Religious Leaders Join the Protest Against Keystone XL Pipeline

On Monday August 28, more than 60 religious leaders risked arrest and joined NASA’s lead climate scientist Dr. James Hansen to make their voices heard in front of the White House. This is part of an ongoing protest to push President Obama to deny the permit for the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline. This pipeline would transport environmentally disastrous tar sands oil from Alberta all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.

Find Sustainable Education at GreenDegreeDirectory

Founded in 2010, GreenDegreeDirectory (GDD) provides educational program listings that teach principles in enhancing social and environmental equity in an easy to use online platform.

At GDD you can search over 2000 programs at 500 schools in 45 countries. You can find green education majors in permaculture, economics, ecology, renewable energy, ecotourism, environmental technology, earth science, Green IT, GIS, aquaculture, resource management, hydrology, sustainable development, and environmental justice. There is even a green education section for K-12.

Sustainability Certificates from Irvine Valley College

Irvine Valley College is a community college that offers Zero Waste certification for people seeking green jobs. Irvine Valley College boasts the leading transfer rate in Orange County and the third best transfer rate among all California community colleges.

CareerOneStop’s Environmental Education Finder

There is a new tool from CareerOneStop to find green education and training. These resources help people to find the right study program, in the right location. You can also see the amount of education or training required for different sustainable careers.

Social Business at Blue Planet Life

Blue Planet Life is a dedicated social business meeting the social goal of lifting life standards of the poor by education and by addressing the world community with issues of humanity and nature to bind people of all directions for one issue: to secure life on planet earth for the future.

Video: Sustainable Education at Central Piedmont Community College

This video reviews green education at Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC). Students are increasingly interested in sustainability and a growing number of schools, community colleges and universities are responding to this demand by offering a range of programs from short duration certificate programs to post doctoral degrees. One such school in Charlotte NC is providing more sustainable content as well as becoming more sustainable themselves. At CPCC, sustainability is woven throughout their curriculum. Local community colleges like CPCC are helping to provide the educational resources, for a well trained workforce that has a good understanding of sustainability. A green education helps to secure a good job and contributes to a strong economy, but it also supports a society wide paradigm shift which will see much greater importance being ascribed to environmental considerations.

For more information click here.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Video: College of Energy Environment and Sustainability
Video: Green Education Directory Online

Video: College of Energy Environment and Sustainability

The college of Energy, Environment and Sustainability strives to expand knowledge of clean energy technology by providing green energy certifications. Using an online learning model this college enhances student competitiveness in the green jobs market. The College of Energy offers four different green job and career oriented green energy certifications, each of which focuses on a different aspect of clean energy technology and policy.

For more information click here.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Video: Sustainable Education at Central Piedmont Community College
Video: Green Education Directory Online

Video: Green Education Directory Online

Green education is the way forward for jobs and the economy.
The solutions to problems we face start with each of us making sustainable decisions, this includes the careers we choose. There has never been a better time to get involved in Green Education and Sustainable business.

Green Education Directory contains a large number of college and university programs that promote green sustainable living and working. Their site features post secondary education programs and schools with associate, bachelor, master and doctoral programs as well as diplomas and undergrad and graduate certificates in green industries from Bio-Fuel, Eco Tourism, Environmental Science, Environmental Law, Green Agriculture, Green Architecture, Green Chemistry, Green Power Generation and Renewable Energy, Sustainable Business Management and Urban Planning.

Green is not the future, green is now. Get green and get educated!

To go to Green Education Directory or to request more information click here.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Video: College of Energy Environment and Sustainability
Video: Sustainable Education at Central Piedmont Community College

World Water Week 2011: The Business of Water Management Requires Collaboration

World Water Week is the annual meeting place for the planet’s most urgent water-related issues. Organized by Stockholm International Water Institute, it brings together the world’s experts, practitioners, decision makers and leaders to exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions.

World Water Week opened in Stockholm on Monday August 22nd with calls for better urban water management to ensure food and water security. Around 2,500 experts from some 130 countries are attending the 21st edition of World Water Week in Stockholm. They are working on preparations for the United Nation’s conference on sustainable development set to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012. The group expects to publish a declaration at the end of this week (August 26).

