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VOLUME 8                    NUMBER 3                 MARCH 2014
ISSP NEWS

TopISSP CONFERENCE 2014

Conference Momentum Grows As More Sponsors Come Aboard

  

Momentum continues to build for ISSP Conference 2014 as more organizations have joined Xcel Energy as sponsors of the event, coming up November 12 - 14 in Denver, Colorado.  Please join ISSP in welcoming The Jigsaw Fund and IHS to the fold!

  

The Jigsaw Fund of Dan & Robin Catlin of Boulder, CO has signed on as the presenting sponsor of ISSP Conference 2014. "The Jigsaw Fund is committed to helping solve complex problems by encouraging collective action for community impact," explains Dan. "We believe ISSP and the members of sustainability profession offer considerable opportunity to influence the wise use of the planet's natural resources upon which all life depends."

  

IHS is a global information company that has committed to support ISSP Conference 2014 as a break-out sponsor. IHS is comprised of world-class experts in the pivotal areas shaping today's business landscape: energy, economics, geopolitical risk, sustainability and supply chain management. The company employs more than 8,000 people in more than 31 countries around the world.

  

The Jigsaw Fund and IHS are supporting ISSP Conference 2014 along with Xcel Energy, a speaker sponsor for the event. Xcel Energy is successfully pursuing a clean energy strategy that promotes renewable energy, helps customers save energy and improves existing power plants. The company is on track to reduce carbon dioxide emissions about 30 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels.

 
It's forward thinking organizations like these that help advance the mission of ISSP. Learn how to join them as a conference sponsor or exhibitor here

 

DEADLINE EXTENDED - MARCH 10 IS NEW DATE FOR CALL FOR CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS 

  

Would you like to present to more than 400 of your peers? ISSP is currently entertaining proposals from potential presenters and panelists for 75-minute concurrent sessions at ISSP Conference 2014. The call for presentations has been extended to Monday March 10th, so act now.

  

ISSP conference attendees represent a broad range of sustainability professionals. The audience will be international in scope and is certain to include professionals with years of experience in their fields as well as new entrants looking to expand their skills and connections.

  

To download a copy of our presentation proposal submission form, click here.

  

  

NOMINATE SOMEONE FOR THE ISSP SUSTAINABILITY HALL OF FAME 

  

A new group of inductees will be welcomed into the ISSP Sustainability Hall of Fame (TM) during a ceremony at ISSP Conference 2014. Send in a nomination of someone you feel deserves this honor. Follow this link to access the nomination form.

 

Managing Organizational Sustainability: Demonstrating the Business Case for Sustainability Professionals in the Workplace

 

More public and private organizations are employing sustainability practitioners, making the profession a fast-growing new job class that is helping organizations become greener, according to a new report published by the McGraw Hill Financial Global Institute. 

 

  The report, Managing Organizational Sustainability: Demonstrating the Business Case for Sustainability Professionals in the Workplace," was written by authors from the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council and provides a preliminary exploration of the relationship between sustainability professionals and performance, as well as the opportunities, challenges and suggestions for future research.

 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of people employed in the "green goods and services" field increased over 5 percent from 2010 to 2011, reaching more than 3.4 million. "Initiatives that align the business case with environmental performance are the holy grail of sustainability program success," said Anisa Baldwin Metzger, who helped author the report and leads school district sustainability for the Center for Green Schools at USGBC.

 

To read more about the report and to download a full copy, click here.

 


MEMBER INVOLVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Get Involved !!! ISSP Looking For A Few Good Volunteers 
 
One of the best ways to network with other ISSP members and other sustainability professionals is to volunteer to help with an ISSP project. And the ISSP staff would really appreciate you contributing your time and talents! 

 

Right now, we have a need for some extra help on avariety of projects, including these two which are related to the planning of ISSP Conference 2014.

  • Organizing data for a mobile event application that we are considering for use at the event.
  • Calculating the carbon footprint of our conference.

If you'd like to get involved with these projects or others as they present themselves in the run up to the conference, please drop a note to ISSP Marketing Director Ray Berardinelli at the following address: [email protected]. Thanks! 

 

ISSP ASIA CHAPTER MEETING BEING PLANNED

 

Help Us Plan Next Round of Webinars By Sharing Your Ideas

 
We're in the process of planning a new set of Webinars for the remainder of the calendar year, including an inaugural meeting for members of the newly forming Asia Chapter of ISSP. Check the Local Chapters Page of the ISSP Website where details will be posted as we firm up plans for that one.


We'd also like to know what other Webinar topics you'd be interested in exploring. Do you have a idea you'd like to suggest for the focus of a Webinar? Would you like to be featured as a Webinar presenter, or know of someone who would? Send your ideas to Education Program Director Christy Nordstom @ [email protected].

 

More New Opportunities
Posted On the ISSP Job Board 
 

ISSP posts job openings in the sustainability field on its job board, which is accessible to all ISSP members. Several more new listings have come through this month. Including...

 

  • Executive Director of an Environmental Network 
  • Supply Chain Manager         
  • Assistant Director of Sustainable MBA Program 
  • LEED Green Building Project Manager
  • Sustainability Specialist

 

ISSP members, check them out here: ISSP Job Board 
 

 

There's Still Time to Input to Survey About Sustainability, CSR and 3BL Performance

 

The University of Michigan-Flint School of Management, in cooperation with other academic, sustainability-related and trade organizations, is conducting a survey to explore business sustainability issues and collect information that firms can utilize to bolster their competitive advantage.

