Canadian Thanksgiving is at Odds with Columbus Day

Although they co-occur, in many respects Columbus Day and Canadian Thanksgiving are diametrically opposed to each other. While Canadian Thanksgiving is a harvest festival celebrating nature's bounty, Columbus Day marks the start of our systematic destruction of the natural world.

Monday October 12th is Canadian Thanksgiving a time to be grateful, it is also Columbus day in most parts of the new world. It is hard to reconcile the start of our exploitation of the new world and the expression of gratitude for the bountiful harvests nature provides. 

Reflections on Columbus Day and Canadian Thanksgiving

Monday October 13th is Columbus day in most parts of the new world, in Canada it is Thanksgiving. Columbus day and Canadian Thanksgiving offer us an opportunity to reflect and be grateful for the bounty of life in the new world. It is also propitious that we should think about our impact on the natural world at this time of year. Since 1970, Columbus day has been celebrated on the second Monday in October. As of 1959, this day is also Thanksgiving in Canada. Columbus day marks the start of our habitation of the new world and Thanksgiving is a time where we express our gratitude for the bountiful harvests nature provides.

2013 Year End Review: US Environmental Success Stories

In 2013, concerned people, organizations and companies in the U.S. and around the world helped move environmental causes forward. From new legislation to the protection of habitats and ecosystems, here is a sampling of U.S. environmental achievements in 2013.

A new study showed that a solid majority of Americans accept the reality of global warming and are calling for action on climate change.

Video - NRDC Environmental Victories in 2013

This NRDC video shows what people can achieve when they work together. NRDC Members helped to secure many environmental successes in 2013, this video summarizes some of those victories.

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Video - Nature's Beauty: Life is a Gift and the Only Appropriate Response is Gratefulness

Video - Gratitude for Nature (2012): Documentary Filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg Tedx

Nature's beauty inspires gratitude. In this video Louie Schwartzberg addresses flowers and the fate of the bees which are so dependent on flowers. In the same way that the bees are dependent on flowers for their sustenance we are dependent on the bees to pollinate our crops.

Video - Gratitude for Nature (2011): Documentary Filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg Tedx

Nature's beauty is the focus of the work of filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg. He is an award-winning cinematographer, director and producer who captures breathtaking images that celebrate life — revealing connections, universal rhythms, patterns and beauty. His stunning time-lapse photography, accompanied by powerful words from Benedictine monk Brother David Steindl-Rast, serves as a meditation on being grateful for every day.

Video - Thank You for Taking Action to Save the Climate!

While it may seem like a daunting task, people all over the world are working hard to save the climate from the ravages of global warming. People who have lived through climate disasters are giving thanks, people who are deeply concerned about the fate of our climate are giving thanks. This profusion of gratitude goes out to all those who do not succumb to hopelessness and strive to protect our planet from climate change.

The Free-Market Case for Sustainability from a Skeptic (Video)

Free market capitalist, libertarian, and green advocate T. J. Rodgers is neither a Democrat nor a Republican, yet he enthusiastically makes the business case for companies cashing in on renewable energy like solar power. He has demonstrated through his own experience and the experience of his company (Sunpower) that going green is fiscally responsible. Rodgers is even receptive to President Obama's take on cap-and-trade. What makes his approach particularly interesting is the fact that his advocacy does not engage the environmental argument, rather he argues the case for green based upon the benefits provided to business.

The Academic Superiority of Green Schools

Green schools may be more conductive to academic success than traditional schools. As reviewed in a 2012 press release, the University of Colorado Denver (UCD) there is a positive correlation between green schools and academic success.

The research was funded by the GSNN and UCD. The research consisted of a survey sent to more than 350 primary and secondary schools that identified themselves as green. Schools that took part in the survey observe GreenPrint core practices as defined by the Green Schools National Network (GSNN).

There was a positive correlation between academic success and the following 5 GreenPrint core principles:

Bridging the Gap: A Financial Approach to Sustainability (White Paper)

"Do good and you will do well!" pundits and companies often assert. While the tagline sounds great, the reality is that many companies struggle to connect sustainability with core business goals such as increasing sales, reducing costs, or reducing risks. As a result, sustainability departments are often seen as tangential to the core business, and annual CSR reports are mostly filled with anecdotal feel good stories. More often than not, environmental impacts, costs, and risks are mostly hidden and do not show up in companies' main accounting systems. As long as a CFO or Procurement Officer does not have visibility on such costs and risks in financial terms, the environment will at best remain a Chief Sustainability Officer issue.

GreenBiz Innovation Forum 2010

Leaders in sustainability are coming together on October 19 and 20, for an event called the GreenBiz Innovation Forum. This forum is designed to help businesses embrace innovation and sustainability as part of their fundamental strategy.

This is the first event for global companies focusing on how to embed innovation into their DNA to achieve both environmental and business goals.

The forum is premised on the understanding that the drive for sustainability is changing the competitive landscape for business. As companies are seeking to harness the opportunities that exist at the intersection of green and innovation, they are rethinking their processes, products, technology, and business models.

The Forum will help businesses understand what sustainable innovation means, including technology, product, service, and business model. It will explore the ways in which Innovation is becoming core to business strategy.

It will review some early movers that are are developing next-gen models, methods, and mind sets for transforming their businesses. It will examine how companies manage innovation, including the internal and external partners needed to suceed.

The forum will also map pathways and illustrate ways of overcoming barriers, as well as using the tools and technologies to accelerate implementation.

Finally the forum will review key success factors for making your company a sustainability innovation leader.

Presented in collaboration with Adaptive Edge, a leader in sustainability future thinking and innovation, the forum features an innovative program, combining world-class discussions, facilitated workshops, hands-on exercises, and small-group consultation to provide you with insights and tools that can be put to work inside any company.

Participants are also encouraged to bring their own green innovation challenges to the forum to share and learn with others.

The forum is intended for a wide range of participants including those involved with brand management, business development, business strategy, creative directors, design engineering, industrial design, marketing leadership, operations leadership, packaging design, product strategy, product design, quality management, research and development, and of course, sustainability leadership.

Companies attending the GreenBiz Innovation Forum include Avery Dennison, Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, Genentech, Gucci Group, Ingersoll Rand, Intuit, PNC Financial Services Group, Sabre Holdings/Travelocity, Stryker, Target, The Clorox Company, and West Marine.


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