Filed Under Partnerships

A burger worth choosing?

Neil McCallum — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:01:07 -0400

Illustration text: At Max Burgers you can see exactly how much carbon impact your meal has all the way from the farmers land to the guests hand directly on the menu. This has resulted in a 15 percent increase in sales of carbon efficient alternatives.

“Enabling consumers to make sustainable choices and advance responsible behaviour individually and collectively” is according to a fresh UN report something that supports a future worth choosing. In a restaurant such as Max burgers, a partner of The Natural Step, it comes down quite literally to menu options. That’s not enough however.

At Max we know that we, along with our entire industry and society as a whole, are unsustainable. But we are also, as anyone else could be, a change agent for a better future. And here clear results do matter. Since 2005 we have been recognised as the healthiest in the industry in Sweden where we have our operations. In 2008 we became the first in the world to put climate on the menu. But to further assist our guests we decided to carbon offset all of our products through reforestation in Africa through Plan Vivo certificates. Of course we are also simultaneously working at reducing the impact of our products.

That means we did back in 2005 and 2008 what Tarja Halonen and Jacob Zuma, in the above mentioned UN Report, now wants us to do more of now - to empower people to make sustainable Choices. The say:

“Every day, millions of choices are made by individuals businesses and governments. Our common future lies in all those choices. Because of the array of overlapping challenges the world faces, it is more urgent than ever that we take action to embrace the principles of the sustainable development agenda. It is time that genuine global action is taken to enable people, markets and governments to make sustainable choices.”

What we have done is just one step forward. We need much more action from the food industry and we want to support a progressive agenda in Rio +20. That’s why we are here. At this conference we want to learn and to inspire, but more importantly, we want to find sustainability leaders from other parts of the planet, with whom we can form strategic alliances for global food security. So please, don’t hesitate to contact me to share ideas on how to do that.

At this conference I will participates in two sessions:

1. Monday 26th, Presentation on how to strategically move towards sustainability, during the Bridges to the Future session. I will share our journey towards sustainability and the experiences that have strengthened customer loyalty, created a change for consumer behavior and also provide inspiration others to follow in our footstep.

(At 2 pm, Room 14)

2. Wednesday 28th, We will host an exclusive breakfast roundtable discussion on global food security together with Stockholm Environment Institute and The Natural Step.

We are honoured to be called upon as a good example at this conference and hope that other companies will see the benefits of doing well by doing good. But I am also looking forward to learn more about other good business and science examples that could help further improve our work with sustainability. We know that Max still have a long way to go to able to call ourselves a sustainable company, but that is our mission.

Max is a family owned business which means that we are not driven by quarterly capitalism and this may just be the reason why our perspective on sustainable driven business fits in at a conference that focuses on the bigger picture. We are confident that businesses and individuals need to be able to make more active choices that put less pressure on the planet as well as the people living on it. At Max we are world leading, but has just got started.

Written by: Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer at Max Burgers

Cell: +46 (0)70 206 1669

E-mail: Par.Larshans@max.se

Are you ready to innovate for a sustainable future?

Neil McCallum — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:22:13 -0500

Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) in Karlskrona, Sweden is looking for prospective students for a Master’s degree in Sustainable Product-Service System Innovation (MSPI). Do you know an engineer, designer or product innovator looking to enhance their skills and expertise?

As our world becomes increasingly complex and the need for more sustainable products and services becomes essential, designers and engineers on the cutting edge of sustainable innovative practices are increasing in demand. Industry needs people who understand what the world wants: innovative products and services delivered in the most sustainable way possible.

At BTH, we believe that combining an overarching approach to socio-ecological sustainability with a disciplined focus on meeting market and human needs through product-service systems is the way of the future, and we are doing our part to show the way. By closely collaborating with our industrial partners (to see our industrial partners click here), we are preparing people to be the next generation of innovators. They will be bringing together engineering, innovation, and sustainability competence through this unique master's programme.

The MSPI programme supports the sustainable development of global economy and society. Check out our programme design here.

The design of the MSPI programme has been done in response to the industrial demand for graduates who can combine engineering competence with sustainability knowledge to help deliver new product-service systems. Therefore this programme is in tight and on-going connection with industries. It is necessary to have a structured overview of the system "society in the biosphere" - and this is exactly what we will share with you in this programme.

More specifically, the academic goals of participating students are to be able to:

Analyze sustainability challenges for an organization in a scientific manner.
Introduce a strategic perspective of sustainability to a product innovation process in a company.
Use new methods and tools, and former engineering specialty, to work with sustainable product and service innovation in industry.
Support a transition towards a more service-oriented economy.

Student Life and Experience

The Master's Programme in Sustainable Product-Service System Innovation (MSPI) is hosted at Campus Gräsvik, in the city of Karlskrona, the capital of Region Blekinge in the south of Sweden. The city is situated on an archipelago and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its unique naval heritage. The programme is designed in a cohort. Check out the current international cohort of 15 students from 9 countries here. If you are ready to innovate and design in a sustainable way, join us in Sweden for an amazing experience academically, professionally and personally. For more information on student life, click here.

Applicants can contact Tamara Connell (tamara(at)kitesh.org) of Kitesh Leadership Development www.kitesh.org for assistance with your application and scholarship information.

To see more about the programme, please visit the website: http://www.bth.se/mspi.

Congratulations to the Landmark Group of Builders!

Neil McCallum — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:00:55 -0500

Congratulations to the Landmark Group of Builders for winning the Award for Corporate Environmental Excellence at the 11th annual GLOBE-Net Awards for Environmental Excellence! To read more about how The Natural Step has helped Landmark embed sustainability into every aspect of the company please visit www.naturalstep.ca/landmark-group-of-builders.

***

GLOBE Foundation Presents Canadian Environmental Leaders With Prestigious Globe Awards

VANCOUVER, B.C.- Following an exciting day and inspiring presentation by Paul Hawken, famed environmentalist and renowned author, the GLOBE Foundation has announced today the winners of the 11th annual GLOBE Awards for Environmental Excellence during the An Inspired Future Closing Luncheon at the Sheraton Centre Toronto.

The awards are presented annually to Canadian companies that excel in sustainable business practices and progressive development in technology and services.

This year saw winners in six award categories: Corporate Environmental Excellence, Excellence in Emerging Technology, Technology Innovation & Application, Excellence in Urban Sustainability, Best Green Consumer Product, and the Next Gen Entrepreneur Award.

The Award for Corporate Environmental Excellence was presented to the Landmark Group. Landmark's vision is "to be a major North American housing solutions provider recognized for sustainability and for leading a revolution to industrialize home construction".

For 35 years the Landmark Group has grown to be one of Alberta's largest builders and developers having crafted over 11,000 homes. Landmark's legacy began with an entrepreneurial commitment to build better homes for families at the best price possible.

The industry has evolved dramatically in three decades, and Landmark Group of Builders has often been at the forefront of its most significant innovations. Finalists in this category included Teknion and PepsiCo Foods Canada.

Read more...http://bit.ly/12pRmxQ

Source: GOLBE-Net

The world sustainability leader in the fast food industry Max Burgers share their story at Planet Under Pressure

Neil McCallum — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:17:22 -0400

One may ask how it is possible to open a chain of Burger restaurants that outperforms the international fast food giants. Max Burgers not only made McDonald’s close down restaurants in the northern towns of Sweden but they also try to seed a revolution for a sustainable fast food industry. Max Burgers are the first chain of restaurants in the world to provide carbon labeling for all its meals and fully offset the environmental impact of its operation by planting trees in Africa. The Max reforestation program is the largest in the entire Plan-Vivo certification system. The goal is to make the whole operation fossil fuel-free and to become a fully sustainable enterprise in a sustainable society. They can however, not reach their goal without help from their industry colleagues.

Max participates in two sessions:

1. Monday 26th, Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer at Max Burgers, will provide a thought-provoking and inspiring presentation on how to strategically move towards sustainability, during the Bridges to the Future session.

(At 2 pm, Room 14)

2. Wednesday 28th, Max Burgers host an exclusive breakfast roundtable discussion on global food security together with Forum For the Future, Stockholm Environment Institute and The Natural Step.

"We need much more action from the food industry and we want to support a progressive agenda in Rio +20. That’s why we are here. At this conference we want to learn and to inspire, but more importantly, we want to find sustainability leaders from other parts of the planet, with whom we can form strategic alliances for global food security", says Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer at Max Burgers.

Starting in May 2008, Max has labeled all products with their respective climate impact - allowing and empowering their guests to take the climate impact into consideration when placing their orders. Since 2008, Max has made carbon offsets for its total climate impact - from the farmers land to the guest’s hand.

"This initiative offers power to our customers as it gives them the opportunity to choose meals not only from taste or health but also from climate impact. And by carbon offsetting through tree plantation, we will constantly be reminded of the costs of our carbon footprints and thus continue to work towards zero climate impact", says Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer at Max Burgers.

Apart from putting climate on the menu Max have also taken other concrete measures to become environmentally and socially sustainable, such as:

All restaurants are powered by 100% wind energy.
All frying oil used is converted into biodiesel.
Since 2005, Max products have been recognised as the healthiest in the industry.
No to GMOs and trans fats.
All fish is sourced from responsibly managed fisheries (MSC-certified).
All restaurants have more than two staff members with a disability.
An extensive internal leadership program which includes sections on sustainability and diversity.
Partnerships with research and industry to promote sustainable beef production and science based methods for social sustainability.
Significantly increased recycling rates.
Removed unnecessary packaging as well as all toys for kids requiring batteries.
Introduction of organic coffee and milk.

Short facts

Sustainability has proven to be one of Max’s most profitable initiatives ever. It has, in fact, proven to be more profitable than opening up new restaurants.
Approx. 3 000 employees
88 restaurants in Sweden, all owned by the founding family
Most satisfied customers in the business, nine years in a row
Most preferred hamburgers in Sweden

For more information on the workshop please visit: www.planetunderpressure2012.net

"Sustainability on Tap" with The Natural Step Canada (Toronto, ON)

Neil McCallum — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:33:03 -0400

Start: May 10 2012 - 5:30pm

End: May 10 2012 - 7:30pm

Timezone: Canada/Eastern

The Natural Step Canada invites you to "Sustainability on Tap". Join us at the Labatt Pub for a complimentary draught beer, light snacks, networking, and the opportunity to...

