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FREE WEBINAR: February 4
ISSP Certification Educational Partners
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VOLUME 9 NUMBER 2 February 2015
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FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK
It's Time! Sustainability Professionals Are Going Mainstream
By ISSP President and EcoSTEPS Sustainability
Partner Julian Crawford of Sydney, Australia
Dear Fellow ISSP Members,
The New Statesman is a British political and cultural magazine founded in 1913 and still published weekly in London. The world has changed a great deal since then, of course, and ISSP is very much an organization for today's times. Our focus is
sustainability rather than politics.
| Julian Crawford |
But back in an article they wrote in
1917, New Statesman founders Sidney and Beatrice Webb defined a 'profession' as: "a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply objective counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain."
That definition still resonates. So now, in 2015, ISSP is forging ahead with its Sustainability Professional Certification Program. This will add value at three levels:
- Professional: Facilitate cohesion and definition of the emerging profession of sustainability;
- Employer: Add credibility for employers and assurance of a standard level of competency for sustainability professionals; and
- Practitioner: Provide evidence to practitioners in the field of competency, furthering their credibility, influence, and career advancement opportunities
You can read more about our certification efforts in the article below and on our website. I strongly encourage you to contribute to the development process by adding your name and that of your organization to the growing (and impressive) list of supporters.
This is a defining year for the Sustainability Profession as we head towards COP21 in Paris in December. ISSP and its members are stepping up and out into the mainstream. We have almost a thousand direct members, well over 100,000 on our associated LinkedIn site, and a global population of 7.2 billion. There is work to be done.
Julian Crawford
PS: If you're interested is working with us on our Local Chapters, Committees or other projects then please explore the opportunities by contacting us at [email protected].
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Future-Fit Business Benchmark: Three Reasons it's a Timely Tool for Sustainability Professionals
Written for ISSP by Bob Willard, Sustainability Advantage Author and Speaker, and inaugural inductee into the ISSP Sustainability Hall of Fame.
A truly sustainable, future-fit business is defined as a company that creates net positive environmental, social, and economic value throughout its value chain. If it were to operate forever, it would not only do no harm to society and nature; it would do well by doing some net good. The Future-Fit Business Benchmark defines the necessary and sufficient level of performance on 28 environmental and social aspects for a future-fit company.
There are three reasons that this breakthrough benchmark, to be released later this year as a free open-source resource, will be a timely tool for sustainability professionals, especially ISSP members.
Learn about the three reasons and receive an invitation to provide feedback on Public Draft 1.0 of the Future-Fit Business Benchmark
Join us on Feb 18 for ISSP's Webinar: The Why and What of the Future-Fit Business Benchmark, hosted by Bob Willard.
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Get Involved with ISSP's Certification Initiative
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ISSP and ReNewable Now Enter Into Strategic Partnership
ReNewable Now has become the premier media partner of ISSP. ReNewable Now is a Providence, Rhode Island-based media network whose mission is to educate, promote, and report on the positive growth that results when moving towards a more sustainable future, both economically and socially.
Under the terms of the agreement, ReNewable Now and ISSP will partner on a variety of joint promotional and marketing efforts to bring sustainability news and information to our respective audiences.
A video crew from ReNewable Now attended ISSP Conference 2014 last fall to film a series of interviews with conference attendees. Entitled ISSP Profiles in Excellence, the video series profiles leaders in sustainability who share their experience and talk about who inspired them, where they think the sustainability field needs to go, and what aspiring sustainability professionals should be doing to make sustainability standard practice. Details of the ISSP Profiles In Excellence video series can be found in the article below.
Commenting on the strategic partnership, ISSP Executive Director Maureen Hart says, "We're very excited to have entered into our partnership with the team at Renewable Now. They're a great group of professionals from the business, educational and media communities who have come together to focus on what they believe to be the next economy, the Green Economy."
"ReNewable Now is honored to be working with ISSP," says Peter Arpin, partner of Arpin Group and owner of Renewable Now. "We firmly believe that this organization is going to help to shape the future of the profession through their certification program, and on-going educational outreach initiatives. Rarely do you find organizations with such intellectual depth that are complimented with so many passionate and committed individuals that are working for the common good. We are looking forward learning the stories of many of their great members, while also sharing them with the world."
