Making Sustainability Standard Practice
Vol. 12       No. 12      December 2018 
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In This Issue:

Quick Links:
Conferences 
Not to Miss: 

ECONOMIST GROUP SUSTY SUMMIT
3/21/19

ETHICAL CORP.
RBS NY 3/18-19

For more info, download their brochure at:
CvCC EUROPE 
10/19


Education Events:


Ongoing 
Self-Study:

TopFrom the President's Desk
Farewell to 2018
By Jeff Yorzyk, ISSP-CSP

It's hard to believe another year is under ISSP's belt. We kicked off our eleventh with a first-of-its-kind survey, collecting information from members about their overall satisfaction and most pressing needs. From there, we spent the rest of the year taking their feedback to heart and laying the foundations for some exciting changes we'll be sharing with you soon. Think enhanced UX with collaboration tools!  

As we close out 2018, please accept our sincere thanks for your continued support of ISSP. We hope you'll consider allocating any professional development stipends you have to spend or commit by the year's end to us (we also take charitable donations!). Or better yet, recommend a colleague or friend do so as well. In addition to the sustainability courses and webinars we typically offer, the membership drive we're running through December 31st features some great discounts. And if you didn't catch our second email about the drive last week , I encourage you to read the testimonials that were included. A few current members shared why they value being part of our far-reaching sustainability community, and it was a reminder at least to the team here, why the work that we do to coalesce the industry's leadership is so important. Sustainability professionals are unique and necessary, and ISSP is the only global organization advocating that.

Wishing you and yours a joyful and safe holiday season. Here's to a lot more good work together in the New Year!

Warm regards,

Jeff Yorzyk, ISSP-CSP
President of the ISSP Board,
Associate Director of Sustainability at HelloFresh

Profile: Elizabeth  Churchill , ISSP-SA
Sometimes the trajectory of our entire career can be changed by just one moment, or the words of someone passionate about their field. Such was the case for Elizabeth Churchill, ISSP-SA, Sustainability Administrator at American Family Insurance and the subject of this month's ISSP credential holder profile.

Elizabeth recalls attending a Greenbuild Conference in 2003, when she was working as a landscape architect, and finding inspiration in one particular keynote address. "At that very moment, I remember saying to myself, 'that is going to be my next career!'" she told us. "And immediately after that conference I began to build sustainability into the company I was working at."

Read more of Elizabeth's story on our  ISSP Member Profiles page . For more information on the professionals who hold an ISSP credential, be sure check out our credential holder directory .

ISSP Credentials Deliver in 2018
As the year comes to a close, we're reflecting on the successes we've seen in the ISSP credentialing program - both in terms of the program's growth and its positive impact on the sustainability professionals who've earned an ISSP credential.

2018 saw the ranks of ISSP-SAs and ISSP-CSPs expand to over 460 in total, and we've received some exciting feedback from across the sustainability field. ISSP credentials are being sought after by more companies and municipalities looking to hire; they're included in more job descriptions; they're being integrated into higher education curricula by more instructors; and we've even heard stories about new credential holders quickly seeing more advancement opportunities open up in their careers.

This important transformation for the sustainability community could never be moving at such a brisk pace without the engagement of our members and numerous sustainability leaders! We're always grateful for the support you provide for our mission on behalf of sustainability professionals around the globe.

To learn more about earning recognition for your sustainability work with your own ISSP credential, visit our website. With additional questions, send us an email at 
[email protected] .

Webinar:  How to Make Existing Buildings More Sustainable Through BREEAM
December 5th @ 11am PT / 2pm ET
Traditionally, green building certifications have focused on new buildings. And why not? These green building programs help shape the more visible, shinier, and sexier side of real estate.  Increasingly, however, the sustainability community is recognizing that that there are many more buildings that exist now than will be built and this existing market segment is woefully underserved by green building certifications and roadmaps for improvement. Further, these lower performing assets are not addressed in other certifications and yet, for carbon and resource efficiency, small changes can yield far more improvement than tweaks to higher performing assets. 

BREEAM, the world's first green rating system for buildings, was developed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE). BREEAM initially focused on new construction. However, as the understanding about sustainability evolved, BRE saw a tremendous need for a simple yet robust and cost-effective benchmarking and certification system for existing buildings. BREEAM In-Use was developed and rolled out for all countries in 2009. Local adaptations for some markets followed, including BREEAM USA In-Use in 2016. BREEAM was expanded further to include Refurbishment & Fit-Out for buildings, Communities and Infrastructure. BREEAM has issued over 564,000 certifications in its nearly 30 years of operation.  This webinar will highlight how BREEAM and its various tools can be leveraged.  

ISSP credential holders will earn 0.5 CEUs for attending.  Webinars are free for members and $25 for non-members. Afterwards, non-members will receive a discount code worth $25 off a new ISSP membership.   Register now!  

Webinar: Decoding the Mainstream Customer
January 23rd @ 10am PT / 1pm ET
If you only look at the raw data, driving increased sales of sustainable products should be as simple as incorporating environmental or social messages into your branding and marketing campaigns. After all, more than 71% of consumers "think green" when making a buying decision, and nearly three out of four Millennials are willing to pay more for sustainable brands.

But on the contrary, the vast majority of sustainable brands fail to realize the full potential of their revenue growth beyond the 19% of the population that buy sustainable, green, and/or socially-focused products no matter what.

The problem is that many sustainable brands approach the mainstream consumer the same as they do the green consumer - or worse, they try to commingle two different messages together, creating a marketing mash-up mess. Either way, the end result is lost opportunity: less impact in the world and less revenue on the balance sheet.

This session will be taught by Carolyn Parrs, a leading expert in helping sustainable companies increase market share.

ISSP credential holders will earn 0.5 CEUs for attending. W ebinars are free for members and $25 for non-members. Afterwards, non-members will receive a discount code worth $25 off a new ISSP membership.  Register now !

Local ISSP Events On Hold for December
In the spirt of spending more time with friends and family this time of year, ISSP's Chapter and Regional Learning Network (RLN) events will resume in 2019. Our team finds that when we carve out personal time to recharge, we accomplish so much more when we return to our daily responsibilities. So we hope you'll use this month to do the same and then re-engage with us in the New Year. 

Don't forget - we also host a monthly Member Info Session (the next one is scheduled for December 11th!). Find it on the Member Events Calendar here. And if  you're interested in having a future RLN meeting in your region, fill out the survey   and consider  volunteering to co-lead RLN connections.
ISSP Out & About
ISSP Board members and associates can be found sharing their kno wledge, sharpening their skills and networking at sustainability gatherings around the world. Reach out and introduce yourself to the ISSP members listed below if you too are planning to travel to one of the many sustainability conferences going on this spring through fall. Let us know where you're headed by dropping a note to  [email protected] .

12/5 EIANZ NSW Christmas Party , Sydney, AUS. BOD Member Fabian Sack is presenting.

2/6 edie Sustainability Leaders Awards. London, UK. BOD Member Beth Knight is judging. 

The International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) is the world's leading professional association for sustainability professionals. ISSP is a member-driven association committed to moving the profession of sustainability forward through building strong networks and communities of practice.