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 Thought of the Day
Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change, Report 5, Sept. 2013:
"Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed
changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. The atmosphere and ocean have warmed,
the amounts of snow and ice have diminished, sea level has risen, and the concentrations of
greenhouse gases have increased."
"In the Northern Hemisphere, 1983-2012 was likely the warmest 30-year period of the last 1400 years."
"It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century."
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"You may delay, but time will not, and lost time is never found again."
Benjamin Franklin
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Upcoming SLC Courses & E-Learning
Green/Sustainability Project Management (ON-Line). Starts October 9, 2013.
Sustainable Procurement I: A Procurement Approach to Building a Sustainable Supply Chain Oct.10, 2013 Toronto
Reconceiving Conservation (ON-Line), Oct. 16 - Dec. 4, 2013
Inspiring Engagement in Sustainability, Oct. 17 -Nov. 27th. Early Discount Deadline Oct. 3rd.
Getting Ready for G4 (under GRI) Webinar, October 16, 2013, 12 noon.
Sustainability Toolkit: a practical guide to integration, Oct. 24, 2013
Life Cycle Assessment for Marketing & Communicators, Nov. 20, 2013.
Life Cycle Assessment for Project Managers and Product Designers, Nov. 20 & 21, 2013.
Employee Engagement for Sustainability (ON Demand - available now)
Greenhouse Gas Measurement & Reporting (ON-Demand - available now)
Facilitating Transformational Change for Sustainability I (ON Demand - available Now)
Facilitating Transformational Change for Sustainability II (ON Demand - available now)
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Upcoming Partner Programs
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Sustainability Practitioner Course
(4 Day)
The Accountability Project recently announced the dates for their four-day Sustainability Practitioner Course. It covers the essential topics for sustainability/CSR managers and professionals.
You can take the whole course or any of its four modules:
- Standards & frameworks - key sustainability concepts and global standards
- Stakeholder engagement - the who, what, why and how of engagement
- Reporting & assurance - G3, G4, integrated reporting and other developments
- NEW Integration & embedding - how to build in sustainability and make it work
All modules are interactive, rich in examples, and delivered by TAP's experienced trainers.
Registration is now open for Calgary (Nov. 4-8, 2013), Vancouver (Dec. 2-6, 2013), and Toronto (April 7-11, 2014).
For more information or to register (tell them you heard about it from the Sustainability Learning Centre!) |
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Greetings!
"How hot will it get in my lifetime?" A relevant question as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its 5th Report last week. Curious? Plug your birth year into this Guardian interactive graph and voila - your global warming "potential" laid out for you.
With some somber hesitation, I plugged my youngest son's birth year into the table.
Year - 2000. He's 13 - has two cowlicks, plays hockey, likes pie, still makes handmade birthday cards for me. The chart below is the world we are creating for him. Add the release of the UN Global Compact Accenture CEO Study on Sustainability 2013 released last week and you are left holding your head in your hands. "Why focus on all this bad news?", you ask. Because "where you place your attention grows". We need to grow some urgency. We need to get unstuck. And every one of us has a role in inspiring this change.
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Based on the new IPCC Report, this is a chart of expected global temperature increase over the lifetime of my youngest son. |
Inspiring People to Action
What will it take to inspire people to action? I think that in our hearts, we all want to do the right thing, but we're all "stuck on the plateau of good intentions". (1) How do we bring out the best of the human spirit to effect change at this critical time?
We need to change our thinking at a very basic level, challenge our assumptions, and reimagine the world. Not sure where to start? Here are a few ideas.
Your Call to Action
Read Our New Blog: The Four Natural Laws of Creating Sustainability Ambassadors
Gain Insights on Inspiring Engagement: Inspiring Engagement in Sustainability (ON-Line Course, Starts. Oct. 16).
Learn About the Transformational Company Applied: Attend CBSR's Summit, Nov. 6th, Toronto.
Apply a Sustainability Lense to All Projects: Participate in Green/Sustainbility Project Management (ON-line Course, Starts Oct. 9th)
Kathryn
Kathryn A. Cooper
President & Chief Learning Officer
Sustainability Learning Centre
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Green/Sustainability Project
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Green/Sustainable Project Management New Dates |
Management (ON-Line)
Starts: Oct.9, 2013
If you are a Sustainability Project Manager or Project Manager in a company with a sustainability strategy, this program is for you.
