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Kathryn A Cooper 

 Thought of the Day

 

What good is an idea if it remains an idea? 

Try. Experiment. Iterate. Fail. Try again. Change our world. 

(Simon Sinek) 

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upcomincoursesUpcoming SLC Courses 

ON-Line Integrating ISO 26000 (Social Responsibility) into your Management Systems, Feb. 4-24, 2014.

Green Team GAP Assessment Workshop (ON-Line), Feb. 5-26, 2014 12 noon - 1 pm. Early registration discount ends January 15th. Save $ 100

Sustainability Toolkit: A Practical Guide to Sustainability Integration, March 4 - April 15, 2014.

Greenhouse Gas Measurement & Reporting (ON-Line). March 2- April 10, 2014. 1-2:30pm EST. Early Registration Deadline February 27th.

Conflict Minerals - Understanding & Adopting SEC Regulations (ON-Line Course), Apr. 8 - 29, 2014.

Navigating Product Sustainability Webinar, April 24, 2014. 12 noon

upcomincoursesON Demand & E-Learning Sustainability Training

ON Demand Getting Ready for G4 (under the Global Reporting Initiative). 

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)greenprojmgmt

  
 

Developing Green Habits for Sustainability (available now On-Demand)  

The Natural Step

  Sustainability 101 

"I came away challenged and inspired. Challenged to hold myself to a higher standard and inspired to change the world." Suanne deBoer

Partners' Events
  
 
The Natural Step 
 Natural Capital for Business - Assessing and Managing Risks & Opportunities (FREE WEBINAR), Canadian Business for Social Responsibility, January 30, 2014. 
 
Sustainability & CSR Management Course, The Accountability Project.  April 7-11, 2014. Toronto.   
  
Customized Training
Kick off 2014 right.  Book your 
employee training, lunch and learns or Green Team coaching now.
See who we have been working with this month!
Many thanks to the amazing Teams at Sherwin Williams and Intelex!
We provided a "Lunch & Learn" for the Green Team to examine what is beyond the "low hanging fruit".
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How would you rate your understanding of systems thinking? I want to share a downloadable, fun and practical toolkit that will increase your success.  

We live in a world of systems.  The traffic you drove through this morning, financial markets, the company you work for, your family, the natural systems that feed you, the climate.  They are all systems; big and small, complex or simple. And most of us go through life oblivious of their power over us.   


A Sustainability Core Competency

Systems Thinking is a core competency for sustainability professionals.  As agents of change, we need to understand the shift that humankind is making, from reductionist, rational, linear thinking to systems thinking.  Sounds like crazy talk - doesn't it?

We wouldn't try to land on the moon without understanding astronomy, astrobiology or aerospace engineering.  We need the right mental map to be successful.  It is the same for sustainability.

But where does one go to learn about
The Systems Thinking Playbook and the Systems Thinking Playbook for Climate Change are simple tools we can use to learn and teach systems thinking.
systems thinking?  You might try to read great technical books like Donell Meadows' 
"Thinking in Systems".  But I'll warn you, it gave me a brain cramp.  I personally haven't developed the neural pathways to make it stick.

A Practical Tool for Systems Thinking Training
That's why last week's  breakthrough is "shareworthy".  Gabby Kalapos of the Clean Air Partnership invited me to a session with
Dr. Steve Easterbrook, University of Toronto - and my Systems Thinking lights came on! 

Steve was speaking a language that everyone in the room could understand.  He was playing "games" with us.  

Gameification of Systems Thinking
A few years ago he discovered
"The Systems Thinking Playbook" by Linda Booth Sweeney and Dennis Meadows;  a book of experiential games that demonstrate how systems work.  

As we played Avalanche, Living Loops and other games; we learned about feedback loops, positive and negative reinforcing loops and balancing loops.  We started to make connections to sustainable habits, climate change, and energy systems.  We left with new insights and a starting point for learning and sharing systems thinking.  And - we had fun!

Getting Credible
Bob Willard once said, "If we want to be successful changemakers for a sustainable world; we need to get credible."  Being able to understand, explain and use Systems Thinking is essential to our current work.  

Download
The Systems Thinking Playbook for Climate Change a short version of the total playbook with 22 games that help your audience understand systems and climate change.  For instance, the first game, Arms Crossed, demonstrates how behaviour change is hard and uncomfortable at first, but clearly something we can overcome.

Leverage Points for Systems Change
Understanding systems allows us to stop tinkering around the edges and make meaningful steps for change.  In a
recent blog on key leverage points for systems change, Steve Easterbrook notes that one of those key leverage points is to -  
"
Learn systems thinking and gain the ability to understand a system from multiple perspectives; 

Realize that system structure and behaviour arises from a dominant paradigm.