Tap into the leading edge of social innovation for sustainability as The Natural Step's new Executive Director Chad Park discusses the emerging "Sustainability Transition Lab" initiative;

Tap into the expertise of Bob Willard, one of The Natural Step's board members, as he discusses the evolving business case for sustainability detailed in his latest book "The New Sustainability Advantage" (copies of the book will be door prizes);

Tap into top-notch sustainability training by entering a raffle to win a FREE registration to The Natural Step's one-day sustainability course in Toronto on June 12 ($700 value).

Feel free to spread the word and bring your colleagues. Please RSVP by May 8th. We hope to see you there!

Cheers!

This event uses 100% renewable energy

The Natural Step Canada's events, courses, and workshops have been generously supplied with 100% renewable energy by our partner Bullfrog Power. Learn more about Bullfrog's green electricity option.

Canada

A Sustainability Vision for the Automotive Services Industry

Chas Martin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:03:22 -0400

Using The Natural Step Framework to Develop a Plan Toward Sustainability for Automotive Mechanical and Collision Repair Shops
Prepared for the Oregon DEQ

Project Overview

Automobiles have a significant impact on the environment. With the growing concern over global warming, the focus on this environmental impact will only get stronger.

In 1997 Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) began development of the Automotive Eco-Logical Business Program to encourage automobile services and collision repair shops to take extra voluntary steps in protecting the environment. There was a desire in 2000 to expand this program beyond Portland and to investigate the feasibility of enhancing the program by adding a perspective of environmental sustainability based on the Natural Step framework.

Participants from fifteen automotive shops and service organizations were invited to meet in a series of six two-hour meetings in Wilsonville to create a vision of what a fully sustainable automotive service operation might look like if it met the four system conditions of The Natural Step.

With interest in environmental sustainability growing faster in Oregon than most parts of the United States, Oregon has an opportunity to be a model and play a leadership role in the movement toward sustainability.

Download complete Project Summary:

Agriculture - Sustainable Development Issues and Approaches (Webinar) :: Canada

Anouk Bertner — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:19:33 -0500

Start: Jan 29 2010 - 1:00pm

End: Jan 29 2010 - 3:00pm

Timezone: Canada/Eastern

Webinar :: Friday, January 29th from 1-3pm EST

This session will begin with the description of an approach to SD known as "strategic sustainable development". Dr. Mary Beckie will describe how The Natural Step Framework has been adopted by the flax industry to define where they are heading, what they want to achieve with respect to sustainability. This work was championed by the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission and is part of ABIP Natural Fibres for the Green Economy (NAFGEN) network.

The second presentation will focus on the environmental dimension of sustainability, and, in particular, on the need to look beyond carbon! Dr. Amy Landis will review the carbon and nitrogen cycles, reactive nitrogen and the tradeoffs that are part of conventional agriculture. The final 2 presentations will be on the pulse industry. As nitrogen fixers, pulse crops are "part of the solution" and increasingly farmers are including them in their rotations. Gord Kurbis will describe Pulse Canada's approach to sustainable development, and be joined by Susan MacWilliam who will describe the analytical work underway to model the environmental and socio-economic attributes of pulse products over their lifecycle.

It will follow the format of 4 presentations followed by Q&A. The abstracts can be downloaded below, and the presentations will be available for downloading during the webinar.

To register, please follow the instructions below. It is best to do this ahead of time to avoid being caught with technical glitches at the last minute. On Friday, call in and log on to the webex site 5 to 10 minutes ahead of time as we typically have a high number of participants.

To register for this meeting
-----------------------------------------------------
1. Go to https://pwgsc-pm.webex.com/pwgsc-pm/j.php?ED=132167367&RG=1&UID=0&RT=NCMxMQ%3D%3D.

2. Register for the meeting.

Once the host approves your request, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the meeting.

Canada

An Interview with our Founder on Think Globally Radio

Richard Blume — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 06:55:58 -0400

Brought to you by Think Globally Radio: A unifying framework for social and ecological sustainability: with Professor Karl-Henrik Robèrt, MD, PhD, Founder of The Natural Step.

Recorded in March 2010, you can now listen to our Founder discuss the history, development and future of The Natural Step and the movement uniting around the framework for strategic sustainable development.

Stream online from the episode archive on www.thinkgloballyradio.org.
Download and Listen

Background to the Interview:

Recently elected as one of Sweden’s first two Ashoka Fellows - leading social entrepreneurs with innovative solutions to social problems and the potential to change patterns across society – Karl-Henrik Robèrt is the founder of the international NGO The Natural Step, professor of sustainability at Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH), Chairman of the international research program Real Change and recipient of the Blue Planet Prize, the ‘Nobel prize’ for ecological sustainability.

In launching The Natural Step, he has facilitated the outgrowth of a unifying framework for strategic sustainable development, and built a global institutional platform that unites with a coalition of universities, companies, industrial groups, municipalities and larger government entities to pioneer new ways to achieve a world that is socially and ecologically sustainable. This movement includes some of the world’s leading institutions, corporations and communities advancing sustainability, including the host ski resort of the Vancouver / Whistler 2010 Winter Olympics.

Think Globally Radio is heard every Sunday evening at 19:00 on THS Radio 95.3 MHz in Stockholm, and on K103.1 in Gothenburg at 16:00. An extensive archive of past programs can be listened to on demand on the completely redesigned www.thinkgloballyradio.org. Podcasts can also be downloaded via iTunes.

Feel free to join the “Think Globally Radio” group on Facebook.

For more information, contact Eric Paglia eric@rocket.fm or Dave Trouba dtrouba@gmail.com.

Please forward this to anyone who might be interested in issues of the environment or sustainability!

Are you the next sustainability leader?

Anouk Bertner — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:48:05 -0500

Online applications for the Master’s in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability (MSLS) and Master’s in Sustainable Product-Service System Innovation (MSPI) at Blekinge Institute of Technology in Karlskrona, Sweden, will be open until January 15th. Both these leading-edge international master’s programmes are based around The Natural Step Framework, and integrate practical, applied course work to empower and enable graduates to make positive change in the world.

This year’s MSLS class consists of 67 students from 21 different countries. Will you join us in the next class?

The MSPI masters will have its inaugural intake in 2010. It builds off BTH’s strong reputation in education for sustainable development, and will incorporate the cutting-edge research conducted at BTH within Sustainable Product-Service System Innovation.

To apply, you will need to complete the online application form at www.studera.nu, and then mail your supporting documents by Feb. 15th, 2010. Spaces in both programmes are limited and successful candidates can receive their decisions in May, with a starting date of classes in late August 2010.

BTH looks forward to receiving your application…

Sweden

Ashforth Pacific, Inc., Portland, Oregon, USA

Chas Martin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:07:31 -0400

A Natural Step Network Case Study

Overview
Ashforth Pacific, Inc. (API), is an investor, owner, and operator providing third-party property management, construction, and parking management services in West-Coast markets. An affiliate of The Ashforth Company, a Connecticut-based firm, API was established in Portland, Oregon, in 1995 and currently has 55 employees. The Ashforth Company presently owns and manages upwards of 15 million square feet of office space, of which 1.5 million square feet is in Portland. In May 1999, API launched an environmental initiative based on its newly created environmental statement and the four system conditions of The Natural Step.

Background
The Ashforth Company was founded as a family owned real estate company in New York in 1896. Throughout the next century, it expanded its services and coverage areas. The creation of the API office extended The Ashforth Company’s services beyond the Northeast to include the rapidly growing Northwest real estate market.

The company strives to bring social and economic benefits to the communities in which it operates. The opening page of its centennial celebration book states, “We owe it to our ancestors to preserve entire the rights they have delivered to us; we owe it to our posterity not to suffer their dearest inheritance to be destroyed.”

Ashforth is dedicated to serving its customers by adhering to its four operating principles: Commitment—to create enduring business relationships that will enhance the value of the company, Quality— to be dedicated to providing the highest level of service with speed and professionalism, People—to foster teamwork, personal growth, creativity and leadership and to encourage respect for the individual, communication, optimism, and a sense of humor, and Practices—to act with integrity and fairness to customers, employees, and community.

Introduction to The Natural Step: the Passion of a CEO
Hank Ashforth, CEO of API and the great-grandson of The Ashforth Company’s founder, learned about The Natural Step (TNS) through his involvement with the environmental community in Portland. Convinced that the business community must be part of the solution of pressing environmental issues, he attended an Oregon Natural Step Network breakfast meeting and quickly saw a good match between API’s principles and the framework TNS provided. In March 1999, he invited Duke Castle to give a briefing for members of the API executive team in charge of property management, construction, leasing, and finance.

The executive team met with Castle again to conduct a visioning exercise and brainstorm potential ideas. The team came up with a list of “low hanging fruit” and sent several employees to the National TNS conference in Portland in April 1999. Its purpose was to gain insight on ways to implement TNS framework, recruit a summer intern to focus on environmental issues, and train employees.

Launching the Environmental Initiative
In May 1999, the executive team hired Wendy Faubert as an intern and worked with her on a strategy for implementing an environmental initiative. They developed an approach that was both top-down and grassroots oriented. This strategy was designed to take advantage of the strong support of the executive team, the small and personal nature of the company, and the existing interest and passion of some employees.

The primary function of the grassroots approach was to develop awareness and interest among office employees in a fun and non-threatening manner. Meanwhile, the top-down strategy involved the executive team formulating an environmental policy statement and the formation of two sustainability teams. The teams’ mandate was to focus on ways that office operations and building-management practices could support the environmental initiative. The two groups, OSCAR (Office, Sustainability, Conservation, and Recycling) and BEAT (Buildings Environmental Action Team), would each be staffed by six employees handpicked by the CEO.

In July 1999, API officially launched its Environmental Initiative at an all-hands meeting—a debriefing meeting attended by all members of the office. The initiative was based on the company’s new environmental statement, “We will be stewards of our environment by taking responsible actions within our business and our communities,” and the four system conditions of The Natural Step. During the meeting, Duke Castle presented TNS framework, Hank Ashforth spoke, and a brainstorming activity allowed employees to write down their ideas for practices that could be implemented within the company.

By the fall it was apparent the Faubert was needed fulltime, and she accepted the job of sustainability coordinator.

