013 in Chicago. More details will be posted soon on the ISSP Website. The ISSP management team welcomes your suggestions regarding themes and topics to be explored when we all come together next spring in The Windy City. If you are interested in submitting a proposal for a presentation, contact Marsha Willard for the presenter application form. We'll be accepting proposals for presentations until September 30. Nominations Now Open for Next Group of Inductees to ISSP Sustainability Hall of Fame(TM) ISSP has opened the nomination process for the second round of induction of professionals into the ISSP Sustainability Hall of Fame(tm). For more information about how to nominate someone, see the article below.
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ISSP E-JOURNAL ARTICLE:Sustainability Nears A Tipping Point
A joint study from the MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group reveals that a substantial portion of companies are now seeing the need for sustainable business practices - and are deriving financial benefits from these activities.
Learn more about why sustainability strategy is a competitive necessity, what industries are leading the way in the adoption of sustainable practices and who is adding to their profits with their sustainability-related actions. Click here to access a full copy of the report.
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ISSP Conference Planning Advisory Board: Send Us Your Application To Get Involved
The ISSP management team is soliciting applications from members to participate in 1-3 virtual conference planning meetings. We are eager to get member input into the design of the May conference as well as seek fresh perspectives on the selection of speakers (particularly international speakers), program design elements, and sponsorship contacts.
We are particularly interested in participation of members with good connections to the field of sustainability and creative ideas about late breaking trends. We plan to initially limit participation to 15 for this first meeting to ensure a robust and participative dialogue
The first meeting will occur October 8 at 2:00pm Pacific Time. If you would like to submit your name for participation, please send an email to Marsha Willard.
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LOCAL CHAPTER UPDATES
Energy is building in various parts of the country around our local chapter effort. Great Lakes Region - there is a virtual planing meeting scheduled for anyone in the Great Lakes Region of North America. Our boundaries encompass Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ontario and Quebec. If you are in that region and would like to lend your voice to this planning conversation about forming one or more regional chapters of ISSP, join us on November 6 at noon central time/1:00pm eastern time via our webinar platform. To register for this virtual meeting, contact Marsha Willard.
Portland, Oregon - It's about time we got the party going here in our headquarters town! Watch for notices about a series of meetings we are co-hosting with the local Net Impact chapter this fall. These meetings will be presentation/dialogue meetings focused on building local resiliency.
Singapore - The newest request for support for a local chapter comes from Singapore. Like the Portland effort, that one is also likely to be in partnership with another like organization to leverage opportunities to convene people and expand our networks.
If you are interested in forming or joining a local effort in your area, contact Marsha Willard and subscribe to our list serve of interested people, participate in some of our local leadership meetings and help us move this effort forward.
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Nominations Now Being Accepted for New Inductees to ISSP Sustainability Hall of Fame(TM)
ISSP has opened the nomination process for the second round of induction of professionals into the ISSP Sustainability Hall of Fame (TM). The Hall of Fame is an honor bestowed upon professionals who have contributed to the advancement of the profession and/or the advancement of sustainability in organizations and communities.
Nominations are open to anyone. Nominate anyone (including yourself) who shows significant contribution to one or more of our six selection criteria. To submit a nomination, just complete the nomination form. We will accept nominations until September 30, 2012.
Once all the nominations have been submitted, the ISSP board will review them, narrow the slate and submit it to membership for comment and then make a decision based on member input. The professionals chosen for induction will be honored at the Spring conference.
Click here to access the nomination form.
NOTE - Members of the ISSP management team and Board of Directors are not eligible for nomination.
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NEW JOB POSTING
Sustainability Specialist
New opening for a sustainability specialists with a Washington County government agency. Closing date is Sept 7 so check this out today!
View this new opening and others on the ISSP job posting page.
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Book Review: Eco Mind
Lappe, F M (2011) Eco Mind: Changing the Way We Think to Create the World We Want. Nation Books: New York.
The books I enjoy the most are those that make me question my beliefs and mental models and help me look at the world in a different way. Frances Moore Lappe's book, Eco Mind, does just that. Her thesis is that the emotional power of our own ideas can either trap or free us. She maintains that our current mindset of scarcity promoted by well intentioned environmentalists (like you and me) creates a fear of being without that keeps us in an endless competitive struggle and undermines our capacity to come together and collaboratively solve today's problems. We need to choose, she maintains, to think differently and shift our focus to enable us to break out of the old paradigms. To spark this shift, she organizes her book around seven "thought traps;" mental models that inadvertently perpetuate our fear and inability to act. The seven thought traps are:
- Endless growth is unsustainable so we must shift to a no-growth economy
- Consumerism and growing population drive endless exploitation of the earth
- We have to "power down" and live within the limits of the planet
- We have to learn to over come our inherently human characteristics of greed, selfishness and materialism.