Explore how our own perspectives shape our interactions with the system...
 And then...take to the streets."
  

I like that.  I hope you'll join me in that journey! (and have a little fun along the way)

  
President
Sustainability Learning Centre
In This Issue:
Partner's Events:
CUSTOMIZED IN-HOUSE TRAINING - book now for 2014.
Guelph's new ON LIne MBA in Sustainable Commerce
FEATURED COURSE: Integrating Social Responsibility (ISO 26000) into existing Management Systems and Your Supply Chain
Sustainability Toolkit Course
Green Team Gap Assessment (ON Line)
FEATURED VIDEO: How might Einstein solve our sustainability problems?
SLC & Sustainable Business Guide
UPCOMING TRAINING
Are you ready for the reporting requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act?
Conflict Minerals - Understanding & Adopting SEC Regulations (On-Line Course)

Date: April 8 - 29, 2014 
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 pm EST  

The conflict minerals rule, mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act, requires public companies to disclose whether their products contain conflict minerals (tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold) by May 2014 for the 2013 calendar year. 


Companies need to determine how they can comply with these regulations in order to disclose what due diligence and risk mitigation processes they are using to audit and report on use of conflict minerals in products or services. This course is aimed at supporting companies and individuals to effectively navigate the conflict minerals landscape.
 


Our Price:
$ 495 until Feb. 28th then $595.

Guelph's new ON Line MBA in Sustainable Commerce
Invite your Sustainability Team to this webinar for 1 registration.
Navigating Product Sustainability Webinar
Examine product sustainability case studies and tools. Leverage LCA, DfE, Biomimicry, Environmental Product Declarations and other strategies to enhance product sustainability & gain market share.

Our Price Now:
$ 35 ($50 regular rate) 
Integrating Social Responsibility  ISO 26000
(ISO 26000) into your Management Systems
Last Chance to Register

Date: Feb. 6 -24, 2014 
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 pm EST

 

Apply Social Responsibility (ISO 26000) principles to current issues within your company and learn practical metrics and benchmarking methods. Identify gaps in your current systems and integrate ISO 26000 into your existing management systems and those of your supply chain.  

 

For More Information or to Register

Sustainability Toolkit: A Practical  Sustainabilitytoolkit2
Guide to Integration (ON-Line Course)  

When: March 4 - April 14, 2013, 1 PM EST

Where: ON-Line

Early registration deadline ends: February 11, 2014.  

 

Learn how to use the Sustainability Toolkit for implementation of your sustainability plan.  Learn how this tool and assessment integrates ISO 26000, GRI and PDCA.

 

For More Information or to Register  

Green Team GAP Assessment  Green Plan
Workshop (ON-LINE)
When: Feb. 5 - Feb. 26, 2014
Where: On-Line 

Starts Next Week

 

Look Who Has Attended:

Suncor, City of Kingston, PowerStream, Appleby College, Trillium Insurance, BC Bio, City of Pickering, Nova Gold Resources, Sagamok First Nation, PSC Environmental, AET Environmental, Ontario Medical Association and others.

 

Assemble your Green Team for this Lunch & Learn workshop on "greening up" your facility.

  • complete a 51 point checklist
  • conduct a Materiality Test to determine priorities
  • develop a short term and long term plan
  • learn tips for engaging staff in implementation
  • access resources to measure savings

This program is also available for customized, in-house delivery.  

  

For More Information or to Register

Receive a certificate in this Sustainability 101 E-Learning Course
Sustainability 101 Course
Learn more about sustainability in this 60 minute E-Learning Course.  Receive an ON-Line Certificate of Completion. 

Our Price: $ 98 plus HST 
Register for Sustainability 101 
New Video from Sustainability Illustrated  
How might Einstein solve our sustainability problems? (backcasting)
How might Einstein solve our sustainability problems? (backcasting)
SLC Contributes to Pulse Canada's Sustainable Business Guide
SLC Contributed to this wonderful Sustainable Business Guide

Pulse Canada's Sustainable Business guide was recently launched.

Using this guide pulse processors can:
  • Better understand sustainability and its benefits
  • Develop sustainability performance measures for your business
  • Build your sustainability platform
  • Tell their sustainability story for a marketing advantage
The Sustainability Learning Centre, working with Synthesis Agri-Food Network, contributed to the first half of this guide.  

Many thanks to Pulse Canada and Synthesis Agri-Food Network for pulling this together.  For more information.
Upcoming Sustainability Training
CourseListingNew
Check out our listing of upcoming courses click above.
  

 

The Sustainability Learning Centre is a learning & networking hub for sustainability.
Ask us about Customized In House Training & Green Team University Certification
 
Green Team University
studentdisDon't forget - students get 50 % off in our student scholarship program. Select Student Option when Registering. 
 
student discount