Building Employee Support for the Environmental Initiative
From the beginning, building employee interest, awareness, and support for the Environmental Initiative was a top priority. The initial strategy was to keep the activities voluntary and fun. Several different methods were used to educate employees about sustainability and concepts surrounding TNS framework.

A brown bag lunch series served as the primary means of engaging employees. Employees learned about other environmentally conscious businesses organizations such as The Collins Companies, the Sustainable Chef’s Collaborative, Nike, PGE, The Rebuilding Center, and Carsharing Portland.

Other education methods included field trips and a bulletin board displaying relevant articles and information on sustainability and TNS framework. Office games and activities for each system condition kept the initiative and the concept of environmental responsibility in front of employees in a fun and interactive way. One popular activity was the “cookies-for-trash-cans” trade where employees voluntarily gave up their individual trash can and agreed to throw away all of their garbage in a central area. This activity was easy for employees to participate in, succeeded in raising employee awareness about what they were throwing away, and saved API 9,000 plastic trash can liners a year.

Finally, each API office employee attended a two-and-one-half-hour TNS framework training. The sustainability coordinator, office manager, and assistant controller conducted the training in groups of six to ten people during August and September 2000. All office employees attended the training as well as several outside vendors and other organizations interested in The Natural Step. The training focused on understanding the four system conditions through a combination of games, videos, visual aids, and discussions exploring how our actions and purchases affect the environment. The employees also completed a questionnaire that polled their perceptions related to the initiative and their interest in participating in other environmental events.

Results, Results, Results
API’s Environmental Initiative is a vision shared by the entire company, but it is rooted in producing results, results that can be measured and managed. Hank Ashforth has emphasized quantifiable results, believing that “if we know where we are, it is easier to go where we want to.”

Energy. Many of API’s initial projects focused on energy conservation measures. Between 1997 and 2001, the company reduced energy consumption by 18% through lighting and heating/cooling changes in the four commercial properties it owns, saving $654,000 over five years. T-8 lights, compact fluorescents, and LED lights replaced less efficient products; and automatic controls sweep all lights off during evenings and weekends. Thermostats were adjusted by two degrees. As a conservation incentive, sub-meters were installed so that tenants pay for any extra use of electricity above a standard amount. In addition, API has invested 6% of total electricity usage in wind power through Pacific Power’s Blue Sky program. The company is one of Pacific Power’s largest supporters of Blue Sky.

Water. API reduced water consumption in its portfolio properties by 6% by not using air conditioning after hours and not watering lawn areas, saving $43,000 annually. To handle storm water on site, the Liberty Center Parking Garage was retro-fitted with bioswales that filter the runoff and allow it to seep into the ground.

Waste. Through electronic communication and double-sided copying, API reduced paper purchases by 39% between 1998 and 2001. As a further commitment to saving trees, the company switched to 100% post-consumer recycled copy paper and 100% (40% post-consumer) recycled, chlorine-free toilet paper, saving over $15,000 annually. In 1999, when PacifiCorp’s office space was renovated, API’s construction arm made an extraordinary effort to recycle not only metal and wood, but also ceiling tile, window glass, drywall, and carpet. The company is now working to expand recycling options available to tenants to include batteries and packing peanuts and to create a better mechanism for tracking waste and recycling outputs. The centralized trash collection system for the office is on its way to becoming standard operating procedure for all tenant spaces.

Toxics. The company worked with ABM Janitorial Services (ABM) to switch to non-toxic cleaning products in the maintenance of its buildings. First testing the citrus-based Bi-O-Kleen on an outside curtain wall and finding it effective, ABM found it could replace over 20 standard cleaners, from scouring powder to carpet spotter, degreaser to disinfectant, with the same solution in different concentrations. As a result, 25 hazardous chemicals have been eliminated. ABM now promotes Bi-O-Kleen with its other commercial clients.

To reduce landscaping impacts, chemical herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers are now prohibited in API’s maintenance specifications. Gasoline-powered maintenance equipment has been replaced by propane, electric, or manual equipment wherever possible, and the most polluting two-stroke engines are no longer allowed. Leaf blowers, because of their air and noise pollution, are allowed only at the height of fall season.

Transportation. Not only does API provide free transit passes to all employees, but it also actively supports alternative transportation throughout the Lloyd District. For example, it played an instrumental role in the expansion of Tri-Met’s Fareless Square to the District. That means that workers can travel from downtown to the Lloyd District free of charge. For those who don’t drive to work, API has loaned two parking spaces and purchased a membership in Flexcar, a service that makes a car available when needed during the workday. To encourage bicycle commuting, it provides 34 bicycle lockers in addition to racks and included showers in its newest building. To further encourage employees to use alternatives to single-occupant auto commutes, it offers a special benefit on a trial basis. Those who use alternative transportation 80 percent of the time each month get a half-day of personal time.

Green building. When API remodeled its office space, it installed Interface carpet tiles, allowing worn tiles in high-traffic areas to be sent back to the company without replacing the entire carpet. Low VOC paints were specified for the walls. Environ Biocomposite, a particle board manufactured from agricultural wastes, was chosen for desk surfaces.

Operating from the belief that people want to do their best, API has been pleased by employee ideas that have been generated through the Environmental Initiative. In fact, many of the projects API has worked on or is currently working on came from employees’ suggestions. A sampling of other employee ideas include double-siding fax cover sheets; using glasses, plates and silverware in the office instead of disposables; using envelopes provided by vendors in their invoices instead of API envelopes; and standardizing office supplies with choices based on TNS principles along with efficiency and cost.

Lessons Learned
• Invest time in training workers so they are knowledgeable and excited about the company’s new direction.
• Take small steps. The challenges, changes, and ideas can be overwhelming at times. Look for the easy things to do first, as accomplishments breed success.
• Encourage workers to come up with ideas to support the initiative.
• Set up a structure to make employees’ ideas a reality.
• Communicate environmental goals and policies to vendors to help expand your company’s impact.

API feels that the most important element in launching an initiative is enlisting the support of people working in the company. As Wendy Faubert, API’s first sustainability coordinator put it, “I strongly believe that having taken the time to get people on board, to make it fun, to increase the energy around the initiative before we start [more] projects. . . is going to pay dividends in the long run.” According to the office manager and assistant controller, benefits of involving employees in the Environmental Initiative include improving the cohesiveness of the company, challenging employees to think of new ways to improve existing processes, and better communications among departments.

Challenges
API spent the first 18 months of its environmental initiative pursuing “low-hanging fruit,” primarily in the property management division. The projects were fairly easy to accomplish because they did not radically change business operations (e.g., shifting to a more environmentally friendly cleaner) and demonstrated short-term economic justification (e.g., the energy savings). The company’s next challenge will be changes that alter fundamental practices and are harder to justify economically. Greener construction, for example, often requires a large investment in materials and, initially, more employee involvement and time. In the “time-is-money” world of construction, such challenges can seem daunting. However, API is quick to point out that while construction will be more challenging, there is ample opportunity for significant environmental benefits.

Beginning September 2001, API was selected as property manager for the Vollum Natural Capital Center, a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold-rated green building located in Portland’s Pearl District. Involvement with this high-profile project has raised the bar for API to continue to develop innovative and environmentally friendly approaches to property management.

In 2002 API accepted a new challenge—participation in a pilot project of the U.S. Green Building Council to test its new LEED-EB (Existing Buildings) rating system. To date, the Council’s LEED certification system for green buildings has applied largely to new construction. Over the course of the coming year, Ashforth Pacific staff will document Liberty Center’s performance and policies in the areas of cleaning and maintenance, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, recycling and facilities, and landscape maintenance. Where necessary, building systems may be upgraded to bring the building into compliance with LEED criteria.

The Future
The company is now developing a more in-depth approach to sustainability involving all office staff. Smaller teams will focus on revising specific areas of corporate and building operations and working to balance sustainability goals with the needs of tenants, profit expectations, and the constraints of the company’s existing buildings. Each group will conduct a thorough analysis of its area of operations, identify and implement necessary improvements, and track indicators that will help the company measure environmental performance. The four system conditions of the Natural Step will serve as a compass for these groups as they redefine organizational processes and operations.

Many organizations and individuals have contributed knowledge and inspiration to the company’s sustainability efforts. As the work of the Environmental Initiative further unfolds, API will strive to share information and lessons learned with clients, suppliers, and the community at large. While recognizing that much work lies ahead in the company’s quest for
sustainability, Ashforth Pacific intends to continue stepping forward to increase service to clients while improving the environmental and economic bottom line.

Sources
1. Interview with Wendy Faubert, Sustainability Coordinator, Ashforth Pacific, Inc., December 15, 2000
2. Master Recycler News, October 2000, “Profile: Sustainability in Real Estate Management,” Mendola, Kathleen Finn
3. The BEAT Bulletin, November 2000, March 2000, October 1999

This case study was prepared in April 2001 by Vanessa Margolis for The Natural Step Network and updated in October 2002 by the Network.

Awesome neighbourhoods for a sustainable city: What do you declare possible?

Pong Leung — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 09:55:18 -0400

We create and re-create our neighbourhoods constantly. What do we need from our neighbourhoods? What do our neighbourhoods need from us? What do YOU declare possible?

Our cities are made by us. Most parts of cities are left to us by earlier generations, but they are still made by us. We believe that working at the neighbourhood scale is where we can make cities what we need them to be. It is at this scale where we experience the city and all it has to offer.

It’s time to name the impossible awesome dream. It’s time to experiment and find our way there. It’s time to name what the dream is for our city and our neighbourhoods.

It’s time to make the impossible possible.

Join us for an experiment…

As part of its Sustainability Transition Lab program and with the support of the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, The Natural Step Canada is hosting an experiment in Edmonton this fall.

Earlier this year, we hosted a Dialogue for a Sustainable and Prosperous Edmonton among leading citizens. At this gathering we heard that now is a key time to engage all generations in imagining a new future for our neighbourhoods.

Workshop I: Youth declare the impossibly awesome neighbourhood possible

Are you aged 18-30 (give or take) and working (paid or unpaid) to make your neighbourhood and city better?

