 From the President's Desk
Sharpen the Saw
By Jeff Yorzyk,
Director of Sustainability, Green Chef, Boulder, Colorado
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe holiday season and is looking forward to a productive 2017 as much as I am. Never before have the tools of sustainability been more available, nor more in need. ISSP is here to ensure sustainability professionals stay current in the field, develop powerful networks to amplify your impact, and validate your expertise through credentialing. I invite you to use this year to refine your skills through our webinars, courses, and the credentialing process - and to expand your networks through local chapters and global engagement in ISSP! Now is the time to act on the resolve and commitment we all developed in 2016. Walk boldly into this new year with ISSP on your team!
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Don't Miss Your Chance:
ISSP-SA Test Season Closing in February
Since its launch in November of last year, the ISSP-SA credential has attracted many sustainability professionals from across the field and around the globe in order to earn recognition for their knowledge, skills, and abilities. These new ISSP-SAs are part of a growing cohort credentialed by ISSP's Sustainability Professional Certification program, the first globally recognized credential for sustainability professionals.
You can join them by
registering
for the ISSP-SA credential exam, but don't wait: the registration period for the winter test season closes February 4!
The ISSP-SA
Study Guide
is now available to assist candidates in preparing for the ISSP-SA exam, along with
flash cards
. Plus, you can take advantage of
ISSP membership
for discounts on the exam and study materials. If
you have questions, be sure to visit our
FAQ
or check out the
Candidate Handbook
. If you can't find the answers there, please email [email protected].
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Regenerative Leadership:
Transforming
People and Organizations from Within
Regenerative Leadership presents a research-based framework that goes
beyond sustainability. This new theory emerged from a rigorous, systematic qualitative study of successful leaders in corporations, community agencies, governments, and institutions of higher education.
The study's major finding,
shared by all
of the participating
sustainability leaders,
is that we cannot create a prosperous, equitable, sustainable society by focusing on the behaviors that have
led to our current and often combined
environmental, social, and economic challenges.
The conclusion of the research is that the dysfunctional behaviors that have given rise to these challenges are symptomatic of a deeper problem rooted in human consciousness, our inner operating system.
In response to this challenge, the Regenerative Leadership Framework, and the Regenerative Capacity Index that came after it, propose a practical approach to activating the critical `inner work' we must engage in as individuals, organizations, and communities in order 'to redefine who we are so that we can redesign what we do'.
Learn more here.
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Launch of ISSP Alberta Chapter
Draws Capacity Crowd in Calgary
The launch of the
ISSP Alberta Chapter
last
month at the
Village Brewery
in Calgary was
a resounding success. The capacity of the venue was sold-out, with over 70 participants attending. The five panelists that presented were all very well received, with lots of excitement and energy in the room, and plenty of interest in ISSP with new registrations and social media connections. The hospitality and beer at the Village Brewery was also wonderful, according to those who attended. Since the event, ISSP Alberta Chapter representatives have also been invited to speak to a group of sustainability professionals at a couple of the leading pipeline firms in Calgary, reports Ronald Morrison, president of Sustainability North Inc., who is also a member of the chapter organizing committee. Stay up to speed on chapter happenings in Alberta and around the world by visiting the
ISSP Chapter webpage
.
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ISSP Course Series:
Stakeholder Engagement Strategies
First module begins February 7th
Stakeholder Engagement is an essential component of risk reduction and opportunity optimization for organizations. In addition, it is a requirement of sustainability reporting under frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Sustainability Accounting Standard's Board (SASB). ISSP's Stakeholder Engagement Strategies series is designed to provide the sustainability professional, at any level, insights into a proven systematic process for engaging priority stakeholders and identifying material issues for action.
Join us for the three course sections in the series:
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Volunteer Reader Reviewers Needed
to Help Finalize ISSP-CSP Study Guide
Join the ISSP Study Guide Task Force as we develop the second in a series of two study guides designed to help candidates prepare for their ISSP Certified Sustainability Professional (ISSP-CSP) credential exam. Written by group of highly qualified subject matter experts comprised of sustainability pros practicing in various regions of the world, the ISSP-CSP Study Guide includes a combination of task descriptions and case stories illustrating how Core Sustainability Concepts are applied in the real world.