Blue Planet Academy Green Certificate Programs

The Blue Planet Academy offers green certificate programs. Here are summaries of five programs:

Blue Planet Academy Environmental Training in the Developing World

Blue Planet Academy describes itself as the world’s first environmental school entirely dedicated to serve life and Earth. What makes these schools truly unique is the fact that they are planning locations in developing countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh, China and India.

The Sustainability Education Series from Green Education Online

The Sustainability Education Series from Green Education Online is comprised of a suite of 50 online, training modules. Each of the thirteen training topics is delivered in 15-minute modules. Each training module includes practical, hands-on applications while providing information and directions for facilitating and developing key sustainability initiatives.

Bill McKibben and other Protestors Jailed for their Opposition to the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline

Over 150 people, including 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben, were arrested in front of the White House for their peaceful opposition to the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Bill and others spent 48 hours in a tiny cell.

As part of a two week wave of peaceful sit-ins at the White House gates, over 2,000 courageous people came from across the US & Canada, to let President Obama know that tar sands oil jeopardizes our future. Specifically, these people are calling for the President to block the fossil fuel industry from building a 2,000-plus mile pipeline to transport tar-sands oil (among the most carbon-intensive of all the fossil fuels) from Northern Alberta all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

Green Training Modules From Green Education Online

Green Education Online provides green educational modules for the adult learner. Here are 21 green training modules:

Green Education Online Training

Green Education Online provides sustainable information for the adult learner. Green curriculums are proliferating in traditional settings like community colleges and universities but Green Education Online is different in that it consists of short and inexpensive distance-learning training modules on a wide variety of sustainable subjects.

Green Education Foundation Programs for K-12 Students

Green Education Foundation (GEF) has numerous programs for K-12 students and teachers worldwide. For 2011 GEF has developed several new green education programs including The Green Thumb Challenge, National Green Week, Green Energy Challenge, Green Building Program and I Play Green.

The Green Education Foundation for K-12 Students

Green Education Foundation (GEF) is committed to creating a sustainable future through the education of students from K-12. GEF provides curriculum and resources for students and teachers worldwide with the goal of challenging youth to think holistically and critically about global environmental concerns and solutions.

The Princeton Review's 2012 Top Green Schools Honor Role

The Princeton Review has released its fourth annual Green Honor Role of colleges and Universities in the U.S. These schools were ranked on a scale of 60 to 99, based on a survey that asked questions about academic offerings, energy use, recycling, food, buildings and transportation.

Sierra's 2011 List of Cool Green Schools Points West

For many years early settlers of America went west seeking opportunities and Sierra's 2011 list of green schools once again points west. According to Sierra magazine’s fifth-annual ranking of the nation’s “Coolest” schools, some of the most eco-conscious colleges are out West.

Building Gateways to the Green Economy: Green Community Colleges Summit Coming Soon

The Green Market is a proud partner of the Green Community College Summit. All readers of The Green Market can get a 20% reduction on the summit's registration fee by mentioning the discount code GRMARKET.
_______________________________________________

California’s community colleges have launched some of the nation’s largest green building and renewable energy projects and are central to efforts to train workers for the state’s growing green economy. The strategies, best practices and policies behind these innovations will be the focus of the Green California Community Colleges Summit & Exposition, October 17-18, 2011, at the Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena, California.

Committed to Sustainability: 2011 Green Schools Summit and Expo

The Green Market is a proud partner of Green CA Schools Summit and Expo. All readers of The Green Market can get a 20% reduction on the summit's registration fee by mentioning the discount code GRMARKET.
______________________________________

The fifth annual Green California Schools Summit & Expo is the place to learn about all aspects of green schools - from funding, to new building technologies, to implementing green curriculum. The Summit takes place October 17-18, 2011, at the Pasadena Convention Center.

Videos: Interface's Sustainability Challenges are Being Met with Innovation, Partnerships and Collaboration

Interface has successfully overcome many challenges through innovative thinking, partnerships and collaboration with their stakeholders. There is a great deal we can learn from Interface's journey. In the process of making their company sustainable, Interface has also doubled profits. Interface's sustainable journey is known as "Mission Zero" to realise this mission the company had to overcome many common challenges including things like technology barriers and costs.