This is an invitation to young people in the Edmonton area to declare what the “impossibly awesome” neighbourhood looks and feels like. What is it for? Who does it serve? How does it operate? What are the characteristics of a neighbourhood that meets the needs of today and tomorrow? What will our social, energy, economic, ecological, cultural, and government systems look like?

System change requires the participation of a wide range of perspectives and values. Join us to share yours and declare Edmonton’s future.

DATE: Wednesday, October 24, 2012, 9:00am-4:00pm (coffee & lunch provided)

LOCATION: The Older Timers’ Cabin, 9430 Scona Road, Edmonton, AB (map)

Registration Deadline: October 22

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Workshop II: Pool the intelligence of the whole city to advance the youth’s awesome declaration

Are you aged 18 – 88 (give or take)? Are you open to being influenced by the dreams of youth and accept the challenge to be responsible for the consequences of today’s actions?

It will take a whole city to respond to the youth declaration of the impossibly awesome neighbourhood. You share this dream and you believe the impossible is possible. You believe that young and old must work together to make it happen. You believe that people of various walks of life and perspectives can work together.

Join us to take action with the wisdom of our varied perspectives and multiple generations.

DATE: Thursday, November 22, 2012, 9:00am-4:00pm (coffee & lunch provided)

LOCATION: Prince of Wales Armouries, Jefferson Room, 10440 - 108 Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB (map)

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Who should attend?

For both workshops, we are inviting those who value:
**Generating new ideas for our neighbourhoods and communities**
**Getting to know Edmonton’s innovative and passionate leaders**
**Creating networks of diverse people who share your passion for this city**

Professionals, artists, activists, city staff, city builders, trades, contractors, teachers, students, educational institutions… anyone who is interested in making neighbourhoods that serve our needs now and into the future is welcome to join us for this experiment.

What to bring

Willingness to share your wisdom and networks
Commitment to support the dreams of youth
Desire to work with people of various perspectives
Comfort in creating a new path together

Our team

In this experiment, you will be hosted by two experienced sustainability practitioners:

Pong Leung, The Natural Step Canada

Pong has over a decade of experience supporting sustainability driven change processes, including in many communities across Canada. Recently, Pong was on the expert panel of Edmonton’s sustainability plan, The Way We Green.

Beth Sanders, POPULUS Community Planning Inc.

Beth works with organizations who seek to create cities that serve citizens well, and citizens that serve cities well. Beth is co-designer and co-host of the Integral City Collective’s international City 2.0 Conference.

Questions?

Please contact Kirsti Piirtoniemi at kpiirtoniemi(at)naturalstep.ca or 613.748.3001 x228.

The Natural Step Canada is a national charitable organization with a mission to accelerate the shift toward a sustainable society, where human beings live within the capacity of the Earth to sustain us. We are an entrepreneurial charity that delivers projects and programs based on our expertise in the social processes of sustainability driven innovation. Our programs build leadership capacity and develop role models for sustainable communities and businesses. Our approach is based on seeing systems, collaborating across boundaries, and creating desired futures. Learn more at www.thenaturalstep.org/canada.

View invitation as a PDF.

Canada

Axis Performance Advisors, Portland, Oregon, USA

Chas Martin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:42:36 -0400

A Natural Step Network Case Study

Background
Axis Performance Advisors was started in 1990 by Marsha Willard and Darcy Hitchcock as an organizational management consulting firm, specializing ins self-directed work teams. As of today, November 2003, about 53 percent of Axis' work is directly related to sustainability.

Inspiration
In addition to its consulting work, Axis would, on occasion, host one-day think-tank meetings. In 1996, having heard about the concept of sustainability, it hosted a meeting on the subject. At that meeting Hitchcock had an “aha” experience when she realized that Axis was showing companies how to be more efficient and effective in depleting the planet’s resources. She decided that she and Willard had to do “something.” Shortly thereafter Hitchcock was introduced to The Natural Step (TNS) at a Business for Social Responsibility meeting. She says she felt a great relief, because TNS offered the “something” that Axis should do. In 1998 she went to the TNS conference in Chicago and began doing volunteer work for the Oregon Natural Step Network as a speaker and as a contributing writer for the Tool kit.

Action
Upon learning about TNS, Axis first examined the impacts of its own business on the environment. Hitchcock and Willard quickly realized that as a service business, their greatest impact was through their consulting services and the influence they had on their clients. Since they had experience in organizational change, they could help companies become more sustainable.

Axis also examined its internal practices against the four systems conditions. It determined that its greatest impact was greenhouse emissions from energy use, especially transportation, but it was able to take action to reduce its impacts in all four system conditions.

System Condition One (Taking Substances from the Earth's Crust)

Willard and Hitchcock measured their greenhouse gas impact and purchased carbon offsets to be climate neutral with a cost of approximately $20 per year per person (see Appendix 1 for measurements, including tracking alternative transportation).
Hitchcock moved her home office from Vancouver, Washington to Portland, Oregon to reduce travel.
Both Hitchcock and Willard use bicycles and public transportation whenever possible, resulting in 43% of business travel through alternative transportation (up from 0% before 2000)
Hitchcock and Willard both work from their homes, they purchased Green Power for both work and personal consumption.
Hitchcock purchased a Toyota Prius for business and personal use.
Axis purchased Energy Star rated computers (MAC G3s and monitors) and chose not to buy a copying machine.

System Condition Two (Use of Synthetic Substances)

Switched overhead transparency markers to ones that wash off with water instead of isopropyl alcohol.
Decided not to purchase certain products (e.g., glues) that had volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

System Condition Three (Preservation of Natural Resources)

Committed to buying recycled content paper, using 100% post-consumer recycled paper for company stationary.
When copier broke, did not purchase new one. This reduced the number of copies Axis makes.
Transitioned services like its newsletter and Team Booster product to an electronic service to save paper.
Axis does small print runs of the Sustainability SeriesTM booklets so as not to build up a large inventory, which might need to be scrapped later.
Axis has also chosen ShoreBank Pacific for their banking services.

System Condition Four (Meeting Human Needs)

Offered no- or low-cost services for targeted non-profits which would otherwise not be able to afford consulting services and which had a mission related to sustainability (Housing our Families, Planned Parenthood, Oregon Environmental Council, OMSI).
Provided pro bono facilitation services for the Oregon Natural Step Network’s Climate Change Peer Learning Group.

Results
Axis’s expenditures have mainly been in time, although it has paid for some training as well. It characterizes the time and training as R&D because Axis’ goal has been to transform the business to sustainability consulting.

That said, just operating its business more sustainably has saved Axis money over all. It has spent less money on parking fees, equipment not purchased, and printing and postage and has less wear and tear on its vehicles. The combined effect of its transportation efforts resulted in an annual reduction of 4,000 pounds of CO2 emissions. Axis has also learned that measurement does change behavior. It helps inform decisions and makes an immediate impact.

Challenges
One irony is that the more successful Axis becomes the more Hitchcock and Willard have to travel, which will actually increase their environmental impacts. They will address these impacts through the use of offsets.

Because sustainability is the focus of Axis’s business, the biggest challenge is creating a market to sustain all those who want to work in this field. It appears that sustainability is still at the early adopter phase in most sectors so the list of potential customers is limited. Also in tough economic times, people tend to pull back from exploring new options (even if they could save time or money) because they are already feeling stressed and stretched. That said, the challenge for consultants is always: to provide value to customers.

This case study was prepared by Regina Hauser for the Oregon Natural Step Network. For more information contact Darcy Hitchcock (503) 288-7704, darcy@axisperformance.com, or Marsha Willard (503) 284-9132, marsha@axisperformance.com, or visit the Axis Performance Advisors’ Web site, www.pacifier.com/~axis.

Appendix 1

BECCS - Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage

Richard Blume — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:41:55 -0400

What is BECCS?

BECCS stands for Bio Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage. It is an emerging technology that has the potential to go beyond traditional climate change mitigation, and instead actually achieve negative emissions, i.e. net removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

How does it work?

Negative CO2 emissions are generated by combining bio-energy production (biomass fuel-power stations, pulp mills and bio-fuel plants) with carbon capture and storage technology, allowing carbon dioxide to be captured from the atmosphere and remitted back underground.

The road to commercialisation

The Natural Step is pleased to be collaborating with Biorecro, a Swedish clean tech company that is commercialising BECCS technology with the vision to reverse climate change by returning to pre-industrial levels of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere (i.e. below 350 ppm).

Various partners from Scandinavia and North America are involved in a wider collaboration to establish the business models, infrastructure and industry networks needed for commercialisation.

Listen to a podcast with Henrik Karlson, President and CEOBiorecro, recorded by Think Globally Radio.
Learn more about Biorecro by visiting their website: http://www.biorecro.com/

Sustainability Analysis of the Technology

The Natural Step has conducted a baseline assessment of BECCS technology using the The Natural Step Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development and its underlying scientific sustainability principles.The assessment is conducted from the perspective of asking does the technology have a role in a sustainable society or act as a stepping stone to get us there?

The results are promising and The Natural Step is conducting ongoing work with Biorecro to provide a third party view on their processes.

The assessment is part of The Natural Step's involvement in the international research alliance, Real Change. Enquiries about the study or the research program can be directed to Jonas Oldmark at The Natural Step.

Pilot Demonstration Study

A conclusion from the investigation is that further research is needed to road-test the sustainability credentials of the technology as it scales. The Natural Step is therefore supporting a demonstration project that will allow for further action research and documentation of the results within the Real Change research program.

Learn More

A public seminar on BECCS technology will take place on May 18th, 2010 in Stockholm, hosted by SIANI. The seminar will provide insight into BECCS technology, its scientific background, sustainability potential, current status of development and implementation and case studies from around the world. Event details are posted here.

Further information

Interested parties can contact Jonas Oldmark at The Natural Step International to learn more about the technology, The Natural Step's assessment or our collaboration with Biorecro.