- We have to coerce people into doing the right things because otherwise our message looks like an erosion of personal freedom
- We are so disconnected from Nature that people no longer have a love or respect for the environment
- It's too late! We're so far gone there is no hope.
That list should have gotten your attention. What? Is she saying growth and consumerism is good? No, not at all. Lappe puts a different spin on each that will leave you thinking differently about these things.
I'll illustrate what I mean with her chapter on what she maintains is the misdirected "no growth" attitude. Her contention is that what we have been historically calling economic growth has really resulted in very little growth at all of anything of value. What we have actually 'grown' is waste and destruction and the wealth of the 1%, while in the process throwing millions of people into poverty and concentrating power and authority into the hands of a few. The flaw, she says, is not the concept of growth per se, but in what we have chosen to grow - primarily short term returns on the financial investments of current wealth holders. In the end we actually create scarcity out of plenty and are losing our hold on transparency and public participation and distorting public decision making in the process.
This is a great read. Better yet, read the book and come hear Lappe discuss these concepts in the next ISSP webinar September 19, 2012 at 11:00am pacific time.
Webinar: Frances Moore Lappé - EcoMind, Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want
Marsha Willard
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Epsten Group Adds Additional Leadership, Wins Awards As It Continues to Grow
Atlanta-based sustainable design firm Epsten Group has announced that Bill D'Onofrio has joined the firm as Director of Professional Services. D'Onofrio comes to Epsten Group from G Six Design, an Atlanta
| Bill D'Onofrio |
architecture firm that he co-founded, where he served as Managing Director and led development, marketing and management efforts that significantly grew the firm's portfolio to include a number of office, retail and hospitality projects throughout the region. In his new role as Epsten Group's Director of Professional Services, D'Onofrio will provide leadership, management and vision to drive the firm's future growth.
Epsten Group, led by its president and CEO Dagmar Epsten, already boasts an impressive record of success and growth. Thanks to tits success with LEED consulting services and providing practical
| Dagmar Epsten |
sustainable building solutions, the company has grown from just a handful of employees five years ago to a staff of almost 50. The firm has been recognized as one of the Top 300 Small Businesses of the South for two years running, and is on Inc. Magazine's list of fastest growing private companies in America. The firm's LEED Platinum corporate headquarters recently received an Award of Excellence from the Atlanta Urban Design Commission and a TOBY Award from BOMA Atlanta, which recognizes excellence in building management.
Correction to ISSP's Aug 2012 Newsletter Report of Board Member Clifford Bast's Role in EICC Meeting
The August issue of the ISSP Insight newsletter included a headline that incorrectly stated that Clifford Bast, ISSP Board Member and Managing Director for Bast SUSTAINGROUP LLC, facilitated recent meetings at the US and World Business Councils for Sustainable Development joint Spring Meeting 2012, as well as a discussion at the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition's annual membership meeting in Boston MA. In fact, Bast did facilitate a session at the WBCSD-USBCSD meeting, while his involvement in the EICC meeting was solely as an attendee representing one of EICC's member companies.
ISSP was responsible for the earlier misstatement, and we regret the error.
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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. Send your news items to [email protected] with the phrase Newsletter Item in the subject line.
See you on-line!
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September 2012 Virtual Workshop Biomimicry: Pathway to Innovation... Learning from Nature
Live webinars Thursdays September (6, 13, 20, 26) at
1pm PDT/ 2pm MDT/ 3pm CDT/ 4pm EDT
Biomimicry is an old practice and new discipline that emulates nature's time-tested strategies for surviving and thriving sustainably on Earth. Formaldehyde-free building materials modeled after mussels, networks that emulate slime mold, and self-cleaning paint inspired by lotus leaves, are a few examples. A growing number of people are applying lessons from nature's treasure trove of tried-and-true solutions to spur innovation toward creating healthier, more resilient societies. Read more HERE.
Instructor Mary Hansel, Certified Biomimicry Professional, was among the first fifteen graduates of the Biomimicry Institute's two-year professional program with a concentration in biomimicry and business innovation.
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SEPTEMBER 19 WEBINAR Frances Moore Lapp� author of EcoMind, Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want
Wednesday September 19, 2012 at 11am PDT
| Frances Moore Lappe |
REGISTER NOW>>
Join Frances Moore Lapp�, author of EcoMind, for an interactive presentation on her insights and perspectives. Lappe is a giant of the environmental movement and she confronts accepted wisdom of environmentalism. Drawing on the latest research from anthropology to neuroscience and her own field experience, she argues that the biggest challenge to human survival isn't our fossil fuel dependency, melting glaciers, or other calamities. Rather, it's... read more HERE.
Free to ISSP Members. $10 for ISSP non-member site visitors.
