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Patagonia Presents the World Premiere of “DamNation”

Patagonia recently announced that it is presenting the world premiere of DamNation at the SXSW. This film explores the sea change in our national attitude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers.

Dam removal has moved beyond the fictional Monkey Wrench Gang to go mainstream. Where obsolete dams come down, rivers bound back to life, giving salmon and other wild fish the right of return to primeval spawning grounds, after decades without access. DamNation's majestic cinematography and unexpected discoveries move through rivers and landscapes altered by dams, but also through a metamorphosis in values, from conquest of the natural world to knowing ourselves as part of nature.

A special panel at the world premiere of the film on March 10 at SXSW will feature Patagonia Founder/Owner Yvon Chouinard; DamNation director Travis Rummel; Joy Howard, Vice President of Marketing for Patagonia; and, Jeremy Boxer, Creative Director of Vimeo. The panel will be moderated by esteemed indie film journalist and digital innovator Eugene Hernandez, Director of Digital Strategy at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Burberry & Primark Vow to Stop Using Toxins in the Manufacturing of Clothes

Two British clothing behemoths have agreed to rid their clothes of hazardous chemicals used in their manufacturing processes by 2020. The luxury brand Burberry and retail giant Primark are now on board to help create a toxic-free future. These are but the latest additions to the growing list of companies that have succumbed to Greenpeace’s Detox campaign. Burberry and Primack are the 19th and 20th clothing manufacturers who have agreed to clean up their act.

Thanks to the efforts of thousands of their supporters, Greenpeace has created a wave of action that is improving clothing manufacturing around the world. In addition to street protests, much of Greenpeace's campaign activity has focused on creating a social media storm.

Patagonia: A Model of Responsible Retail

Being a responsible consumer entails spending money in ways that attempt to minimize adverse impacts on people, the environment and society. But what is a responsible retailer? There are several good examples of companies who tirelessly advocate responsible consumerism, but none is better than outdoor apparel company Patagonia.

Patagonia has long been a champion of responsible retail. They ask consumers to consider the environmental impacts of their purchases. Rather than encourage people to buy more stuff, Patagonia has run adds asking people to buy what they really need.

Recognizing Sustainability Leadership in Business

The horrendously irresponsible behavior of some corporations generates well warranted public mistrust, however, tarring all companies with the same brush is a gross injustice to the sustainability leadership shown by many firms.

For more than a decade, early adopters have been leading the charge to craft a more ecologically friendly world. Now those who led the way have helped that approach morph into a key success factor that adds value and provides a competitive advantage.

Video - Yvon Chouinard Founder of Patagonia and 1% for the Planet

AECOM's Sustainability Leadership

AECOM is a global company that delivers solutions that create, enhance and sustain the world's built, natural, and social environments. AECOM provides professional technical and management support services for public and private clients in 140 countries around the world. They are active in a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government.

AECOM views sustainability as helping clients, society and its operations address complex challenges by managing financial, natural, social and human capital that work together to advance human progress with less risk. With revenues of $8.2 billion during the 12 months ended March 31, 2013, AECOM demonstrates that being a good corporate citizen can also be very profitable.

Patagonia May be the World's Most Responsible Company

Patagonia, is in a league of their own. For almost three decades the outdoor apparel and gear company has been a champion of environmental stewardship and social responsibility. The are leaders in reporting transparency, responsible marketing, employee engagement, consumer education and helping environmentally oriented start-ups.

Unilever: A Sustainable Corporate Giant

Unilever is an international consumer goods giant that is engaged in a wide range of sustainability initiatives. The company manufactures everything from ice cream to soap and in 2013 they announced that they had managed to make massive cuts in their carbon emissions, use less energy, significantly reduce waste, minimize water consumption, and increased the amount of sustainably sourced raw materials.

John Paul Selects: New Platform for Sustainable Products and Brands

John Paul DeJoria is the self-made founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems and many other successful businesses. He is an entrepreneur who believes in helping people who produce products that are less harmful to the environment.

On July 16th, 2013 in Los Angeles, the Green Business Bureau's Jamie Clem presented iconic entrepreneur DeJoria, with the Visionary Leader award (an award which is made in the USA from recycled glass).

The new "Fusion Distribution Solution" business model known as "John Paul Selects" is a unique distributor of sustainable brands. All of the sustainable products offered adhere to selection criteria which are focused on "Conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources." Each brand and product is carefully vetted based on a number of rigorous criteria.

Event - The 24th annual National Bioneers Conference

The 24th annual National Bioneers Conference, is an annual three-day event that will take place on October 18-20, 2013 at the Marin Center in San Rafael. Established in 1990, this event is the original whole-systems forum of innovation and collaboration for social, cultural and environmental resilience. Serving the sustainability, environmentalism and social justice communities, BioCon speakers and presenters have included Bill McKibben, Jane Goodall, Gloria Steinem, Philippe Cousteau, Michael Pollan, Vandana Shiva and Paul Hawken, among many other luminaries. The conference also prides itself on introducing audiences to some of the most innovative voices yet to be discovered.