Sweden

Benefits for Business

Anouk Bertner — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:47:07 -0400

Reaping the rewards

The Natural Step provides professional and customized education, training and advisory services to leading companies committed to real change. By integrating sustainability and systems-thinking into hearts and minds of employees, and into the core strategies and operations of companies like Nike, Rio Tinto Alcan, and Rohm and Haas we are helping them create innovative, sustainable solutions and driving the transition to a sustainable future. Companies committed to a sustainable vision also enjoy a number of clear commercial benefits including:

Product and Service Innovation-Sustainability principles and strategies inject revolutionary thinking into new product and services, opening up new markets, growing customers, and reducing risk throughout the lifetime of products.
Competitive Advantage - Visionary organisations use sustainability to adapt to competitive pressures through innovative, flexible and adaptable products and processes, with an enhanced ability to quickly respond to change.
Customer and Employee Loyalty and Trust - Enhanced brand equity and reputation accompanies sustainable business practices serving to attract customers and employees alike.
Increased Shareholder Value - Research shows that companies pursuing sustainable business strategies have significantly greater shareholder value than their peers.
License to operate – Organisations that can genuinely and effectively engage communities to deliver ‘triple bottom line’ benefits are much more likely to achieve success in their ventures.
Cost savings - Redesigning energy, material flows and impacts in the direction of sustainability can significantly reduce operational costs while increasing access to capital by lowering risks.
And of course, bringing your organization strategically closer towards environmental and social sustainability in an economically sound way.

Our services are tailored to meet your exact needs with each of our offices offering a number of distinct service offerings and supporting tools based upon The Natural Step Framework. Examples include:

Readiness, baseline and gap analysis assessments
Foundations, capacity-building and leadership training in sustainability
Support in defining the business case for sustainability in your specific circumstance
Vision and strategy development for sustainable business
Networking events and breakfast seminars
Support in value chain collaboration with customers and suppliers
Best practice benchmarking using PROBE for Sustainable Business
Sustainable product assessment and innovation using our Sustainability Life Cycle Assessment approach.

BOORA Archietcts, Portland, Oregon, USA

Chas Martin — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:47:08 -0400

A Natural Step Network Case Study

TNS gave us a banner to march behind. It enhanced the spirit that was already here and gave us order and direction. —Eric Miller, BOORA employee Overview BOORA Architects provides architecture, planning, and interior design services to clients throughout the United States and abroad. With one office in Portland, Oregon, BOORA currently has 85 employees and annual gross revenues in excess of $13 million. The firm’s projects include schools, theaters, museums, libraries, office buildings, and recreation facilities.

· LEED implementation: Assisting in the registration and certification of BOORA projects. Currently, four of BOORA’s buildings are LEEDä registered.

· Products library classification: “Greening” BOORA’s interiors and products library so that teams can use the best and most responsible materials available; developing product classifications which describe what makes various products green; and developing a classification form that product representatives can use to provide detailed information
about their product’s sustainability features.

Lessons Learned and Challenges Ahead
· Provide leadership from the top. BOORA management communicated to the staff its commitment to the firm’s sustainability efforts through specific goals and objectives
outlined in the annual business plans.

· Commit to education and training. Strongly encouraging all staff to attend a half-day TNS training session at an early date gave everyone the same knowledge base and vocabulary.

· Take calculated risks. Believing that too much analysis can cause paralysis, BOORA did not get bogged down with elaborate cost-benefit examination or require concrete evidence of assured success before moving forward. It continues to implement ideas that intuitively seem like the “right thing to do.”

· Little successes add up. Having some tangible achievements, especially if they are recognized publicly, inspires staff to take them to the next level. BOORA has received a PGE EarthSmart Innovator Award for the design of George Fox University’s Stevens Center, and two BOORA-designed buildings were selected for the Ten Plus Northwest exhibition organized by Portland’s Office of Sustainable Development, showcasing the
latest and best in sustainable practices and technologies in the Pacific Northwest.

· Share the responsibility. BOORA created a Sustainability Coordinator position, but the position was eventually eliminated. Because the TNS framework touches every aspect of
BOORA’s practice, from architecture and interiors to specifications, marketing, and technology, the responsibility for integrating TNS was too large and undefined for one individual.

· Find quantifiable industry standards . In the United States, The LEEDä rating system of the U.S. Green Building Council is the standard for assessing sustainability in commercial and institutional buildings. Many local governments, higher education institutions, architects, and engineers are already using this standard to assess the “shades of green” of their construction and renovation projects.

BOORA’s efforts over the past several years have focused on “building” a green BOORA—its people, place, and practice. The biggest challenge BOORA will face in the future will be “marketing” green BOORA. This shift from a more “internalized” focus to an “externalized” approach will advance the practice and business of sustainable design and build BOORA’s
reputation for knowing how to do this work.

Developing marketing communications materials that reflect BOORA’s accomplishments and perspectives, presenting seminars on sustainable design, and promoting recent innovative sustainable design approaches and technical systems in trade newspapers and journals all contribute to BOORA’s reputation as one of the most knowledgeable in this specialty. Resources need to be allocated toward these efforts so they don’t take a back seat when other “billable” efforts are pressing.

Learning to become effective advocates of sustainable design will result in better buildings, more satisfied clients, and a strong referral base for future work. Clients may be wary of the benefits of sustainable design, either because they don't understand it, they think it's too expensive, and/or they don't want to take a risk on unproven technology and equipment. Design professionals need to better learn the language of the building owner, facility manager, and CFO in terms owners can understand--first-cost savings, return on investment, and enhanced productivity--to effectively champion the benefits and value of sustainable design.

This case study was prepared by Mary Van Domelen and Julie Wallis of BOORA for the The Natural Step Network.

Brown Bag Leadership Lunch Series - Declaring Your Intention

Chas Martin — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:42:10 -0400

Start: Dec 12 2008 - 12:00pm

Timezone: Etc/GMT

Bring your lunch and join us for a series of engaging dialogues, facilitated by LionHeart Consulting, providing practical tools and insights into the real leadership that is required to implement sustainability.

While it is ideal to attend the entire series, each session will be interesting and informative as a stand alone experience.

December 12 (tentative): Declaring Your Intention – great words are at the source of great accomplishments. When you know the deepest wisdom in your heart is guiding your actions, you are no longer afraid to speak powerfully for a bold future.

These brown bag sessions are free. We will meet in the US Bank Room at the Central Library, 810 SW 10 th Ave , Portland, Oregon. We will begin at noon and end promptly at 1pm.

Building Toward Sustainability, Literally

Jennifer Reid — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:18:53 -0400

The Landmark Group of Builders is a residential construction company further comprised of seven individual companies with offices in Edmonton, Red Deer, and Calgary. In the fall of 2008, in collaboration with The Natural Step, Landmark embarked on a journey to identify their key sustainability challenges, key innovation goals to overcome those challenges, and to develop a road map for embedding sustainability into their business. TNS advisor Sarah Brooks commends Landmark for “taking a long term perspective in their strategic planning for sustainability.” She points out that by “benchmarking progress from full sustainability rather than compliance regulations, [The Landmark Group] are taking an approach that is rigorous enough to answer the question “how will we know when we’ve arrived there [at sustainability]?””

To date, TNS has been involved in facilitating the Awareness, Baseline, and Visioning phases of TNS ABCD process. This has been accomplished through a series of workshops and webinars held with various members of senior management and members of Landmark’s Green Team. With support from TNS advisors, Landmark Group of Builders has prepared a baseline analysis of their company. This baseline analysis, along with a governance report drafted by TNS representatives, provided a means for the critical review of the company’s business practices which is integral for strategic planning. In preparation for sustainable action, a draft of a sustainability vision has been created by the company’s internal “Green Team”.

This partnership with TNS is only one of many initiatives making Landmark a strong corporate leader in Alberta. Dave Nasseri, the director and coordinator of the “Landmark Sustainability Initiative”, along with a group of dedicated visionaries, have a number of systems and assets in place from which to build. These programs, such as Landmark’s culture of learning, have greatly contributed to the progress made with TNS.

“Landmark is setting a solid foundation to move towards sustainability in a robust, efficient, and comprehensive way while staying viable in the market”, commented Sarah Brooks; “This is a foundation that will help to shed light on the sustainability journey and provide ‘proof of possibility’ for other construction companies interested in taking a similar path.”

Canada

Bullfrog Power - Greener Horizons (Toronto, ON)

Neil McCallum — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 10:40:40 -0400

Start: Nov 15 2012 - 8:30am

End: Nov 15 2012 - 10:30am

Timezone: Canada/Eastern

The Natural Step Canada is proud to support our partner, Bullfrog Power, and their upcoming sustainability events.

Greener Horizons hosted by Bullfrog Power:

The next generation of sustainability planning: Connecting with employees to achieve better results

Join leaders from Canada's business community for a discussion on the successes, challenges and future opportunities with respect to engaging employees in sustainability. The panel discussion will be moderated by Unilever Canada's John Coyne.

Continental breakfast will be served.

Date: Thursday, November 15, 2012
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (panel discussion from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.)
Place: The Arcadian Loft, 401 Bay Street, 8th Floor (Simpson Tower), Toronto, Ontario M5H 2Y4
RSVP: Please email greener.horizons@bullfrogpower.com to confirm your attendance. Space is limited!

More details: http://www.bullfrogpower.com/horizons/20121115/

About Bullfrog Power

Bullfrog Power, Canada's 100% green energy provider, offers homes and businesses clean, renewable energy solutions. By choosing Bullfrog Power's green energy, you can reduce your environmental impact, support the development of new renewable generation in Canada and help to create a cleaner world for today and tomorrow. Learn more...

Canada

Canadian Business for Social Responsibility :: 7th Annual Summit on CSR, Toronto, ON

Anouk Bertner — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:23:31 -0400

Start: Nov 5 2009 - 12:00am

End: Nov 5 2009 - 11:59pm

Timezone: Etc/GMT-4

Transformational CSR: The Next Wave of Business Leadership, Innovation and Performance
November 5, 2009 – Toronto

This year’s Summit will focus on new and creative ways for businesses to take a transformational approach to CSR – by embedding environmental, social and governance excellence and linking these principles to effective business strategy and bottom line performance. We will highlight current strategies, practical case studies and cutting edge trends that are advancing business practice. Featured speakers include: Dr. John Ruggie, United Nations Special Representative on Business and Human Rights, Ray Anderson, Founder and Chairman of Interface Inc. and Jeffrey Hollender, Chair and Chief Inspired Protagonist of Seventh Generation. Pre- and post-Summit workshops will take place on November 4 & 6. To learn more and register visit their website.

