Greetings from the Executive Director
Dear CBSR Members, Friends and Colleagues,
 2012 was a very eventful year for CBSR and we thank you for your support throughout our strategic renewal process. Your candid feedback, guidance, and encouragement to see a renewed CBSR has been essential as we worked to define new ways to serve you better. In 2013 we move forward with a clear mandate to be Canada's CSR resource and to scale what is already the most established professional network of its kind in Canada.
Those of you that were able to attend our 10th Annual Summit earlier this month were given a preview of our plans and experienced the quality of content we are committed to delivering: progressive CSR research, engaging events, and increased profile for Canadian companies that are doing well by doing good.
CBSR will get a new look for 2013 and updates to cbsr.ca will be rolled out in the coming weeks but the changes will be much more than esthetic. How you access information and engage with other members will continue to evolve as we develop a thoughtfully curated experience that delivers relevant information to your industry and role.
As we move away from a membership model centered on one-to-one advisory services, our renewed network will enable clusters of stakeholders to solve daunting social and environmental problems through the power of collaboration.
Your 2013 Membership renewal package will be sent next week and we look forward to demonstrating our impact. If you have any questions or feedback, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. The CBSR team is energized and excited by the challenges ahead and we thank you for the opportunity to contribute to your sustainability journey.
Steven Fish
Executive Director
Canadian Business for Social Responsibility
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Biomimicry: Emulating Nature's Genius to Enable Long-Term Sustainability
On November 7th at our 10th Annual Summit, Dr. Dayna Baumeister, inspired the CBSR Summit's delegates with a concept many of us have not yet been exposed to - Biomimicry - defined as a conscious effort to emulate nature's genius.
Giving an entire new meaning to the expression, 'thinking outside the box', Dr. Baumeister revealed the boundless possibilities found within the natural world that could help solve business challenges and challenges of survival. Fascinatingly, biomimicry offers a myriad of opportunities to realizing sustainable development goals. Read more
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Engaging Stakeholders for Mutual Benefit - Lessons Learned
 Successful engagement plans help to strengthen relationships, increase trust business and its stakeholders and create mutually beneficial projects for all parties involved.
In this breakout session, Lorraine Little, Enbridge; Etienne Lamy, Rio Tinto; John Coyne, Unilever; and Evelyne Guindon, CARE Canada discussed what each of their organizations are doing on the stakeholder engagement front. Read more
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Stay tuned for more CBSR 10th Annual Summit session blogs in the next newsletter!
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Thank you for attending the Summit!
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Members Share Recent CSR News
Bullfrog Power and RBC team up to give away Blue Water Project VISA gift cards and solar chargers - Read full story
Sustainalytics reports increase in value of the Jantzi Social Index (JSI) - Read full story
Interested in sharing your CSR story with the CBSR network? If you are a current CBSR member, contact Ksenia Benifand to learn more about profiling opportunities.
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Conference Board of Canada
The Transformational Company: A Model to Advance Sustainability, Tackle Risks and Embrace Opportunities
(January 30, 2013, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EST), WEBINAR
Featuring Coro Strandberg, CBSR Associate and John Coyne, VP of Unilever Canada, you will learn about new global research that identifies the characteristics of a transformational company-including qualities that firms must adopt to be sustainable over the long term. Click here for details
Partner Events and Learning Opportunities Biomimicry 3.8 The CBSR community is invited to explore biomimicry (www.biomimicry.net) by taking Biomimicry 3.8's on-line course with a special 20% discount off the $99 USD course. This 2-3 hour self-paced interactive course explores the realm of biomimicry including case studies, tools and resources for bringing biomimicry into your business and how to connect with the expanding discipline. To take advantage of this offer before it expires December 15, please click here. Click enroll and sign up for a new account (or log in if you already have one with Biomimicry 3.8). In your shopping cart, enter "CBSR" in the promo code field and click "apply changes". The cart will update with your 20% discount. Click "checkout" to complete the process. Interested in gaining biomimicry expertise? The Biomimicry Specialist Certification Program has now been launched! Register before December 17 and receive a 5% discount! Click here for details
The Natural Step
Level 1 Sustainability Course: Foundations in Strategy (December 4, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm EST), Toronto, ON
Work through a hands-on case study, giving you the knowledge and tools to better understand "strategy" and take a systemic approach to planning and managing sustainability initiatives. Click here for details
Sustainability Learning Centre
Building Global Sustainable Supply Chains (December 4, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm & December 5, 8:30 am - 12 pm EST), Toronto, ON
Use this workshop as an opportunity to establish best practices, cultivate a common understanding of your current situation and needs, and develop a collaborative approach with key members of your supply chain. Click here for detailsToronto Sustainability Speaker Series Thought Leaders to discuss how to create a better form of Capitalism: Capitalism 2.0 (December 5, 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm EST), Toronto, ONDiscussions regarding what metrics must be embedded into the capitalist model to ensure that change goes beyond words, what changes are necessary to fix our broken form of Capitalism and more. Click here for details For a full listing of Canadian and international CSR Events please visit our website.
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SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
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Share your thoughts on our Transformational Company framework
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CSR RESOURCES
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The Regeneration Roadmap Consumer Study Re:Thinking Consumerism - Consumers & The Future of Sustainability
Click here to read (PDF)
IBLF presents a 'call to action' for business leaders challenging and supporting business leaders with a 10-point action agenda
Click here to read The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) announces new research project on material sustainability topics for sectors - seeks input before Dec.14 Click here to read
Towards more effective and sustainable corporate responses to artisanal mining
Click here to read
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Join global thought-leaders and practitioners to discuss the future of CSR. Read more | |
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