Program - 2018 Institute for CSR Certificate

The 2018 Institute for CSR program will take place Mar. 15 – 16, May 10 – 11, July 26 – 27, Sept. 20 – 21 in Washington, DC. Over the course of four, two-day sessions, participants learn from some of the field’s most innovative thinkers, authors, and practitioners, expand their professional networks learning alongside CSR peers from across the country, all while earning a Professional Certificate in CSR from Johns Hopkins University.  Coursework will focus on a wide range of topics, including CSR strategy, trends in philanthropy, employee engagement, ethics and sustainability, measurement, and communications.

The Green Market Oracle's Third Annual School Sustainability Series for 2012

Each year The Green Market puts together a summary of the latest information and resources on sustainability in education. This series reflects the importance of the green schools movement to contribute to the growth of the global economy and the health of the planet.

Last year over 70 posts came together to create the Green Schools Series 2011. In 2010 there were more than 60 posts that comprised the series for that year.

This year there are a total of more than 65 posts for the third annual installment of the series. In addition to posts on programs and campuses, there are two new sections on "Teacher Resources" and "Business Schools."

Top 5 Green Business Schools in the US

Here are the top five business schools for those seeking to maximize the likelihood of securing an environmentally oriented job. This list was compiled by by US Green Technology and they are presented in ascending order by the cost of tuition cost.

Portland State University School of Business Administration

The MBA program at this school allows students to specialize in areas such as social responsibility, metrics for sustainable enterprise, and product design and stewardship. The school has its own Center for Global Leadership in Sustainability, which is home to an annual sustainability conference.

The Green Leadership of Lawthorn Primary School in Scotland

Scottish school, Lawthorn Primary has reduced its footprint and they are teaching other schools to do the same. Schools across Scotland have access to the school's global footprint resource. Every aspect of the school’s consumption has been examined from the kitchen to the bathroom. They monitor their activities and set goals.

The school has already managed to reduce energy usage by almost half (43 percent). They are saving water, and reusing plastic bottles, (eg to make a greenhouse), even the number of cars coming to the school has been reduced by sixty percent. The academic curriculums of the students are also benefiting as these projects are being put to use to encourage learning, from social studies to mathematics.

Renewable Energy Teaching Tools: Sprout and KidWind

We need to acquaint the workforce of tomorrow with Renewable sources of energy. Renewables are a crucial part of our future but we will need to educate a vast supply of human resources to research, build and install the necessary facilities and infrastructure. As reviewed in a Renewable Energy World (REW) article, there are a couple of new tools that will help to develop the skilled workforce of tomorrow.

A new teaching tool called Sprout is just the kind of tool needed to get people interested in renewable energy. Sprout is outfitted with solar panels, a wind turbine and a weather station. Sprout calculates and combines data for wind speed/direction, solar elevation/irradiance, voltage, watts/m2 available and other statistics. Sprout also offers integrated lesson plans for all levels that allow students to use renewables in math, science and more. Sprout is located in North Carolina.

Distance Education at the Centre for Environment, University of Toronto - Fall 2012 Semester

The fall semester of the UofT's Distance Education at the Centre for Environment begins on Monday September 24 and ends on Sunday Dec 16, 2012. These online courses address the challenge of sustainability as a global opportunity for collaboration across disciplines, between academics, governments and business leaders.

GSA Programs Provide Tools to Students to Save Their Future

Driven by the concepts that individuals can make a difference and that schools can change the world, GSA has provided frameworks and ongoing support through its interactive website and social media sites. These help schools and school districts drive their sustainability initiatives forward. As one person put it, “Your movement is helping not only to change the culture of our schools for the better but the culture of the Department of Education.”

GSA is actively collaborating with State Departments of Education across the U.S. and has found a steadfast partner in John Shea, chief executive officer, Division of School Facilities, NYC Department of Education.

Student Climate & Conservation Corps

In partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) premier training facility, the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC), GSA launched the Student Climate & Conservation Congress (Sc3) in 2009. Sc3 is GSA’s student arm and is open to 9th- through 12th-grade students who have demonstrated a commitment to environmental action. Selected Sc3 members, who are nominated by their schools, attend a five-day summer Congress held at NCTC in Shepherdstown, West Va. They enjoy a full program of study focused on the natural environment and 21st Century sustainability solutions.

Call to Service: Teaching Sustainability at Business Schools

Business schools have a critical role to play in helping students to see why and how they must reign in GHGs and scrutinize business activities with sustainability in mind. Ideally business people should come out of business school with a sense of their emerging societal and environmental responsibilities.

In a February 9, 2012, message, Business School Lausanne (BSL) Dean-Katrin Muff makes the point that we need a radically new vision of business schools that can best be described as a "call to service: To educate citizens to act responsibly for the world."

Here is a review of the major definitions in Dean Katrin Muff's conception of how business schools can communicate the call of service to their students:

Sustainable Development is a High Priority for the UN

Earlier this year the UN High-Level Panel Global Sustainability released its report in Addis Ababa. The 99-page report is titled “Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing.” This document was created for the Rio+20 Summit, it offers cogent analysis and ways of moving sustainable development forward. The long-term vision of the Panel is to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality and make growth inclusive, and production and consumption more sustainable, while combating climate change and respecting a range of other planetary boundaries. The report makes a range of recommendations to realize the Panel’s vision for a sustainable planet, a just society and a growing economy.

The Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit

The Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit is based on the idea that communities and educational systems within communities need to dovetail their sustainability efforts. As communities develop sustainability goals, local educational systems and programs can modify existing curricula or create new programs to reinforce those goals.

The ESD Toolkit has proven to be effective for many audiences including national and provincial ministries, non-profit organizations, universities and colleges, teacher educators, school administrators, teachers, municipalities, and government officials. Although the ESD Toolkit w a s written for a North American audience, it has proven useful in countries and communities around the world.

Antioch University's Masters Degree in Urban Sustainability

In response to the challenges of global environmental, social, and economic inequality, Antioch University Los Angeles has created a revolutionary new M.A. program to train the next generation of urban problem-solvers. The Urban Sustainability program prepares students for leadership positions in public policy, corporate accountability, social justice organizing, and ecological practice.

A Cure for Green Blindness

Here is an article from Dr. David Suzuki on our lack of green vision, probable causes and perhaps even a cure. Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author, and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. This article was written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Communications Specialist Jode Roberts.