Canada

CBSR - 10th Annual CBSR Summit: Join the Regeneration of CSR (Toronto, ON)

Josh Snider — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 14:27:32 -0400

Start: Nov 7 2012 - 9:00am

End: Nov 7 2012 - 5:00pm

Timezone: Canada/Eastern

The Natural Step Canada is proud to support our partner, Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (CBSR) and their upcoming sustainability events.

Event: 10th Annual CBSR Summit

Where: Toronto, ON

We are thrilled to extend a warm invitation for you to join CBSR and global leaders on November 7th, at 1 King Street West, in Toronto for our 10th Annual Summit: The Regeneration of CSR: The Essential Role of Business in Building a Sustainable Future.

Each year we bring together North America’s top experts, executives and practitioners from leading companies, governments, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations.

In the last decade, the CSR discussion has evolved from mitigating risks, to the realization that strategically embedding positive environmental and social impact is good for business.

Our 10th Annual Summit will celebrate the Regeneration of CSR and define what it means to be a truly sustainable company!

For more information and to register for this event:

http://www.cvent.com/events/cbsr-10th-annual-summit-on-corporate-social-responsibility-and-ecr-awards

***Special Discount***

Register by October 23 and use this code: CBSRFR2012 to receive a $100 discount

About Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (CBSR)

Founded in 1995, CBSR is a non-profit, member-led organization that mobilizes Canadian companies to make powerful business decisions that improve performance and contribute to a better world. Learn more...

Canada

Celebrating Success: Congratulations to 2013 Clean50 award winners Reza Nasseri and Barbara Turley-McIntyre

Sarah Brooks — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 10:53:33 -0400

This week, two of our partners won awards honouring their contribution to the sustainability movement. Reza Nasseri of The Landmark Group of Builders and Barbara Turley-McIntyre of The Co-operators were both recipients of this year’s Clean50 Awards.

The Clean50 Awards celebrate individuals and small teams who have made great contribution to sustainable development or clean capitalism in Canada. Sixteen categories, ranging from advocacy, cities, consultants and retail (to name only a few) are included, and there is an additional award for the Clean16 – those sixteen individuals deemed to have had the most impact in each of the sixteen categories. We are incredibly proud that individuals belonging to two of our long-term partnerships have been recognized for their leadership and sustainability efforts.

The Clean50 is a great addition to the awards landscape in Canada. Not only does it highlight the work of people we admire, but it also does something that is arguably crucial to the success of Canada’s sustainability journey; it provides the impetus to pause, reflect and celebrate our individual and collective contributions to (and progress throughout) society’s sustainability transition.

Sustainability is a journey. We’ve all heard it. Some days we believe it. Other times, it feels like that journey is so long and fraught that we may just as well stay home and pull the covers over our heads. However, it’s the dedication to that audacious vision – a vision that, as Ray Anderson said, ‘takes their breath away’ – that continues to propel individuals, companies and ultimately, society as a whole, toward a sustainable future. On any journey, it is important to find the space to consider not only what is left to do, but what has already been accomplished. Sometimes it’s this exact pause that gives us the time to refill, recharge and move forward yet again. The Clean50 reminds us that sustainability work is important and worthy of acknowledgement.

Consider this: when was the last time you lauded your sustainability team? When was the last time you paused and lauded yourself for your work and contributions to the successes – large or small – that you have been part of? Can you remember back to a time when you worked on something and someone gave you a real, authentic high five, literal or not? Remember how good that felt and maybe even how it spurred you to do more and even better work?

The Clean50 is a great reminder of the necessity of praise and the necessity of pausing. It’s a reminder that no matter how high placed we are in our work or life, we can all use acknowledgement. It reminds us of our intrinsic value and can refuel our commitment to our cause. Sustainability is a journey. Let’s not forget to celebrate our successes as doing so can help us move ahead.

Congratulations to Reza and Barbara, your contributions to the sustainable development are outstanding. Also, congratulations to us all; our work is important. Let’s remember to acknowledge that for each other and ourselves, and keep the sustainability journey moving!

If you are interested in learning more about our Service Path for Sustainable Business and how we can help your business develop a bold sustainability vision, strategy, and action plan, please contact us or join our next FREE Introduction to Strategic Sustainability for Business in Canada webinar.

Canada

CEW Eco Beauty Award

Richard Blume — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:24:25 -0400

Eco Beauty Award

sponsored by Givaudan

The Natural Step is pleased to be providing the assessment criteria for Cosmetic Executive Women's Eco Beauty Award. Sponsored by Givaudan, the award is a new initiative intended to reward products that demonstrate best practice and progress toward sustainability.

We are excited to work with CEW on the shortlisting of entries and assessing the submissions through the lens of The Natural Step Framework.

>About CEW Beauty Awards

Rationale for the Criteria

The criteria for the Award are a direct translation of The Natural Step system conditions, which offer a credible, science-based definition of sustainability, acting as basic principles to guide actions toward the goal of a sustainable society.

Applicants are asked to demonstrate life cycle thinking and to take account of the full scope of sustainability - i.e. how does the product perform against the four sustainability principles over its lifecycle?

Using sustainability principles helps to deal with trade-offs and make strategic choices. Progress in one area of sustainability needs to be checked to ensure that it does not just transfer the problem elsewhere. For example, replacing an ingredient from a crude oil feedstock with a bio-sourced alternative may seem like a smart move. However, unless the bio-sourced alternative is sustainably sourced it merely substitutes one sustainability issue (principle 1) with another (principle 3).

News

February 2011 - CEW Announces Finalists for Eco Beauty Award
October 2010 - CEW Announces Call for 2011 Beauty Award

Resources for the Beauty Industry

Leading the change: new industry sustainability course
Take the next step toward sustainability with The Natural Step’s award winning one-hour sustainability e-learning program, by clicking here.
Learn more about The Natural Step system conditions, Framework and its application, by clicking here.
To learn how The Natural Step supports businesses with corporate sustainability and to read case studies please click here.
Tool: Sustainability Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA)
Tool: Probe for Sustainable Business - Best Practice Benchmarking

Chad Park speaking at reThink Waterloo 2012: A Business Sustainability Forum (Waterloo, ON)

Neil McCallum — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:51:56 -0400

Start: May 11 2012 - 8:00am

End: May 11 2012 - 3:00pm

Timezone: Canada/Eastern

The Natural Step Canada is excited to be a Partner Organization with reThink Waterlo 2012. Join us to learn how to succeed in the new world of greener operations, climate change risk mitigation, and business sustainability. Leading experts and experienced local, national and global organizations will share their stories and answer your questions.

The conference will feature a keynote presentation by Andrew Heintzman, President and Co-founder of Investeco, as well as two interactive panel discussions.

The Natural Step Canada's Executive Director, Chad Park, will be speaking at this event and moderating a panel session: Embedding sustainability into your business strategy. This panel will focus on the “triple bottom line”, the challenge of synergistically integrating profit, planet, and people and its increasing involvement in the forefront of modern business practice.

Panel Moderator:
Chad Park, Executive Director, The Natural Step Canada

Panelists:
Dr. Blair Feltmate, Professor, University of Waterloo
Barbara Turley-McIntyre, Director, Sustainability & Corporate Citizenship, The Cooperators Group

For more information on the event and to register, please visit http://rethinkwaterloo.org/.

Canada

Change Your Life, and the World - Applications open for MSLS Program

Neil McCallum — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 09:27:07 -0500

Every year since 2005 a town called Karlskrona in Sweden has welcomed a new class of students focused on learning the skills and knowledge to become sustainability leaders and to equip others to become such leaders too. So far over 400 people from over 60 countries have made the journey and whilst there have traveled many other journeys of learning, developing lifelong friendships along the way.

The Masters in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability was envisioned by Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt and Prof. Göran Broman, in part, to solve a global challenge: "The question of reaching sustainability is not about if we will have enough energy, enough food, or other tangible resources - those we have. The question is: will there be enough leaders in time?" The program seeks to overcome this, bringing together the need to understand sustainability from a science based approach, then applying it using the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (aka The Natural Step Framework). To this it fuses key elements of systems thinking, societal leadership, sustainable engineering and strategic planning & management.

Students learn and work in groups, tackling challenges and creating solutions, strengthened by culturally diverse insights and the experiences brought by the talent the program attracts. Abilities to listen, empathise, reflect, collaborate and act are encouraged, enabling students not just to gain knowledge but to be able to apply it in the most effective and inclusive ways possible. The program is unique in its approaches to learning and this is borne out by the testimonials given by global leaders involved in the societal movement towards sustainability.

Speak to any alumni about the program and their eyes light up and they reconnect with the energy of the program and the motivations and passions of the students there. The journey is not just of one of academic learning, it is also a personal journey, where people find their grounding, their place and their direction and on graduation taking with them the tools and skills they need on their own paths ahead. They arrive knowing no-one, they leave knowing a community that is supportive and generous, creative and motivated, caring and driven to co-create a better world. Karlskrona on the face of it could be seen just as a historic and beautiful town, yet it is increasingly becoming known as a place that forms leaders capable of taking on the challenges we face.

Applications are open for the 2013-14 cohort of the MSLS program until January 15th, 2013. If you feel an impulse to lead meaningful change toward a vibrant and sustainable future, and want to be part of a global network of people who share the same vision, this is the program for you.

Please visit the website www.bth.se/msls to see the full program brochure and application procedures. If you are an EU citizen, the Swedish Government fully subsidises your tuition. For students from outside the EU, tuition is 100,000 SEK (just under $15,000) for this 10-month program. Scholarships are available and if you are a fee-paying student, you are welcome to visit www.kitesh.org to find out more about the free services available to assist you in the application and funding process.

Written by: Simon Goldsmith, London, UK, MSLS 2008

Chemical Industry Challenged to Step Up

Richard Blume — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:27:46 -0400

Last week our Founder, Dr Karl-Henrik Robèrt, and CEO David Cook spoke at the Vinyl 2010 industry summit in Berlin, Germany where the next steps in the industry's voluntary commitment to sustainability were discussed.

Since we released the 2000 report on PVC and Sustainability in partnership with the UK Environment Agency, The Natural Step has engaged with many leading companies in the industry helping to bring a systems and vision-oriented approach to tackle the challenge of sustainable production and management of man-made materials, such as PVC.

