Event - GRI Global Conference 2016

The fifth GRI Global Conference will take place on May 18 - 20, 2016 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Up to 1,500 sustainability leaders from around the globe will be present to exchange leading-edge knowledge on best practices, innovations and trends that are empowering sustainable decisions and changing the world. GRI is  the globally accepted standard for enabling business, governments and other organizations to understand and communicate their impacts on critical sustainability issues.

Best Practice in Sustainability Reporting and Sustainability Communications

Ethical Corporation has recently published its complimentary Annual Review on CR Reporting and Sustainability Communications. Ethical Corporation helps thousands of businesses all around the globe to be more responsible. They work with NGO's, think-tanks, academia, governments and consultancies. Their work not only benefits the wider world, it also makes good business sense for the organizations that they serve. Their efforts include work in CSR, compliance, risk and governance communities.

Event - EIA 2013 Fall Technical Seminar

The Environmental Information Association (EIA) is holding its Fall 2013 Technical Seminar on October 18, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency in San Antonio Texas. This EIA event will feature Peter M. Tadin, Environmental Specialist, Environmental Hazards Group, Texas Department of State Health Services – presenting on the Texas State Lead Regulations.

Webinar - How to Create an Effective Cause Marketing Program

This free webinar will take place on September 25, 2013, at 1:30 ET. It is intended for those who wish to tie their cause marketing promotions to real-world results (eg sales, traffic, loyalty, or engagement).

Join Anne Erhard, SVP, Cause Marketing at MSLGROUP, and Sandra Hijikata, March of Dimes Chief Revenue Officer, to explore cutting edge best practices for creating successful, mutually-beneficial cause marketing programs for retailers and consumer products that drive purchases and raise funds in this FREE webinar.

Training Program and Courses - Green Roofs

Green Roof Professional Accreditation Training Program will take place on September 19 to September 21, 2013, in Toronto, Ontario. The green roof industry continues to grow by leaps and bounds, with Toronto's Green Roof Bylaw resulting in more than 2 million square feet of new green space planned on buildings throughout the City. Now more than ever, it’s time to get the designation that proves you’re familiar with green roof benefits, design, implementation and technology. Join more than 500 accredited GRPs and distinguish yourself in the marketplace by adding this credential to your professional qualifications. The following 3 day GRP training boot camp will prepare you in writing the GRP exam successfully.

CSR Briefing Pack and Webinar

Here is an analysis of the latest reporting and communication trends in CSR from the Ethical Corporation. In addition to the briefing pack you will find a recording of a webinar detailing how the company of 2020 will operate in a resource constrained world. You will also find 10 pages of high quality CSR analysis and a free presentation from last year’s summit.

110 Water Conservation Tips for Businesses and Homes

Water is a precious natural resource. In the US at least two-thirds of the country have recently experienced water shortages. Conserving water also saves money. The first sections offers five tips for conserving water in a business context. The next section offers five easy ways to conserve water at home and the last section offers an additional 100 water saving tips.

Five Simple Tips to Help your Business with Water Conservation Practices:

1) Make a Plan. Share your commitment to water conservation with employees. Assign an employee as water conservation manager to monitor and implement your water conservation plan.

Greenbiz Report: State of the Profession 2013

The GreenBiz Group’s third annual “State of the Profession” report takes a look at the emergence of the sustainability executive and its unique role in industry. As in years past, we surveyed members of our GreenBiz Intelligence Panel to find out how much they made, where they worked, and what they did in the course of their job. This year we also wanted to provide a richer background for understanding where sustainability sits within an organization, how its leaders got there, and what they are likely to be doing in the future. Defining roles in this context can be a moving target as managers and executives continue to push and expand the definition of sustainability leadership.

2012 Summary of Best Practices in Responsible Management Education (Part 2)

This is the second part of a two part series reviewing the best practices in responsible management for 2012. It was written by Giselle Weybrecht the author of  The Sustainable MBA: The Manager’s Guide to Green Business. The book aims to educate the next generation of business leaders about sustainability issues, whether these be students or business executives. Prior to this she worked for many years with the United Nations internationally in sustainable development. Today she works with government, universities, NGOs, business and with social entrepreneurs in sustainability around the world. She is committed to ensuring that the next generation of business leaders fully understand sustainability by working with business schools and businesses to embed these issues into their programmes. She is a dynamic and sought after speaker in sustainability issues and also writes on sustainability and business issues for a variety of publications including the Economist and Forbes.