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Focus and Design Your Career In Sustainability with Carol McClelland, PhD.
> Early Bird Discount - $50 off - ends 09/10/12
> ISSP Members save $75 -- Anytime
Online activities begin September 17th and end November 25.
Live webinars are Fridays: 11am - 12:30pm US-Pacific Time on September 21, October 5, 19 and November 2, 16.
10 week workshop, $550. Early Bird Discount $50 off ends September 10, 2012. ISSP Members $75 off always.
Join a Cohort of sustainability professionals to strategize and explore career options with Carol McClelland, green career expert and author of Green Careers for Dummies. This program covers a broad range of careers that boost your triple bottom line impact through sustainability, environmental responsibility, and social responsibility. Whether you are reflecting on a career change, exploring ways to have more impact in your career in sustainability or are curious about your next steps professionally, this workshop is an investment in your future. This workshop is the precursor to 2013 Consultants Cohort. Read more HERE. Back To Top
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October 2012 Virtual WorkshopSustaining Sustainability Organizational Assessments & Systems
with Dorothy Fisher Atwood
> Early Bird Discount - $50 off - ends 09/23/12
> ISSP Members save $75 -- Anytime
Dates for Live Webinars: Mondays October (1, 8, 15, 22) at 10am PDT/11am MDT/ 12pm CDT/ 1pm EDT
Management systems are the key to ongoing progress. A sustainability management system allows for systematic internal review, monitoring and corrective actions for continual improvement for your sustainability plan. This workshop will walk you through the creation of such a system to fit your needs. Read more HERE.
| Dorothy Atwood
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Dorothy Fisher Atwood has over 25 years of environmental consulting experience with the last ten years focused management systems implementation for private and public organizations. Her work includes development of implementation tools and procedures, training, and sustainability and environmental management system (including ISO 14001) integration into core business systems.
Past participants report appreciating the provided tools of templates and resources plus enjoy ISSP's dynamic , interactive eLearning experience by meeting online once a week for a live webinar plus interacting 24/7 at the ISSP Learning Center.
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October - November 2012
Virtual Workshop
Sustainability Event Management
five-week webinar-workshop with Meegan Jones
> Early Bird Discount - $50 off - ends 10/01/12.
> ISSP Members save $75 anytime.
Dates for Live Webinars Weeks 1 - 5: Thursdays Oct 11, 18, 25 and Nov 1, 8 @ 3PM PT / 4PM MT / 5PM CT / 6PM ET (Australian time-Friday Oct 12, 19, 26 and Nov 2, 9 @ 6AM WST / 7AM JST / 8.30AM CST / 9AM EST / 11AM NZST)
5 week workshop, $550> ISSP Certificate Participants, $325 (email ISSP)
With increasing urgency to address sustainability, how is the event industry facing the need for sustainable production practices while continuing to be a single-serve product? If you're involved in planning, procurement, production and practical implementation of events, this five-week webinar workshop is for you. Participants enjoy ISSP's dynamic, interactive eLearning experience by meeting online once a week for a live webinar AND 24/7 over 5 weeks at the Learning Center.
Over 500 event professionals have taken this course face-to-face. Now it is offered as an online ISSP workshop taught by Meegan Jones, an experienced sector specialist/instructor from GreenShoot Pacific and author Sustainable Event Management: A Practical Guide. At the conclusion of the workshop... read more HERE.
IREGISTER NOW>>
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OCTOBER 18 WEBINAR
Employee Engagement - The Key for Successful Sustainability Implementation with Kevin Wilhelm
Thursday October 18, 2012 at 11am PDT
REGISTER NOW>>
| Kevin Wilhelm |
Join Kevin Wilhelm, CEO of Sustainable Business Consulting and author of Return on Sustainability, to discuss the barriers to implementation and the how, why, nuts and bolts of employee engagement. During this online webinar, Kevin will highlight not only the latest research and trends, but speak from his experience with having worked with over 60 firms on implementing sustainability. He will bring knowledge and stories (both hilarious and frustratingly sad) of both successes and failures around employee engagement for sustainability.
Read more HERE.
Free to ISSP Members. $10 for ISSP non-member site visitors.
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November 2012 Virtual Workshop
Leadership Skills for Change Agents
with Bob Willard, PhD.
> Early Bird Discount - $50 off - ends 11/01/12.
> ISSP Members save $75 anytime.
Dates for Live Webinars: Mondays November 2012 (5, 12, 19, 26) at 4pm PDT/5pm MDT/ 6pm CDT/ 7pm EDT
Leadership Skills workshop prepares sustainability professionals at any level in the organizational hierarchy to lead an organizational change to a sustainable enterprise. It connects the dots between timeless leadership practices and how to transform an organization to a sustainability culture. Bob teaches how to quantify the business case for sustainability strategies. After successful completion of this workshop, you can apply the core credit towards ISSP's Sustainability Professionals Certificate. Open to all.