At the event Karl-Henrik gave an overview of The Natural Step Framework. In 20 years of dialogue between the scientific community and engagement with industry TNS has developed a robust and proven approach that has rewarded industry pioneers with unparalleled pay-back – the result of strategic choices informed by a systems perspective of sustainability.

David Cook challenged the industry to step up: “Innovation for un-sustainable products is a complete waste of time, and a tragedy”, he said. He highlighted the need to focus on sustainable satisfaction of needs, end-use, a broader ‘plastics’ industry perspective, a global outlook to any new industry initiatives and rigorous assessment using sustainability principles, as critical to the industry’s next step.

Deep industry transformation through collaboration and a much broader commitment to sustainability education within the sector were also key points to follow-up on the great progress made by Vinyl 2010.

In line with this challenge The Natural Step, in partnership with Blekinge Institute of Technology, is pleased to invite chemistry industry professionals to join the second intake of an innovative distance learning programme. The course will bring together individuals and organizations committed to the creation of sustainable value chains as a means of competitive advantage.

You can read more about the course Leading Change for a Sustainable Chemical Industry on our website and you can contact me for the course brochure and further enquiries.

The Vinyl2010 Webcast is available at the following links:

Vinyl2010 Webcast - http://www.vinyl2010berlin2009.org/ - select the Chapters tab to go to the TNS presentation “Creating a strategic framework for sustainable development that can meet industry’s needs”
TNS Slide Presentation - Karl-Henrik Robert / David Cook

City of Santa Monica, California, USA

Chas Martin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:18:42 -0400

A Natural Step Network Case Study

Overview
The City of Santa Monica is located on the western edge of the Los Angeles Basin in southern California. It is a small city of 88,000 people within 8.3 square miles that faces Santa Monica Bay and the Pacific Ocean to the west and is surrounded by other urban areas to the north, east, and south.

The City is defined largely by its relationship to the beach and ocean. Not surprisingly, it was degradation of Santa Monica Bay in the early 1980s that first galvanized action on behalf of the environment by citizens and community leaders.

Santa Monica has generally affluent citizens, high property values, and a strong economy based on high technology, entertainment, tourism, and retail. These factors mean that City government has a strong tax base with which to design and implement programs. The City government has approximately 1800 permanent employees in 13 different departments and an annual budget of $365,000,000.

Background on Santa Monica’s Sustainable City Program
Santa Monica’s Sustainable City Program (SCP) grew out of a Task Force on the Environment appointed by the City Council in 1991 to review the city’s environmental policies and programs. Seeing the concept of sustainability as a unifying theme, the Task Force recommended a program to define what sustainability means for the city, develop a plan to get there, and then implement the plan. After substantial public involvement, City Council adopted the SCP in 1994.

The Role of The Natural Step in Santa Monica’s Sustainable City Program
As part of the general land-use planning process required under California state law, Santa Monica began a review and revision of the conservation element of its general plan in 1998. The conservation element is one of seven state-required general plan elements. The city used this update as an opportunity to incorporate the systems-oriented, holistic approach of the SCP and to codify the SCP into the conservation element. This strategy would strengthen the environmental components of the City’s general plan because all elements of the plan are required by state law to be internally consistent with each other.

The company hired to help re-write the conservation element, Rincon Consulting, proposed using The Natural Step’s (TNS) system conditions as a unifying framework for the document. This was accomplished by developing four core objectives for the conservation element modeled after the TNS system conditions. Each objective is followed by a set of policies, which were taken from the SCP. The objectives in the conservation element read as follows:
Objective 1: Strive for the sustainable use of nonrenewable and limited resources such as fossil fuels, metals, minerals, and water. Related policy topics include energy, water, and others.

Objective 2: Minimize the accumulation of human-made substances in the water, air, and earth. Related policy topics include water, air, waste, and others.

Objective 3: Preserve the productivity and diversity of nature. Related policy topics include Santa Monica Bay, habitat, and others.

Objective 4: Seek to provide for the range of human needs in a fair and efficient manner, with a priority on meeting basic human needs. Related policy topics include environmental health risks to disadvantaged communities, promoting mixed use development, affordable housing, and others.

Attachment 1 is a sample page of the conservation element; showing objective 1 and specific energy policies. Finally, the conservation element charges the SCP with translating these policies into action.

During the revision of Santa Monica’s conservation element, both the City’s Planning Commission and its Task Force on the Environment received presentations about The Natural Step and discussed using it as the unifying framework. Both bodies enthusiastically approved this approach. City staff have not received any specific training in TNS framework, although the City co-sponsored, with the local Chamber of Commerce, a workshop open to the general public; several city staff attended.

TNS framework itself did not play a role in the city’s sustainability effort until after the latter was well underway. The primary role of TNS has been to provide a conceptual framework that gives clarity, elegance, and unity to what was once a complicated SCP. TNS framework is mentioned only as a footnote in the written conservation element, and there are no references to the framework per se in any SCP communications and marketing materials.

The Sustainable City Program Today
As stated above, the SCP is responsible for implementing the policies of the conservation element of the City’s general plan. It includes the following key elements:
1. Guiding principles (adopted in 1994):
    A. The concept of sustainability guides city policy.
    B. Protection, preservation, and restoration of the natural environment is a high priority for the City.
    C. Environmental quality and economic health are mutually dependent.
    D. All decisions have environmental implications.
    E. Community awareness, responsibility, involvement, and education are key
elements of successful programs/policies.
    F. Santa Monica recognizes its linkages with the regional, national, and global
community.
    G. Those environmental issues most important to the community should be
addressed first, and the most cost-effective program and policies should be selected.
    H. The City is committed to procurement decisions which minimize negative environmental and social impacts.
2. Goals in four main areas: resource conservation, transportation, pollution prevention and public health protection, and community and economic development.
3. Targets and indicators for each goal area. Eighteen targets and indicators spread among the four goal areas allow the City to measure progress. Attachment 2 is a copy of the resource conservation indicators and targets.
4. Periodic review to determine program effectiveness. A bi-annual review identifies accomplishments to-date and obstacles to future success.

Results
The SCP has achieved some impressive results:
Resource conservation
• Waste diverted from the landfill increased from 13.8% in 1990 to 55% in 2000.
• Citywide water use decreased 6.3% from 1990 to 2000.
• Greenhouse gas emissions decreased 5.2% citywide from 1990 to 2000.
• Santa Monica now purchases 100% of its energy from renewable sources, and all facilities have been retrofitted to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs.

Transportation
• Annual ridership on the City’s Big Blue Bus increased 17% from 1990 to 2000. Big Blue was ranked the number one urban transit system in the US in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 (based on a comparative study by the University of North Carolina’s Center of Interdisciplinary Transportation Studies).
• The percentage of City fleet vehicles operating on reduced emissions (natural gas and electricity) increased from 10% in 1993 to 70% in 2000.

Pollution Prevention and Public Health Protection
• Untreated, dry-weather urban runoff entering Santa Monica Bay from City outfalls decreased by approximately 95% from 1990 to 2000.
• Citywide wastewater flows have been reduced more than 14% between 1990 and 1999.
• The City’s Urban Runoff Reclamation Facility (SMURRF) came on-line in 2001. It treats up to 500,000 gallons per day of urban runoff that can be reused for landscape irrigation and indoor toilet flushing at various sites around the City.

Community and Economic Development
• The number of publicly assisted affordable housing units in the City increased by 47% between 1990 and 1998.
• The total amount of open space in the City increased by 10% between 1990 and 2000.
• The number of trees in public spaces increased 8% between 1995 and 2000.

Lessons Learned
• Bring TNS into the discussion as early as possible. Had TNS framework been around when the SCP was developed, it would have helped Santa Monica’s sustainability effort achieve a clarity of purpose and a simpler, more coherent organizing framework sooner. Because the framework is simple and easy to understand, it helps build consensus on the vision of where a sustainability effort is trying to go. It helps people understand the problem and defines a shared goal.

• Start small. The SCP did not try to solve every problem immediately. Instead, it focused on the obvious problems and the low-hanging fruit to demonstrate early success and then used those successes to help sell the next steps. Also, the SCP often took a pilot project approach to an issue that began with a limited scope and resources. If successful, the pilot was then replicated on a larger scale, incorporating lessons learned from the pilot.

Example: Toxics-Use Reduction Program. Santa Monica began its Toxics-Use Reduction Program as part of its effort to reduce its use of hazardous materials. It targeted custodial cleaning supplies because there was a clear risk to both employee health and public health as well as the environment. The process relied heavily on involvement of custodial staff and testing the effectiveness of alternative products. The project resulted in 1) replacement of 15 of 17 cleaning product categories with less-toxic but equally effective alternatives; 2) reduced hazardous materials use by approximately 3200 pounds per year and saved approximately 5% in costs; 3) a set of procurement specifications for custodial cleaning products; and 4) improved morale of custodial staff. Equally important, the custodian pilot served as a successful model that has now been replicated in fleet maintenance, public facilities maintenance (painting, plumbing, and woodworking), printing, and pest management.

• Start where the issues and conflicts are in your community. Don’t try to force people to pay attention to things that are not on their radar screen, especially in the beginning. This is especially true if there is a local environmental “crisis” of some sort: use the issue at the heart of the crisis to begin the process towards sustainability.

• Set specific targets. SCP staff believes that specific targets drove policy change and accelerated action. Targets make the effort more compelling to the public and elected officials. If elected officials adopt the targets, they feel responsible for achieving them. Also, targets demand periodic performance reviews and set in motion continuous improvement.

Example: Bus ridership. The initial target was to increase ridership by 10% between 1990 and 2000. By 1995, however, ridership had dropped by almost 8%. The City Council said this was not acceptable and tasked the Transportation Department to develop a strategy to meet the target. The department started a service improvement program that included hiring a technical consulting firm to review operations and survey riders on what they liked and disliked. This led to improved safety en route and at bus stops, route changes, smaller and larger buses on specific routes, and schedule changes. These changes were implemented in 1997, and ridership started increasing shortly thereafter. By 2000, the City had surpassed its target, with ridership 17% greater than in 1990, and it had been voted the number one urban transit service in the US four years in a row.

• Support from the top matters. SM received support from the top elected and appointed officials early on. The city manager incorporated meeting SCP goals into performance criteria for department heads. This level of support gets all players on board, especially those who may resist the concept of sustainability or change in general.