Video: Ray Anderson on Sustainable Business

Ray Anderson, was the founder and CEO of Interface inc. At the helm of this company he has increased sales and doubled profits while transforming Interface into a global sustainable leader. In this video Ray, who passed away on August 8 of this year, shares a powerful vision for sustainable commerce.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Ray Anderson's Sustainable Legacy: Interface, Inc. Part One
Ray Anderson's Sustainable Legacy: Interface, Inc. Part Two
Interface's Award Winning Sustainable Product Innovation
Ray Anderson's Interface One of the "Best Corporate Citizens"
The Life of Sustainability Pioneer Ray Anderson
Ray Anderson Time Magazine's Hero of the Environment
The Washington Post Pays Tribute to Ray Anderson The Greenest CEO in America
Ray Anderson's Alliance for Sustainability Award
Ray Anderson's Interface Inc. Amongst the "Best Corporate Citizens"
Summary of Accolades Received by Ray Anderson
The Sustainable Supply Chain Efforts of Interface Inc
Interface's Environmental Product Declarations and Standards
Interface Inc is a Model of Transparency
Videos: Interface's Sustainability Challenges are Being Met with Innovation, Partnerships and Collaboration

The Sustainable Supply Chain Efforts of Interface Inc

Interface inc. quickly learned that the substantial majority of their product’s footprint was incurred before their raw materials reached their receiving docks. It became clear to Interface that to be completely sustainable they needed to educate and actively engage their suppliers on their sustainble efforts known as the "Mission Zero" journey.

Interface's Environmental Product Declarations and Standards

With the mix of green product claims in the marketplace today, it is increasingly important to be transparent about product, which is why Interface has adopted Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) as a communication tool.

Interface Inc is a Model of Transparency

Interface is committed to being transparent about their progress toward Mission Zero™ Transparency is a way they share their knowledge and experience – providing a model for other businesses on their sustainability journeys. In this way, they hope to achieve the bigger goal they have set for themselves: to become a restorative company by the power of their influence. It is through the collective impact of thousands of companies on sustainable journeys that Interface can go beyond being a green company to being a catalyst for change.

Ray Anderson's Sustainable Legacy: Interface, Inc. Part Two

When Interface first began its Mission Zero® journey, they started by focusing on waste, adopting aggressive zero waste goals. To drive progress toward these goals, they created programs that defined, measured and communicated their efforts.

Ray Anderson's Sustainable Legacy: Interface, Inc. Part One

The sustainable efforts of Atlanta-based Interface, Inc. have been recognized around the world. Interface Inc (NASDAQ: IFSIA), is a global leader in the manufacture of environmentally-responsible floorcoverings and other textiles.

Interface's journey started in 1994 when their Founder and Chairman Ray Anderson challenged the company to adopt a bold sustainable vision, something that would later be called Mission 0. This new mission would require new thinking and a new business model. Ray's vision became a passion for sustainability took hold with their people and the company was transformed.

Interface's Award Winning Sustainable Product Innovation

Under the direction of Ray Anderson, Interface inc. worked hard to develop new product lines that are less injurious to the environment. Their progress in redesigning their products and reducing their carbon emissions has been recognized around the world.

Interface’s sustainability successes are defined by innovation. Their commitment to the companies sustainability goals is known as Mission Zero®. The company's mission has fostered an entrepreneurial spirit inspiring innovative thinkers to imagine unique solutions. Mission Zero® has changed the way Interface designs and makes products. They have made great strides towards more sustainable products by using recycled and biobased raw materials and developing ways to recycle their products. They are also redesigning their processes to reduce the resources required to make their products.

Ray Anderson's Interface One of the "Best Corporate Citizens"

Ray Anderson's Interface Inc, was consistently among the 100 Best Corporate Citizens even as the economy began to show signs of recession in 2007. The 100 Best Corporate Citizens is an annual survey that focuses on the corporate responsibility performance of major U.S. companies. Winners are selected from a list of more than 1,100 of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S.

Summary of Accolades Received by Ray Anderson

Ray Anderson was widely respected and he received recognition from government, environmentalists, and business groups. Here is a summary of some of his notable accolades:

Ray Anderson's Alliance for Sustainability Award

In 2006 Ray Anderson was honored with a sustainability award by the Alliance for Sustainability. The Sustainability Awards were bestowed on Ray based on an extensive public nomination process that recognizes both exemplary leaders that have made significant contributions to sustainability and those that have helped to create a world that is ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just and humane.