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Updates From The American Sustainable Business Council
ISSP is proud to continue our partnership with the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC). ASBC's mission is to educate and inform the public and policymakers about the benefits of a more sustainable economy, as well as policies and practices that can help the economy become more sustainable. Follow these links for ASBC's updates and policy action calls on federal-level legislation and regulations: Extend NY's Fracking Ban: The ASBC, with partners Green America, the New York State Sustainable Business Council and the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Council, are launching "Rethinking Fracking," a national campaign urging President Obama to stop the expansion of fracking on private and public lands, and to issue strong mandatory standards that reduce methane emissions from new and existing gas and oil development. Sign on to ASBC's letter to President Obama today.Preserve Net Neutrality: Recently, the American Sustainable Business Council Action Fund sent a letter to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) announcing support for their Online Competition and Consumer Choice Act (H.R. 196/S.40). The bill would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to pass rules blocking paid prioritization and enforcing strict net neutrality rules. Show your support for Net Neutrality in Congress.Pledge to Divest-Invest: Business leaders know that significant change can come from moving money from one investment to another. The international Divest-Invest campaign is working to move several trillion dollars from carbon-intensive investments to clean energy. Take the Divest-Invest Pledge today and participate in the Day of Action on February 13.
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New Report Probes University Environmental and Sustainability Programs
The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) recently announced the release of its ninth research report on interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability (IES) education. Focusing on Leadership and Administrative Structures, this comprehensive report is the next in a series presenting the results of the 2012-2013 nationwide survey of IES baccalaureate and graduate academic programs in the United States. Findings include nationally representative data on IES administrative program structures and resources as well as views of program leaders on the challenges they face and the factors important for program success. Twenty-four leaders are profiled to present their distinct views on interdisciplinary program management and illustrate the diversity of approaches on campuses across the country.
"This report is another significant step toward understanding the wave of interdisciplinary environmental programs sweeping across the nation," said Peter Saundry, Executive Director of the National Council for Science and the Environment. "This particular perspective reveals the diversity of individuals being selected to lead these efforts and the diverse ways in which schools are creating administrative structures to house them." Read more about NCSE's research reports
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ISSP Profiles in Excellence Video Series Now Available Online
ISSP and the ReNewable Now media network recently launched their jointly produced video series Profiles in Excellence. The first segment provides an overview of activities at ISSP Conference 2014. A series of interviews with leading figures in the sustainability industry will be posted weekly. Be sure to check back often to explore the latest sustainability trends and insights.
Here's a look at the first several interviews that will be posted in the weeks to come:
- Bob Willard, Speaker and Author of Resources for Sustainability Champions
- KJ McCorry, Founder of eco-officiency LLC
- Joel Makower, Chairman and Executive Editor, GreenBizGroup Inc.
- Maureen Hart, Executive Director, ISSP
- Jeffrey Hollender, Founder and CEO, Hollender Sustainable Brands
- Susan Burns, CEO, Global Footprint Network
- Steve Levitsky, Director of Corporate Sustainability, Amercian Sugar Refining, Inc.
- Marsha Willard, Faculty Member, Pinchot
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Recognition Program to Honor Sustainability Professionals
The search is on to find superstars in the sustainability field who have made a significant social or environmental impact within their first 12 months within a new role at an organization.
The sustainability recruitment consultancy Acre has launched Acre365 to honor individuals who have made exceptional progress in their first year at an organization and discover new influential initiatives to which the employees have contributed.
The Acre365 recognition program will honor three innovators, one who is noted for achievements in social impact, one for achievements in environmental impact, and one who has excelled in both categories.
Applications to Acre365 will also contribute to a knowledge platform of best practices which will be shared among the sustainability community and help raise the bar for future environmental and social impacts.
The deadline for the submission of completed applications is February 18, 2015. Successful applicants will be selected and announced in March 2015. The three winners will receive an Acre365 trophy, invitation to the celebratory awards dinner at a prestigious London restaurant and �1,000 to invest via the Kiva micro-financing platform.
Find out more about the Acre365 recognition program.
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Jobs Board: A Great Resource for ISSP Members Worldwide
ISSP maintains a jobs board of open sustainability-related positions of interest to our members. A few of our most recent posts include:
- Sustainability Coordinator
- Sustainable Buildings and Operations Project Manager
- Sustainability Specialist
- Social Compliance Auditor
- Management and Sustainability Fellow
- Program Manager, Sustainable Communities Collaborative
- Certification Analyst
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Sustainability Events
Happening Around the World
- GreenBiz Forum 2015, Feb. 17-19, 2015, Phoenix, AZ
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SoL:
Foundations for Leadership Program, March 25-27, 2015, Bedford, MA
- SoL: Leadership for Sustainability Workshop, Jun. 2015, Exact Dates & Location TBD
- SoL: Executive Champions' Workshop, Aug. 18-21, 2015, Stowe, VT
- All In For Impact: SRI's 26th Annual Conference, November 3-5, 2015, Colorado Springs, CO
For details about these conferences, visit our
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