• Respond to the public’s specific needs. Whenever possible, talk to public audiences about specific problems and the actions needed to fix those problems. People can relate to a polluted bay and the specific actions needed to clean it up; they cannot relate to vague terms like sustainability or The Natural Step.

The Future
City staff do not see any direct threat to the SCP because it has strong support among city leadership, and the city has a strong economic base. Also, the program only has one staff person who coordinates activities with staff in other departments. This keeps program overhead low. Finally, the staff has developed a variety of partnerships with other cities and the business community in support of the program and several other general public outreach tools. The business partnerships include annual Sustainable Quality Awards for businesses that meet certain criteria as well as a Sustainable Works program that provides free technical assistance to local businesses. General public outreach tools include an environmental directory for all city residents; a “Green Map,” which includes, not only parks and green spaces, but also electric vehicle stations, green buildings, green retailers, and other environmental resources; educational programs in schools taught by local nonprofits; a web site; and publicity around is bi-annual progress reports.

The SCP faces three challenges in the future:
1. Resource use in the City is increasing, both generally and on a per capita basis, despite the success of the SCP. This is the result of a strong local economy and a high day-time occupancy rate, which is due to the strong tourism component to the economy and the large number of people who work but do not live in the City (often because they cannot afford to do so). The high day-time occupancy rate also leads to greater regional traffic congestion and pollution.

2. Affordable housing is declining. Teachers, service sector employees, and other middle income earners often cannot afford to live in the City due to high property values and high rental rates. Also, the State of California recently passed a vacancy decontrol regulation that hampers the ability of local governments to control rent.

3. Social equity and economic development concerns should be included in the SCP.
The initial focus of the SCP was on environmental concerns; the program is just now expanding to include social and economic concerns. The City has been doing significant work related to homelessness, seniors, and children and spends more per capita in these areas than neighboring cities. But it is just now starting to formally and explicitly include these areas in the SCP by educating city staff who work on social and economic issues about their role in sustainability and involving them in development of new indicators and targets.

Attachment 1

Source
Interviews with Dean Kubani, Sustainable City Program Coordinator, City of Santa Monica, in November and December 2001.

This case study was prepared by Mike Riley of Conservation for Central Oregon (dba The Recycling Team), Bend, Oregon, for the Oregon Natural Step Network. You can reach Dean Kubani at (310)458-2227 or dean-kubani@ci.santa-monica.ca.us. The Web site for the Sustainable City Program is http://pen.ci.santa-monica.ca.us/environment/policy/. Copyright 2002 Oregon Natural Step Network City of Santa Monica
Attachment 1
Copyright 2002 Oregon Natural Step Network City of Santa Monica

City Shifters - How on earth should we begin greening our metropolises?

Anouk Bertner — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:23:05 -0400

How on earth should we begin greening our metropolises?
By asking the right questions, says The Natural Step.

Dave Cieslewicz, the Mayor of Madison, state capital of Wisconsin, US, has a favourite ‘nuts and bolts’ story about sustainability. We could start by asking the right questions.

“We have this huge converted factory, where we store all our 240 buses overnight,” he explains. “There’s a small part of the building where we fuel them up – and, for the comfort of our employees, we’d been keeping that warm.”

What the council hadn’t registered was that they were unnecessarily heating the bus storage area as well. So in 2007 they bought a door – which cost $70,000, but would pay for
itself, through energy savings, in two years.

Like many green solutions, the Madison bus garage door seems so obvious – but, according to Cieslewicz, it didn’t come about by chance. “It was such a simple answer,” he says. “But you don’t get the right answers unless you ask the right questions.”

What got Madison asking those questions in the first place was its engagement with The Natural Step (TNS) in a radical ‘change process’ to guide it towards the goal of ‘sustainability’ – and help it become one of the first Eco-Municipalities in North America.

TNS’s ‘municipal sustainability planning’ is different from your average city-level strategic plan, explains John Purkis of TNS Canada, in that it doesn’t only involve municipal officials. > download the article below to learn more.

This feature was written by Green Futures - a partntner of The Natural Step. Sign up for free online updates from Green Futures.

Green Futures is the leading source of information, opinion and debate on progress towards sustainable development. It is published online and in print for senior decision makers in business, the public sector, environmental organisations and the media. In Green Futures, positive visions of a low-carbon, opportunity-rich future sit alongside a practical 'can-do' approach that is grounded in today's business reality.

Climate and Insurance, The Co-operators

Anouk Bertner — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:59:50 -0500

climateandinsurance.org took five minutes to interview Barbara Turley-McIntyre, Director, Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship, The Co-operators Group Limited and Mark Feeney, Vice President, Personal Lines and Packaged Commercial, The Co-operators General Insurance and HB/Coseco Insurance about their work on sustainability at The Co-operators.

Barbara and Mark describe The Co-operators' journey to sustainability, the imputus for their organization's actions and some of the benefits: "Every part of our organization – distribution, claims, facilities management, corporate donations, and government relations – is working sustainability into their strategic plans for 2009 and beyond. Many of these are focused on the environment, but they also involve ways that we can contribute to enhancing the economic and social well-being of our communities and our planet."

Click here to read the interview.

Canada

College Campuses Become Climate Neutral Learning-Laboratories

Jennifer Reid — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:37:55 -0400

Georges Dyer, Senior Fellow, Second Nature, and Michelle Dyer, Vice President, Second Nature.

“We may only have 3% of the carbon footprint, but we have 100% of the education footprint.” These are the words of Michael Crow, Presidents of Arizona State University and co-chair of the steering committee of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Over 650 schools, which educate more than 5.5 million students, have made a pledge to integrate sustainability into the educational experience of all students, and eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions from campus operations.

On September 15th, nearly 100 of the participating institutions submitted plans detailing how they intend to achieve the goals of the ACUPCC. To review any of the hundreds of greenhouse gas inventories and climate action plans publicly reported by ACUPCC institutions, visit the ACUPCC Online Reporting System for examples of campuses investing $70 million in comprehensive energy efficiency retrofits, installing solar arrays over all buildings and parking lots, and launching a School of Sustainability (Arizona State University), reducing energy demand 50% and generating 20% of their energy onsite from renewable sources (Portland Community College), and developing mid-western wind power (University of Minnesota, Morris).

The ACUPCC network held its annual Climate Leadership Summit in college Chicago in August, where presidents and other senior leaders heard from Former President Bill Clinton about the urgent need to ramp up efforts on energy efficiency in our building stock. Other speakers included Janine Benyus of the Biomimcry Institute, Peter Senge of the Society for Organizational Learning, and Rick Fedrizzi, President of the US Green Building Council.

The ACUPCC is supported by Second Nature, a non-profit based in Boston that works with colleges and universities to promote education for sustainability. Second Nature has strong ties to The Natural Step, as its Founder and President, Tony Cortese, helped bring TNS to the US. Three staff members - Michelle Dyer, Georges Dyer, and Stephen Muzzy - are graduates of the Master’s in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability Program, a close TNS partner, and Barbara Koneval, a former staffer for the TNS Oregon Network runs their education and training programs.

To stay updated on the progress of the ACUPCC, sign-up for its free monthly newsletter and follow ACUPCC on Twitter.

Corporate Knights Sustainable Cities Rankings

Alaya Boisvert — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 07:45:24 -0500

With our global economy in crisis, increasing food shortages in the developing world and reports of unprecedented ecosystem decline around the planet, it’s easy to feel disillusioned with the state of world. However, when we look closer to home there are indications that change is afoot.

Corporate Knights, an independent Canadian-based media company, conducts annual sustainability assessments of small, medium and large cities across the country. They choose indicators to measure the socio-ecological and economic wellbeing of cities by using publically available data and sending surveys out to municipal staff.

This year, in an effort to improve their rankings, they invited The Natural Step Canada (TNS) to participate on an advisory committee. As lead advisor, TNS researched how Corporate Knights could apply systems thinking and backcasting to help define success and strategically inform their indicator selection.

The results from the 2009 Sustainable Cities Rankings call for both praise and concern. It may be a surprise to some - as it was for me - to find that no Canadian city scored above 7.4 out of ten overall in the five indicator categories: Ecological Integrity, Economic Security, Social Well-Being, Governance and Empowerment, and Infrastructure and Built Environment. For example, where the City of Calgary scored relatively highly in the area of Infrastructure and Built Environment, their Governance and Empowerment scores paled in comparison to the other large cities assessed – Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

In my mind, this information tells us is that each city may have its relative strengths in different social, economic and environmental areas. However, sustainability requires concerted attention paid to each. This comes with an understanding that a thriving economy is a means to supporting a vibrant society, and can only be achieved with healthy ecosystems intact. (Click here to see the rankings yourself: www.corporateknights.ca/cities)

The good news is that municipalities are uniquely positioned to respond to the diverse  challenges and opportunities inherent in sustainable development.  In most cases municipalities are accountable for delivering a wide range of programs and services such as arts and culture, bylaw enforcement, public transit, economic development, parks and recreation, public health, social housing, and water and sewage among many others. Given the breadth of their responsibilities, with a compelling vision, strong leadership and strategic guidance, municipalities can develop local policies and programs to help ensure the social, ecological and economic health of the community.

The Corporate Knights Sustainable Cities Ranking gives the Canadian public, business leaders and government representatives a platform to discuss their communities' future, present challenges and opportunities to chart their course toward a sustainable tomorrow. It also helps identify leaders in the field where best practices can be shared.

There are many ways to join the conversation. One means of having your voice heard is to contact your municipal representatives directly – i.e. city councilors, the local mayor, or municipal staff. Let them know you’ve heard about the Sustainable Cities Rankings and raise your questions or concerns about your city’s sustainability standing. Share your thoughts on what you’d like to see happen in your community to improve the quality of life for all residents. What are some projects already taking place that the city could expand, improve or piggyback off? How could the city measure the success of such an initiative?

My experience in community economic development has led me to believe that a strong community depends as much on social relationships and civic participation as it does on financial wealth. Together, we are responsible for making our communities healthy, beautiful and vibrant places. The natural step is ours to take!

The full results of the Ranking, including the surveys completed by each city, are available on www.corporateknights.ca/cities and are summarized in the Responsible Investing issue (Vol. 7.3) of Corporate Knights. They are also distributed in some issues of the Globe and Mail today.

Canada