On June 4, environmental groups and other organizations are blacking out their web sites to protest Bill C-38. We won't be blacking our web site out, but we do have something to say.

At The Natural Step Canada, we are not experts in the policies being debated. Other groups have considerably more to say on the implications of the policies in question.

But what we can speak to—from a standpoint of considerable experience—is the unfortunate tone of this public debate and the government’s divisive approach that has led us to where we are.

We need a different way forward and know that a better way exists. We have experienced it countless times in the hundreds of inspiring projects that we have been a part of with businesses and communities across the country.

The public framing of the issues, especially recently, would seem to suggest that we must either be on the side of the environment or on the side of jobs and the economy. This is nonsense.

When our best friends’ first son was born five years ago, I ran to the bookstore and bought a copy of “Where the Wild Things Are,” which remains one of my favorite books. The author, Maurice Sendak, believed that children need to confront the scary and fearsome things in life. And there are a lot of scary and fearsome things facing children these days.

Last year, a group of teenagers filed suit (Alec L. v. Lisa Jackson, et al, C11-02203) in federal court alleging that the federal government was violating its duty to protect the public by not acting to protect the public trust: our land, water and atmosphere. They request injunctive relief requiring the federal government to act to reduce carbon emissions, create a carbon inventory and create a carbon reduction plan.

Since 2007, the hotel chain has been working towards the goal of being completely carbon dioxide neutral by 2025. Now, four years later, Scandic has managed to halve their emissions and have thereby reached its sub target. What made this possible is the fact that Scandic now’s using solely renewable energy from wind and water for electricity in all the Nordic countries.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, a partner of The Natural Step, was recently featured by Green Globe for their leadership towards sustainability in the hospitality industry.

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Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is proud to announce that all its 21 hotels in Europe have achieved Green Globe certification. The achievement puts the Swiss upscale hospitality company on target to become the most certified hotel company in the world to receive the Green Globe seal.

"We have been very committed to achieving Green Globe certification across all our properties in Europe and in the process enjoyed very positive feedback and engagement from our employees," said Ola Ivarsson, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts' Chief Operating Officer Europe.