At the end of this workshop participants will be able to... Read more HERE.
Bob Willard is a leading expert on quantifying and selling the business value of corporate sustainability strategies. He is also an inaugural member of the ISSP Sustainability Hall of Fame(TM). He is a teacher, speaker and author whose books include The Sustainability Advantage, The Next Sustainability Wave and The Sustainability Champion's Guidebook. He has a PhD. in sustainability from the University of Toronto.
REGISTER NOW>>
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January 2013 Virtual WorkshopEcosystem Evaluations with Jim Pittman > Early Bird Discount - $50 off - ends 12/27/12.
> ISSP Members save $75 anytime.
Dates for Live Webinars: Thursdays January 2013 (3, 10, 17, 31) at 10am PST/11am MST/ 12pm CST/ 1pm EST
Examine ecosystems from the perspective of ecological economics, system dynamics and natural capital investment. Workshop participants will gain understanding about key concepts and dynamics for understanding how healthy ecosystems generate value, as well as familiarity with methods for qualitative and quantitative assessment of ecosystem dynamics. Specific focus will be on tools and strategies for designing resource management systems aligned with the regenerative capacity of nature, as a means for sustaining human activity in an efficient and effective manner.
James Pittman is an ecological economist, professional consultant and educator with over two decades immersed in sustainability challenges and opportunities. James specializes in creative ways to span interpersonal and technological worlds for innovation in communication as well as design and creation of change initiatives at personal, organizational, community and national scales. Read more HERE.
After successful completion of this workshop, you can apply the elective credit towards ISSP's Sustainability Professionals Certificate. Open to all.
REGISTER NOW>>
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WORKSHOP: SUSTAINABILITY 101
Instructor: Darcy Hitchcock, co-founder of ISSP and co-founder of Axis Performance Advisors
Distinguish yourself in knowing the concepts, frameworks and tools used by sustainability professionals. Complete four online Modules in ISSP's foundation course in eight weeks, studying at your own pace.
This is your opportunity to go beyond an understanding of the problems. Darcy's four Modules will help you begin to see how the solutions can weave together to create a better life for us all. You'll end the course with an exploration about where you fit in the picture and what your role might be in creating a sustainable world.
Dates: Open Enrollment. Register at any time. Take up to 8 weeks to complete.
REGISTER NOW>>
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2013 WORKSHOPS Looking forward to the first half of 2013...
JAN Ecosystem Evaluations - James Pittman
FEB Stakeholder Engagement Strategies - Susanne Croft
MAR Sustainability Planning - Marsha Willard
APR Sustainability Management Systems Dorothy Atwood
MAY Practical Tools and Methods - Alan AtKisson
JUN Life-Cycle Assessment - Tom Gloria
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SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
See details about these events on the Partner Events page of the ISSP Website.
- Green Sports Alliance Annual Summit, September 5-7, Seattle, WA
- Building the Sustainability Pyramid - an ISIS workshop, September 5-6, Toronto, Canada
- Fledge Demo Day, September 23, Seattle, WA
- The New Metrics of Sustainability, September 27-28, Philadelphia
- ADWICE Stakeholder Exchange Conference, October 2, Brussels, Belgium
- SXSW Eco, October 3-5, Austin, TX
- BioGas, October 10-11, San Francisco
- SustaiNEXT EU, October 11-12, Dublin, Ireland
- After Rio +20: Moving Beyond 2015: A Peoples' Sustainability Treaty, October 15-19, Ramapo College, Mawah, New Jersey
- Corporate Social Responsibility, October 17-20, Harvard Business School Executive Education, Boston, MA US
- Environmental Sustainability At Work SIOP Annual Consortium, October 19-20, New Orleans, LA
- 3rd Annual Whidbey Bioneers: Inspired Solutions for the Northwest, October 19 - 21, 2012
- The Eco Districts Summit, October 23-26, Portland, Oregon
- Green Industry Conference, October 24-26, Louisville, KY
- Using Visual Methods To Communicate Sustainabilty Concepts, October 25, Webinar
- Local Renewables, October 25-26, Freiburg, Germany
- 2012 Net Impact Conference, October 25-27, Baltimore, MD
- SoL's Leading & Learning for Sustainability with Peter Senge, Joe Laur and Darcy Winslow, November 7 - 9, Bedford, MA
- VERGE San Francisco, Nov 12-13, San Francisco, CA
- The Accountability Project, November 26-30, Vancouver, BC, January 14-18, Toronto, April 15-19, Calgary
- Northwest Environmental Conference and Tradeshow, December 4-5, Portland, Oregon
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