2012 Summary of Best Practices in Responsible Management Education (Part 1)

This is the first part of a two part series reviewing the best practices in responsible management. It was written by Giselle Weybrecht the author of  The Sustainable MBA: The Manager’s Guide to Green Business. The book aims to educate the next generation of business leaders about sustainability issues, whether these be students or business executives. Prior to this she worked for many years with the United Nations internationally in sustainable development. Today she works with government, universities, NGOs, business and with social entrepreneurs in sustainability around the world. She is committed to ensuring that the next generation of business leaders fully understand sustainability by working with business schools and businesses to embed these issues into their programmes. She is a dynamic and sought after speaker in sustainability issues and also writes on sustainability and business issues for a variety of publications including the Economist and Forbes.

Sustainable Learning Online: UNESCO's Young Masters Programme

In 2011 UNESCO inaugurated a global online education programme for 16–18 year-old students to learn about sustainability issues and solutions. The Young Masters Programme (YMP) is a free global web-based education and learning network about sustainable development. The programme is open for secondary students and their teachers from all over the world.

Extensive on-line teaching material gives the students a thorough understanding of sustainability issues and preventive environmental strategies. The students can also put their knowledge into practical use by starting sustainability projects in their local community.

EPA Approved Lead Safe Course (Event)

On Friday, December 28, 2012 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (EST), the Environmental Solutions Association in Williamsport, PA will present an eight hour EPA approved Lead Safe Course. If you work in homes, child-care facilities, or schools built before 1978, you must certify in EPA Lead Safe Practices. As of April 22nd, 2010, the work you are performing may be regulated by the EPA. Violations of this new law can be up to $37,500 and imprisonment if you have not taken a class by Dec. 31st, 2010.

Federal law now requires that painting in housing (residence, apartments, and condominium), child care facilities and schools built before 1978 must take and successfully complete an approved eight hour EPA Certified Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) course.

Keys for Optimizing Large Scale Solar Thermal Systems (Event)

This event will take place on December 19, 2012 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Metuchen Country Club (244 Plainfield Road, Edison, NJ). Keys for Optimizing Large Scale Solar Thermal Systems is the subject of the December meeting of thee New Jersey Association of Energy Engineers. The Presenter will be Michael DiPaolo, President Ritter Group USA.

The presentation will begin with a brief update on where we are today with Solar PV but the main focus will be on Solar Thermal. Renewable energy – energy from wind, sun and geothermal – has received a lot of attention as of late. There is another value to solar energy other than electricity – thermal. Solar thermal energy has a broader application than just in sunny regions, only in the summer or at low temperatures.

Environmental and Clean Energy Inaugural Ball (Event)

The 7th Environmental and Clean Energy Inaugural Ball will take place on Monday, January 21, 2013 at Sequoia Restaurant located on the Washington Harbour waterfront in Georgetown from 8-12:00 midnight. This bi-partisan celebration has become a Washington tradition over the past 24 years as the environmental and clean energy communities gather to welcome a new Administration and make headway towards a more sustainable future.

Workshop on Chemistry for a Sustainable Future (Event)

The RSC sponsored International Workshop on Chemistry for a Sustainable Future will take place on December 10, 2012, starting at 14:00 and concluding on 12 December 12, 2012 at 17:00. It will take place at the Malaviya National Institute of Technology in Jaipur, India. This event will deal with the environment, sustainability and energy, it also coincides with the Celebration of Successful Completion of 10 years of Green Chemistry Networking in India.

One of the founders of Green Chemistry, Professor John Warner and world leaders in Green Chemistry like Professor James Clark , Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence at University of York will be part of this celebration. Green Chemistry Centre in York UK and its affiliates, the Bio-renewables Development Centre and the company Starbon Technologies are also presenting an exhibition at the Workshop covering green chemistry research, education, outreach and commercialization.

Building Sustainable Infrastructure: The New Tools (Webcast)

Infrastructure is back in the news, in the wake of Superstorm Sandy and other severe weather events. Combine that with aging roads, bridges, pipes and other things, and governments around the world are facing a major challenge. Of course, with challenges come opportunities — in this case to design and build infrastructure projects that are resilient, long-lasting, and affordable, especially during lean times. And to do that with sustainability principles in mind.

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.