Duties & Responsibilities: Volunteer Reader Reviewers will be tasked with reading the SME drafted Guide, through the eyes of our intended audience, the ISSP-CSP credential candidate. Via Google Docs, they will provide feedback to the writers and their peer editors, on comprehension and readability.
Qualifications: All volunteers for this position should hold the ISSP-SA credential or equivalent and therefore have a good understanding of the Core Sustainability Concepts. They should hold a bachelor's degree or the global equivalent, have at least 5 years of sustainability-related professional experience within the last 10 years, and must be a current ISSP member.
Time Commitment: We seek sustainability professionals available during the last week of January and the middle of February, who can commit between 10 and 20 hours of time to this task.
Training: The position is overseen by the ISSP Research & Resources Committee Chairperson who will provide initial guidance and remain available throughout the process.
If you would like to volunteer, please register your interest on ISSP's volunteer webpage.
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Calling all ISSP Members:
Tell Our Executive Director What You Think!
ISSP's members are extraordinary sustainability professionals. They not only work across all industries and geographic boundaries to make sustainability standard practice, but they also understand the value of being connected to other sustainability professionals - sharing best practices and helping to advance the sustainability profession.
We want to know what ISSP can do to help you in your efforts. We recently sent out an email to everyone who has been an ISSP member for more than a year, inviting them to meet with Maureen Hart, ISSP's Executive Director, for a conversation on your thoughts and ideas about how ISSP can improve its member benefits and services. Maureen is scheduling a series of virtual meetings - with no more than 8 other members - to talk about the issues, challenges, and opportunities that sustainability professionals face in their work and how ISSP can support their efforts.
We have already had four of these meetings and we're getting some great suggestions. One idea in particular that has come up is creating what might be called virtual chapters - groups of members with similar interests who can come together online to talk about specific topics. We will be reporting on this effort in the next newsletter so stay tuned for that.
The meetings also allow members a chance to get to know other members around the world so the meetings have been great for networking as well. In one recent meeting, the members reported the temperature in their location and it ranged from -32C (-26F) in Calgary, Canada to 23C (73F) in Adelaide, Australia.
So, if you have been a member for more than one year and want to join the conversation, check your inbox for your invitation to these meetings and join us! If you didn't get an invite, send Maureen a message at
execdir@sustainability professionals.org.
Note that these meetings are specifically for those who have been ISSP members for more than a year. If you are a new member, be sure to sign up for one of our monthly Member Orientation meetings listed on the
ISSP Calendar of Events.
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Raise your reporting game at the GRI
Reporters'
Summit North America
a unique one-day symposium for practical solutions, support and networking, helping you raise your reporting game. Join GRI in Scottsdale, Arizona on
February 13
to boost your knowledge and connections in the fast-moving sustainability reporting field.
The Reporters' Summit will feature a variety of workshops, providing you with expert reporting guidance on important topics, including best practices in materiality assessment; e
merging non-financial reporting regulations; and s
ustainability reporting for first-time
reporters.
Learn more and get tickets now!
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ISSP Webinar Feedback:
What Do You Want To See In Future Webinars?
Even though our calendar is filling up, we're always in the process of planning our next round of webinars, and we need your help! Complete this brief survey to tell us what you like - and want to see - in ISSP webinars.
You're also invited to submit your ideas for webinar topics by completing our Webinar Proposal Form. And feel free to reach out - we always love to hear from you!
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Sustainability Events Around the World
- GRI Reporters' Summit: North America, February 13, Scottsdale, AZ
- World Ocean Summit 2017, February 22-24, Bali, Indonesia
- Responsible Business Forum on Food and Agriculture, March 13-15, Jakarta, Indonesia
- GoGreen Seattle, March 16, Seattle, WA
- Responsible Business Summit NY, March 27-28, Brooklyn, NY
- Environmental Leader Conference, June 5 - 7, Denver, CO
- AASHE Conference & Expo, October 15 - 18, San Antonio, TX
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