Professionally develop your sustainability and project management skills, enhance your career flexibility, and improve your Project Management competency.
Join Nike, National Resource Council of Canada, Kal Tire, Toronto & Region Conservation Authority and others at this course!
For More Information or to Register
Students and Job SeekersL 50% Discount |
 | | Receive a customizable sustainable purchasing manual. |
Sustainable Procurement I:
A Procurement Approach to Building a Sustainable Supply Chain
Date: October 10, 2013 Location: Toronto
The practical and hands on design of this program provides attendees with the knowledge and experience needed to lead or support a sustainable procurement initiative.
For More Information or to Register
Students & Job Seekers 50% Discount |
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SEND - Tracking and Measurement
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Join Wendy Firlotte in this month's Sustainability Engagement Network Dialogue |
Topic: SEND - Tracking and Measurement
Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Time: 12:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00)
The Sustainability Engagement Network Discussion (SEND) Series is a network of Sustainability Practitioners using peer learning to accelerate employee engagement for sustainability. |
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Featured Video: Reconceiving Conservation Part 2
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Check out our new course: Reconceiving Conservation |
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Reconceiving Conservation (ON-Line Course)
When: Starts October 16, 2013
Where: ON-Line
Join us for a little Critical Thinking:
- How can we understand and use the conservation ethic to
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Reconceiving Conservation Overview - in 10 minutes - gain critical insights on how to take a new look at sustainability and the conservation ethic. |
drive personal and cultural behavior change toward sustainable development? - How did conservation become burdened with connotations of limits and inhibition of action, rather than abundance and transformational bounty?
- How can we have got so wrong the relationship among ecosystems, economics, and community development, and how can we set this straight?
- How can we grasp the enormity of the refashioning of the entire material economy, and how can community development be a tool in that refashioning?
To view the entire video of Webinar 1
For More Information or Register for the Reconceiving Conservation Course beginning October 16. |
FEATURED REPORT: Global Compact Accenture CEO Study on Sustainability
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Video overview of 2013 Accenture Global Compact Survey of CEOs. |
The global economy is on the wrong track, and business is not
playing its part in forging a sustainable future according to the UN Global Compact Accenture CEO Study on Sustainability 2013 released last week.
Global CEOs say -
- 32% of CEO's believe that the global economy is on track to meet the demands of a growing population within environmental and resource constraints.
- 33% of CEO's believe that business is doing enough to address global sustainability challenge
- 29% of CEOs regard climate change as one of the most important sustainability challenges for the success of their business
- 81% of executives emphasize the need for governments to set a policy framework for "economic development within the planetary boundaries of environmental and resource constraints" for the global economy.
To move beyond the plateau and enable business to lead the way to the peak, CEOs see two essential elements on the agenda for action.
- First, CEOs call for active intervention by governments and policymakers, in collaboration with business, to align public policy with sustainability at global, national and local levels, including hard measures on regulation, standards and taxation.
- In parallel, business leaders point to the need to learn from those companies already leading the way, harnessing sustainability as an opportunity for innovation and growth, delivering business value and sustainability impact at scale.
For more information:The UN Global Compact-Accenture CEO Study on Sustainability 2013 |
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The Transformational Company Applied
"Learning from Companies Leading the Way",
just what global CEOs said they need.
Will you be there?
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Getting Ready for G4 - GRI's latest version unveiled - Webinar
When: October 16, 2013, 12 noon - 1pm EST
In this webinar you will learn to:
- Differentiate G4 from G3/3.1 requirements
- Understand the implications for your organization of reporting in accordance with G4
- Assess your readiness to report to G4
- Think strategically about reporting and prioritize your reporting improvements
For More Information or to Register
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 | | Phases of Life Cycle Assessment |
Life Cycle Assessment for Products, Processes and Services (for LCA Project Managers, Engineers & Designers)
When: November 20 & 21, 2013 Where: Toronto
Early Registration Deadline: September 28, 2013 (save $ 200)
Life Cycle Assessment for Marketing & Communications
When: November 20, 2013
Where: Toronto
Early Registration Deadline: September 28, 2013 (save $ 200)
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Upcoming Sustainability Training
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