The Washington Post Pays Tribute to Ray Anderson The Greenest CEO in America

Ray Anderson was a self made man who was a sustainability pioneer. As reported in a Washington Post article by Emily Langer, "Ray Anderson was often described as the greenest CEO in America for his crusade to turn his billion-dollar carpet company into an environmentally sustainable enterprise."

Ray Anderson Time Magazine's Hero of the Environment

The late Ray Anderson was a sustainability pioneer who was awarded many accolades including one from TIME Magazine. Ray Anderson is the founder and chairman of Interface Inc., in 2007 he was named one of TIME Magazine’s international ‘Heroes of the Environment.’

Ray was one of only 43 people who were acknowledged for their work to encourage environmental best practice. Other winners in 2007 included Prince Charles and Al Gore. Ray commented, “To be recognized alongside such notable people is a testament to the pioneering spirit of Interface. If a single, $1 billion company can make a difference, imagine the impact if everyone did it.”

The Life of Sustainability Pioneer Ray Anderson

The world has lost a great advocate of industrial environmental sustainability. Ray Anderson, the founder of Interface, Inc., and sustainability pioneer, died on Monday, August 8, 2011.

His story is a tale of redemption. His journey to sustainability starts in 1994 when he realized the damaging impact his carpet manufacturing company was having on the environment.

EDF's Voices for Clean Air - National Week of Action 2011

The EDF is behind a campaign to help remind political leaders that clean air is something that the majority of Americans support.

Democrats, Republicans and Independents have very different visions for America, but one thing they all agree on is that Everyone deserves the right to breathe clean, healthy air. Support for clean air comes from 58% of Republicans, 79% of Democrats and 54% of those polled with no party affiliation. The majority of voters of all political stripes trust EPA more than Congress to set clean air standards. By a 65 to 30 percent margin, voters agree that we can set stricter standards for cleaner air.

US Government Incentives for EVs

The US Government is considering EV incentive programs to encourage early adoption and market entry. To help the American automotive sector to meet the new fuel efficiency standards, US government agencies like the EPA are considering a number of incentive programs. These programs would be designed to encourage early adoption and introduction into the marketplace of advanced technologies.

Another Offshore Oil Leak this Time from Shell

There has been another offshore oil spill, this time it is in the Gannet field of the North Sea. The Gannet field is co-owned with Exxon and operated by Shell. A leak in the platform flow line operated by a British subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell has already dumped 110 tons of oil into the water, and there is an oil slick about 20 miles long and 2.5 miles wide. So far there is no indication that the leak has been fully stopped.

Video: Move to Green Economy a Global Competition

Bruce J. Katz is a vice president at the Brookings Institution and founding Director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program which aims to provide decision makers in the public, corporate and civic sectors with policy ideas for improving the health and prosperity of cities and metropolitans areas. Katz regularly advises federal, state, regional and municipal leaders on policy reforms that advance the competitiveness of metropolitan areas.

Katz says the move to a greener economy is a global competition. The US must wisely and expeditiously develop both policies and practices that encourage more innovation and growth in this critical area. Growth through Innovation.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Video: China Leading the Green Economy while America's Democracy is Being Undermined
Government Investment Green Jobs and Economic Recovery
China can School the US About Green Growth
China's Green Innovation and the Challenge for America
Rare Earth Minerals Power the Green Economy and Embolden China's Bid for Dominance
China's Most Recent Five Year Plan
China's Green Investments and Growing Economic Preeminence
China Poised to Challenge Global Auto Giants in the Greener Vehicle Market
The US is Positioned to Lead the Global Competition for EV Supremacy
Competition in the Global EV Market
Competition in the 2011 Greener Car Market
Competition in the Green Vehicle Market
Germany and the Global Competition for EV Supremacy
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Growth and Global Competition

Working Cooperatively to Improve Fuel Efficiency in the US

Many have trouble reconciling the seemingly disparate interests of government, automakers and environmentalists, but as the new rules on US cars and light trucks, as well as long-haul trucks and buses reveals, diverse groups can work together to produce the best results for all stakeholders.

"These standards will help spur economic growth, protect the environment, and strengthen our national security by reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Working together, we are setting the stage for a new generation of clean vehicles.”