Here is a snapshot update of some of the work that's been going on in The Natural Step Switzerland office lately. It was originally posted as part of the Spring 2013 Stepping Stones Newsletter.

Along the shores of Lac Leman in Geneva, many of the world’s largest international NGOs come together. Nestled into this unique ecosystem, The Natural Step in Switzerland is launching a project to work with these organizations and academia to conduct research into the key drivers, barriers and potential strategies for improving procurement in large, international organizations. The Natural Step has also begun conversations with the Swiss chemical sector, building on past work various Natural Step offices have done with the international chemical sector and the PVC industry (see Sweden update).

In Switzerland The Natural Step is represented by the newly formed S2 Sustainability Strategies, a non-profit member of the TNS global network. S2 Sustainability Strategies has two projects in formative stages:

Here is a snapshot update of some of the work that's been going on in The Natural Step Isreal office lately. It was originally posted as part of the Spring 2013 Stepping Stones Newsletter.

After a period of dormancy in Israel, The Natural Step is re-launching with a dynamic, new team that is already building synergies with local design thinkers and Biomimicry practitioners, while making connections with the Israeli construction and high-tech industries. One of two new TNS Affiliate offices (the other is in Finland), we look forward to a rich exchange of learning and practice with our Israeli colleagues, on the road to collective impact.

Here is a snapshot update of some of the work that's been going on in The Natural Step Finland office lately. It was originally posted as part of the Spring 2013 Stepping Stones Newsletter.

The Natural Step is now active in Finland, where our new affiliate office proposes a suite of capacity-building offers to companies, communities and individuals interested in building sustainable, resilient futures. Services include strategic sustainable development, ecological footprinting, service design for sustainability and resilience, training, facilitation, research and experimentation.

Here is a snapshot update of some of the work that's been going on in The Natural Step Portugal office lately. It was originally posted as part of the Spring 2013 Stepping Stones Newsletter.

In Portugal The Natural Step currently partners with New Next Futures, a social enterprise consultancy using the FSSD to help Portuguese companies and sectors embrace sustainability concepts and accelerate change. Despite extremely challenging economic conditions in Portugal, New Next Futures is making progress in bringing sustainability to a variety of actors.

By Pablo Villoch. Facilitator, Glocalminds

Here is a snapshot update of some of the work that's been going on in the global FSSD community lately. It was originally posted as part of the Spring 2013 Stepping Stones Newsletter.

Chile is a great lab where it is possible to explore and experiment. It is a place where free-market forces still fight in sacred places of pristine nature, from the wild Patagonia to the mystic Desert of Atacama.

After eight years working in the fields of organizational consulting and local development in Chile, in 2009 I decided to spend one year with my family in the little town of Karlskrona, Sweden, to learn the leading-edge approaches towards sustainability. One of the many insights I gained during my Master’s program there was when I discovered that some of the basic concepts I was learning in Sweden were inspired by Chilean authors: Manfred Max-Neef‘s fundamental human needs, Humberto Maturana’s view of self-organizing living systems, Francisco Varela’s studies on Cognitive Biology, and the embodied mind that inspired Otto Scharmer´s Theory U.

Zukunfstwerkstatt/Future Workplace

by Elias Kindle and Michaela Hogenboom

Here is a snapshot update of some of the work that's been going on in the global FSSD community lately. It was originally posted as part of the Spring 2013 Stepping Stones Newsletter.

After finishing our Master’s degrees in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability (MSLS) at the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden last year, we both felt passionate about moving from theory to action. As we left Karlskrona we asked ourselves “Can a whole country move towards sustainability with a little help from the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD)?” We decided the best way to find out was to try!

Here is a snapshot update of some of the work that's been going on in the global FSSD community lately. It was originally posted as part of the Spring 2013 Stepping Stones Newsletter.

Some of The Natural Step’s associates in France have banded together with other FSSD practitioners to begin the project of fostering a stronger French-speaking community for transformational change toward sustainability based on the FSSD and other social change processes like The Art of Hosting.

This group of pro-active individuals has organized a number of webinars and online conversations with the intent to share knowledge and host conversations about creating a francophone community of practice.

They are now hosting a one-day conference in Paris on April 23 to empower, connect and build the capacity of French speakers everywhere who work to shift organizations toward sustainability. Transformation Toward Sustainability Using Collective Intelligence will gather FSSD, Art of Hosting and transformational change practitioners as well as businesses and anybody interested in sustainability.

The Natural Step is collaborating with many different actors working to embed sustainability into the heart of the capital markets (lending and investing), and into the heart of what it means to be a successful business. Working masterfully behind the scenes at the center of all these efforts is author, thought leader and Natural Step board member Bob Willard. His latest article 2015 Will Bring “Sweeping Changes” to Capital Markets tells us in simple, clear language how close we are to sweeping change toward sustainability in the capital markets, and why.

The Natural Step would like to congratulate our close partner and client, The Co-operators Group Ltd., on being named the most sustainable co-op in the world by Corporate Knights Magazine. This is a well-earned and well-deserved accolade. The Natural Step Canada has provided our Sustainable Business services to The Co-operators since 2006, we co-produced a national Sustainability at Home Toolkit, and we are partners in delivering the IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training program for young leaders across Canada. Learn more about our work with The Co-operators and their sustainability journey here.

Interface is world-famous for the way it has grown its innovations and bottom line exponentially by placing sustainability at the heart of everything it does. What many don't know is that the way Interface defines and approaches sustainability has been heavily influenced by The Natural Step from the beginning. To inaugurate the "Sustainability Gurus For The 21st Century" section on the Interface "Cut The Fluff" blog, Laura Cremer recently interviewed The Natural Step founder Karl-Henrik Robèrt. This is a re-posting of that piece.