 

There is still time for members of the ISSP community are invited to contribute to the survey by following this link: http://bit.ly/1ir9egP

 

Business sustainability focuses on the long-term growth of a firm, as the driver for improvement in their bottom line, employee morale, productivity, retention, and customer satisfaction. Consumers are now more educated about business and how firms treat stakeholders. Business Sustainability incorporates merging company and shareholder interest, facilitating economic, environmental and social benefits.


Even though adapting to changing times can be difficult, it is integral for longitudinal growth and company survival. The intent of the survey summary report is to help businesses to be pro-active and competitive.

  

Important points explored by the survey will be as follows:

  • Insight will reflect on how to approach sustainability. The linkage between Corporate Social Responsibility and Triple Bottom Line Performance is explored.
  • Identify logistics businesses can reflect on as alternatives to pursue growth and sustainability at both the facility and community levels.
  • Help business professionals better position themselves and their companies for growth in changing markets based on input from a variety of successful business operations as a working example. 

Add your input today and sign-up to access a copy of the final report.

 

 

BOOK REVIEW

Taking on Water

 

By Wendy J. Pabich

Random House, New York NY, 2012

Reviewed by Faye Sinnott, President of Solution Navigators, Inc. and ISSP Member

  

Taking on Water by Wendy J. Pabich is a book about a passion ... Wendy's passion for saving and protecting water. It is a energetic read, vibrant because of the several levels that the author weaves into her chronicle: the difficulty in an average home owner determining their direct uses of water and cost effective ways to reduce it; the lack of financial incentives, given the cheapness of U.S. water, to take action; the interrelationship between power and water, be it in the processing of fuels or transporting food; all along with a world-wide view of water availability and the gradual effects of climate change.

  

This book would be most helpful to policy folks who would like to understand the barriers for everyday citizens to implement more water efficient behaviors, as well as government agency personnel who want some insight into steps they could be taking to create better water policies and perspectives on what is needed to make them truly operational for public adoption. Another potential reader segment is those entrepreneurs who need a quick get-up-to-speed on the practical mechanics of water in order to envision measuring and monitoring tools that would be home-owner friendly.

  

It is both a hopeful and a frustrating read. The book is hopeful, because there are so many ways each of us can become more mindful of our water use, and reduce it. It is frustrating, because changing individual habits is hard work. Frustrating too because the book documents so much water waste, e.g. EPA data suggests that "running toilets, dripping faucets, and other household leaks can waste more than 10,000 gallons of water each year in a single home." 

 

To read the complete review, click here.

 

 

EDUCATION AND EVENTS 

Experience sustainability professional development with live webinars, free resources and online discussion forums

CHECK OUT ISSP'S TWO WEBINARS THIS MONTH
All webinars are recorded
Register to receive the link & view later

The New Global
Sustainability Goals
How to connect to the "SDG" process, and how to "build a Pyramid" for sustainability
with Alan AtKisson
    
Alan AtKisson The new set of "Sustainable Development Goals" are expected to define the global sustainability agenda for the next 15 years. What will these goals mean? How can the global process be used to create more awareness -- and more change -- at the community and corporate level? Read more ...

To celebrate the ISSP 2013 Conference in Chicago, Alan wrote "Sustainability is for Everyone" and all attendees received a copy. The book is now available at a 20% discount (ISSP members click here to order with your discount: https://www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org/special-offers-issp-members
Use this link to purchase the book w/o the discount: http://sforeveryone.wordpress.com/purchase/

Wednesday March 12, 2014 @ 11:00am Pacific Time-US  Check for your time zone here

 

Free: ISSP Members

Or join us for $10 USD$ 

To register click here.

  

  


Bring your
Sustainability Program to Life:
Strategic Insight and Best Practices in Inspiring
Employee Engagement
 
with Kathryn Cooper & Wendy Firlotte
    

In this webinar you will learn:

  • The four critical steps in creating a successful employee engagement for sustainability strategy and proven approaches to success.
  • Insights on the psychology of sustainability engagement and why it has the power to make authentic culture change in your organization.
  • Bonus: Earth Day Planning Tips with 10 excellent Earth Day Ideas.   
Presenters:

Kathryn Cooper, President and Chief Learning Officer, Sustainability Learning Centre.  Kathryn has developed, taught and implemented numerous employee engagement in sustainability programs.  


Wendy Firlotte, Sustainability Engagement Specialist, Engage International.  Wendy works with sustainability engagement professionals to assist them in creating or revitalizing employee engagement for sustainability programs that are strategic, mobilizing and measurable. Read more... 


Thursday March 27, 2014 @ 11:00am Pacific Time-US  Check for your time zone here.

Free: ISSP Members

Or join us for $10 USD$ 

To register click here.

  

  

Storytelling for Sustainability
Deepening the Case for Change 

Early Bird Ends MAR 27


Online course with Jeff Leinaweaver
Jeff Leinaweaver Communication is fundamental in all our lives and this all begins with a story.  In the worlds of strategic sustainability and corporate social responsibility, more and more attention is being focused on the importance of storytelling as a key component in one's toolkit for change.  With Jeff, learn how to put into practice skills at communicating stories that matter. Read more ...

 


ISSP Certificate courses are open to anyone.
For more info and to register click here
  

  




Sustainability Events
Happening Around the World

For details about these conferences, visit our

Calendar of Worldwide Sustainability Events


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