Video - Campus Sustainability at Western State Colorado University

Students are at the future leaders, and Western State Colorado University (WSCU) understands that it is critical to help students to inculcate sustainability. WSCU understands that students are at the heart of the sustainability movement. Getting students involved make sustainability sustainable. At WSCU students are passionate about sustainability that makes a difference in their community.

Video - Business Education for Good: The Ghana Project at Bentley University

The Ghana Project is a unique educational partnership between Bentley University and multiple businesses, communities, and NGOs in Ghana. It has grown from a connection to one orphanage to include work with area artisans, Ghanaian women building a local poultry business with micro-financing, and local entrepreneurs working at the crossroads of public health and sustainability.

Bentley University Sustainability on Campus and in Ghana

Bentley University has made sustainability a priority, not just on campus but in the developing African nation of Ghana. Located just west of Boston, Bentley is a business university with more than 5,000 full-time students. The university has set aggressive goals to eliminate their carbon footprint by 2030. Bentley is reducing their environmental footprint through energy management, and building environmentally conscious retrofits including the installation of LED lights.

Bentley is also purchasing 25 million kWh/yr of RECs which have helped to halve the school's carbon footprint. Bentley was honored by the EPA as a Green Power Partner and earned recognition as one of the top ten Northeast-10 Conference schools in the EPA’s College & University Green Power Challenge.

Bentley's sustainability efforts have gone far beyond the college campus and  now extend all the way to Africa.  Diane M. Kellogg is an associate professor of management at Bentley University and the driving force behind the university's sustainability program in Ghana.

Diane's work in Ghana began when she took over for her friend Carol Gray. Carol was raising money to build an orphanage in the country when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. “I want to die knowing the orphanage can support itself, without always needing donations." Carol said to Diane, "You’re a management consultant. You teach at a business school. Could Bentley help?” she asked.

Cornell University Installing a Solar Array with the Help of NY State

Cornell University is one of several projects that will receive funding for solar installations as part of NY-Sun initiative, launched by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The state has awarded a total of $54 million to Cornell. The state's award will be added to $120 million in private investment designated for infrastructure projects.

Cornell University will instal 6,766 solar photovoltaic panels on a 10-acre Cornell property site adjacent to the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport. This is Cornell’s first large-scale solar project and it is expected to produce about 2.5 million kWh annually, or about 1 percent of Cornell’s total electricity use.

MBA Specialisation in Carbon Management at the London School of Business & Finance (LSBF)

London School of Business and Finance (LSBF) has unveiled a new MBA with a specialization in carbon management. The degree is designed to give students all the knowledge needed to pursue careers in the rapidly growing renewable energy sector. The MBA specialization will teach students about the principles of carbon management, it will highlight current and emerging issues from the sector at both national and international level. Students will also study project management and leadership, helping them to implement carbon management policies in businesses worldwide. These practical and academic skills will give students the opportunity to build their future in the rapidly growing and forward-thinking sustainability sector.

Energime University: Changing the World with Sustainable Education

Energime University is the world's first scientist driven entity dedicated entirely to teaching sustainable global resource management (Energy, food, water, waste). This school is composed of a dedicated and passionate group of some of the world’s foremost scientists and educators. Energime University is embarking on an ambitious quest to educate the world and provide the essential skills to forge a more sustainable world.

Classes and courses will be offered and taught live and over the internet by the visionary scientists, inventors, integrators, and business experts. These forums will cover the newest and most innovative transformative technologies, operational protocols, and ground breaking projects now in development.

Green Education and Ten Careers in Sustainability

A green education opens doors to a number of  high paying careers and helps to build a more sustainable world. The importance of a workforce schooled in sustainability is critical to the future of our planet.

Our environment is in crisis due to the ways we produce energy, grow food and manage water and waste. If we continue with business as usual a systemic collapse is inevitable and in many places it has already begun. People who understand the dynamics of sustainability can dramatically change the ways we do things before we pass irreversible tipping points that will condemn future generations to an environmental apocalypse.

The Princeton Review's 2013 Guide to 322 Green Colleges

The Princeton Review's Guide to Green Colleges profiles 320 institutions of higher education in the US and two in Canada. These schools demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.

To produce this book, they partnered with the US Green Building Council, a national nonprofit organization best known for developing the LEED green building rating system.

The guide is the only free comprehensive and annually updated guide to green colleges. 

To download Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges click here.

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Princeton Review's 2014 Green Honor Roll

The following 22 schools made the Princeton Review's 2014 Green Honor Roll by receiving a score of 99, which is the highest possible score in their rating system. This list was assembled from assessments of 832 colleges.

In alphabetical order, here are the colleges that earned a perfect green score from Princeton Review for 2014: