Event - Solar Canada Conference & Exposition 2018

The 2018 edition of CanSIA’s annual Solar Canada Conference & Exposition will take place starting with pre-conference events on June 19th. The event will take place in   in Calgary, Alberta and it formally begins on Wednesday, June 20 and concludes on Thursday, June 21. 

This is the largest solar energy conference and a must-attend event for solar energy professionals, stakeholders, and advocates. At this event, attendees can connect with the entire spectrum of the solar energy industry. Solar Canada offers unique educational opportunities to gain the latest insight into solar policy frameworks in each of Canada’s provincial markets from industry leaders and influencers. Topics will also include both utility-scale and consumer/business focused installations.

Can the Courts Defend Water Protections Against Assaults from Trump and the GOP?

The courts have shown that they can protect America's water resources from the Trump administration and the GOP. Few issues are more important to current and future generations than water management. Water is the key to life and directly related to some of the central concerns of our times including the all important issue of energy.  Water stewardship efforts are being adopted by countries, cities, businesses and citizens. However, if we are serious about our efforts to protect finite water resources we must concede that voluntary efforts must be enjoined by the enforcement of laws.

The Courts Will Expose Trump and the GOP

The courts are a bulwark against Donald Trump's pessimal presidency and the malfeasance of the GOP. Trump has sought an end to climate action in the US, however, there is good reason to believe that the courts may offer our best hope to counter this administration and Republican lawmakers.

Soon after Trump was inaugurated Republicans started to slash both transparency and environmental protections. They are also working on dismantling the Clean Power Plan. The GOP and Trump are both complicit in their support for fossil fuels and climate denial.  History will judge Republicans harshly for supporting this president and it should be pointed out that their support for fossil fuels predates Trump, as does their resistance to protecting the environment and refusal to act on climate change. Although Republicans have environmental roots, in the last couple of decades they have consistently opposed environmental legislation and worked to kill existing laws and regulations.

Event - Zero Hour: Youth Climate Lobby Day and Climate March

This event will take place on July 19 - 21, 2018 in Washington DC. It will start with Youth Climate Lobby Day on July 19th. This is a day when young people will assemble on Capitol Hill to deliver their demands to politicians.  Zero Hour is calling for the immediate implementation of a science based climate action program.

On July 20th art builds will take place around the DC area. They will prepare for the march by creating signs and banners.  This event will celebrate both the movement and our planet while building community and combating hopelessness.

The Youth Climate March will take place on July 21 in Washington DC. At 9:00 AM marchers will assemble at 120 Constitution Ave NE, Washington, DC. They will then march to the National Mall and deliver the demands to politicians. They will rally and highlight the voices and stories of youth on the front lines of the climate crisis. Then, they will flood the streets as a demonstration of youth power and show how #ThisIsZeroHour to act on climate change.

Court Rulings Check Pruitt's Vision of the EPA

EPA administrator Scott Pruitt's vision for the agency is being challenged in the courts. Pruitt is leading the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the agency he was tapped to lead. This is a reflection of Trump's agenda and a longstanding Republican goal. Although his mandate concerns the health of Americans, Pruitt has demonstrated that he is guided by an agenda that advocates for polluters. A.court-ordered release of Pruitt's emails reveal that he is a stalwart advocate for the fossil fuels industry who has no interest in science. Trump put the Fox in the Henhouse when he named Pruitt to head the EPA. Shortly after assuming his role as administrator Pruitt's intentions became clear as he began targeting environmental protections and climate action including the Clean Power Plan.

Event - Responsible Investment Forum Europe 2018

The Responsible Investment Forum Europe 2018 will take place on June 12 - 13 at the Waldorf Hilton, London, United Kingdom. Now in its 9th year, the longest running Private Equity meeting focused on bringing together GPs and LPs to discuss ESG issues and market trends is back again.

The Courts and Fossil Fuels

As the leading cause of climate change court rulings against the fossil fuels industry are a game changer. A bit more than a year ago a judge ordered Exxon to hand over internal memos that proved the company privately knew the truth about climate change while investing in campaigns of disinformation intended to undermine the perceived veracity of the facts.

Recent court decisions have ruled against the fossil fuel industry's climate change causing emissions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the law governing all environmental reviews of federal decisions. This may set a precedent that has implications for the entire industry.

Courts Defend Climate Action and Environmental Protections

The courts have contributed to efforts to recognize and act on climate change and defend environmental protections. They have countered the Trump administration's deregulatory orgy and stopped Republican legislators from running roughshod over the natural world by shutting down dirty energy pipelines, and upholding the right of children to sue for climate action.

 Courts outside of the US are also mandating responsible government action.  In Denmark the courts have forced the government to reduce climate change causing greenhouse gases. In April Columbia's Supreme Court ruled that government must take urgent action to protect its Amazon rainforest and stem deforestation. These are but two examples of court actions that have resulted in victories for the natural world. According to an LSE study there are more than 1200 climate change laws around the world.

Event - Diversity and Inclusion: Respecting Difference and Standing on Common Ground

This event will take place on June 7 - 8, 2018 at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York, NY. 22nd Annual Diversity & Inclusion Conference is one of North America’s longest running and best-attended gatherings of D&I and business leaders that consistently addresses the most important issues in this area.

Does Business Need Government to Incentivize the Green Economy?

The business community is driving sustainability forward in response to market incentives. The question is how far can the private sector go in the absence of responsible leadership from government?

Businesses are leading first and foremost because they are looking to reduce costs and capitalize on opportunities. Other factors are also at play. Publically traded companies are  beholden to shareholders and as such they have a fiduciary responsibility to address threats. Investors are calling for nonfinancial information and a number of shareholder resolutions have demanded more disclosure and actions to mitigate climate change as well as adaptation strategies to protect against potential risks.

Republican Voters at Odds with Trump's Climate Denial

Republicans are nowhere near as ignorant about climate change as their commander and chief. Donald Trump's anti-science climate denial is at odds with the majority of Americans including Republican registered voters. According to a recent poll people in the party that elected Trump are slowly inching their way towards a science-based understanding of global warming with solid majorities indicating their support for climate action.

The latest national survey conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication suggests that the views of Republican registered voters are evolving. Since last Fall, more Republicans are conceding that climate change is real and caused by human activities. What is even more surprising is the fact that they have increased their support for climate action. This is in stark contrast to the Trump administration which has systematically eradicated science-based climate policies.

Event - 2018 Sustainability Management Conference

The 2018 Sustainability Management Conference will take place July 30 - August 1, at the Omni Providence Hotel; Providence, Rhode Island.

At this event, you will learn how to further integrate sustainability into your business operations from fellow corporate EHS and sustainability leaders. Through a mix of peer-led case studies and benchmarking dialogues, NAEM’s annual sustainability conference is a unique opportunity to gain actionable insights you can use to immediately improve performance, identify opportunities for your business and set better sustainability goals.

Trump and Macron: A Climate Luddite and a Climate Leader

The Trump administration will go down in history for its assaults against environmental protections and eradication of climate action. Donald Trump's presidency has been a nightmare of Orwellian proportions so much so that it is a challenge to keep up with his malfeasance.

The Trump White House has an unprecedented aversion to science. Trump is the first president in modern history to be without a science advisor. The reason is simple, science exposes the highly destructive nature of his administration's policy positions. To further corroborate the point the Trump administration recently axed Nasa's Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) that measures atmospheric greenhouse gases.

Webinar - How to Put the Planet in Your Portfolio: CoPower's New Green Bonds for Canadian Investors

This webinar will take place today Thursday, May 17 at 4pm ET / 1pm PT. It will address the issuance of new Green Bonds that can help you put your money to work for profit and planet. With updated terms and some exciting new clean energy projects in the pipeline,  CoPower's newest Green Bonds include a 6-year, 5% bond, and a 4-year, 4% bond.

When you invest in Green Bonds you’re investing in a diversified portfolio of loans to clean energy and energy efficiency projects. The projects generate steady revenues from the sale of clean energy or energy savings, allowing you to earn competitive fixed returns while reducing carbon emissions.

Webinar - Rebuilding in Puerto Rico: Universities as Leaders in Community Resilience

This NCSC event will take place on May 23, 2018, 1:15 to 2:45 PM EDT. The webinar is presented by the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) as part of their Sustainable Infrastructure & Resilience Series. Long before Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico, the University of Puerto Rico established the National Institute for Energy and Island Sustainability (INESI) as a collaborative platform to understand and address the infrastructure issues being faced by the campus system and island.

Growth Psychosis: The Psychology of Denial

The preoccupation with economic growth is deeply rooted in the worldview of capitalists all around the globe. Influential post-modernist writer William S. Burroughs said, "When you stop growing you start dying". Nowhere is this more true than in the United States where growth is a key assumption. Few seem to have noticed that this economic model has been shown to be illusory and ultimately perilous. The only way that growth is tenable is if we decouple it from both emissions and resources. However, questioning our preoccupation with unfettered growth is considered heresy in some conservative quarters. For many the belief in growth borders on gospel and those who question are derisively dismissed as "socialists".

Trump's Border Walls are a Threat to both Flora and Fauna

The presidency of Donald Trump is a nightmare and his proposed wall will only make things worse. The Trump administration is infamous for their obsession with deregulation and contempt for science, environmental protection and climate action. Due to the dangers that it poses to plants and animals the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Defenders of Wildlife are all opposed to the building of more walls on the US-Mexico border.

Event - Social Innovation Summit

This event will take place on June 5 - 6 at the Pullman San Francisco Bay, in San Fracisco, California.  This is not your average conference.  This is the place where "Business Innovation Meets Social Transformation". The Social Innovation Summit is an annual event taking place in Silicon Valley which represents a global convening of black swans and wayward thinkers. Where most bring together luminaries to explore the next big idea, they bring together those hungry not just to talk about the next big thing, but to build it.

Climate Crisis Economics: A Serious Threat and a Real Opportunity

Climate change is a serious threat and an unprecedented economic opportunity. The science is clear and so is the solution. However, after seventeen decades of climate inaction there is an ever diminishing window within which we must act if we are to avoid the worst impacts of a rapidly warming world. We are in danger of triggering feedback loops and surpassing tipping points from which we may not be able to recover.

The need for action is urgent and it is coupled with a cogent economic rationale. This includes both a compelling incentive and a powerful disincentive.  

Oil and Gas Industry Influence in Canada

Fossil fuel industry misinformation campaigns are alive and well in Canada as is big oil's influence on both Canadian media and politicians.  Although we tend to think of the United States as the home of fossil fuel inspired fake news, Canada is also the target of front groups that undermine fact based journalism in support of the oil and gas industry. Just like the Heartland Institute in the US, Canada has its own front groups who willfully undermine the facts.

Growth is Untenable without Decoupling

As the driving force in modern economics our current conceptions of growth are both illusory and perilous. While innovations and efficiencies are incentivized in a growth driven free market system, our preoccupation with unregulated expansion is overtaxing our biosphere and heralding our demise.

We are blinded by growth. By definition when our economies are not growing we are in recession. For an economy to be working well countries are expected to see growth rates of around 3 percent. Anything less is referred to as sluggish or slow growth.

Event - Enviro Tech Summit 2018 (ETS2018)

EnviroTech Summit 2018 (ETS2018) subtitled Improving Our Environment with Modern Technology will take place on April 26, 2018 in Raleigh NC, USA. At this interesting and exciting summit, you can learn about some of the latest technologies today. Be on the forefront of this wave, not behind it. Because it’s not just coming…it’s already here.

The Summit is a collaborative effort conceived and organized by several environmental professionals who believe that modern software technology can significantly improve workflows, processes, data collection, reporting, and pretty much everything else within the environmental industry. This includes smartphone apps, IoT, APIs, integrations, and other modern software and hardware tech.

Event - Engage for Good (EFG)

Engage for Good will take place on May 23 - 24, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois. Formerly the Cause Marketing Forum, Engage for Good (EFG) is back this year to provide valuable information for cause marketers all along the experience spectrum and in varying formats (keynote presentations, breakout sessions, small group discussions, etc.) to cater to people with different learning styles.

Workshops

Whether you are a cause marketing beginner or veteran, work for a business or a nonprofit, these pre- and post-conference workshops will allow you to gain insights that will help you advance in 2018 and beyond. Separate fees apply for each of these high-touch, small group sessions.

Macron Refutes Trump in his Address to Congress

Although French President Emmanuel Macron seemed to get along famously with Trump, he pulled no punches in his address to Congress on Wednesday April 25. Macron unflinchingly contradicted some of the central tenets of the Trump administration ranging from freedom and multilateralism to environmental protection and climate action.

Macron schooled the beleaguered American president on the meaning of leadership and many of the ways that the Trump administration has failed to live up to its historic responsibilities.

Macron Guides Trump While Defending Truth and Climate Action

French President Emmanuel Macron is using his personal relationship with Donald Trump to encourage the beleaguered American leader to be more flexible. Macron also tackled climate change, fake news and some other contentious issues in his address to Congress.

The unlikely relationship between these two men is surprising, to say the least. Macron is a centrist who is diplomatic and eloquent in two languages. Trump has far right tendencies bordering on fascism. At his best Trump has been described as inarticulate at his worst incoherent.

The Illusion of Growth and the Fallacy of Kuznets Curve

Much of what we call growth is an illusion that is harmful to both humanity and the biosphere. Some have even ventured to put forward the absurd suggestion that economic growth as we currently define it can be good for both equality and biodiversity. This idea is expressed in what is known as a Kuznets Curve. In economics, a Kuznets Curve graphs the notion that as an economy develops, market forces first increase and then decrease economic inequality. The Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesizes that in the early stages of growth, biodiversity tends to suffer and in the later stages it benefits. However, both of these hypotheses are contradicted by the facts. Inequality is increasing and so are the destructive impacts we are having on our ecosystems.

A 2013 Economist magazine special report uses the logic of the environmental Kuznets Curve to suggest that we may not need to be concerned about growth because among other things, as income rises people can focus on nature. It is premised on the belief that as a nation's prosperity increases so too will their support for the environment. This has not materialized as research shows that the environmental impact of wealthier nations is greater than that of poorer nations.

Event - 2018 Texas Corporate Responsibility Summit

The fourth annual Corporate Responsibility Summit will take place on May 17, 2018, at the Houston Food Bank, 535 Portwall Street, Houston, Texas. Brought to you by the Council for Corporate Responsibility, the theme of the Summit is Global Reach, Local Impact. It will focus on business efforts to promote corporate citizenship. The goal is to bring the sharpest CR professionals from companies, corporations, and organizations together to share best practices on the Seven Pillars of Corporate Responsibility.

The Summit focuses on business efforts to promote corporate citizenship, bringing together companies, corporations, and organizations to share best practices on the Seven Pillars of Corporate Responsibility:

The Perils of Growth and the Ubiquity of Growthism

"To hasten growth is to hasten decay."
- Lao Tzu

Our growth focused economic models are destroying the earth's natural systems. When we factor environmental and social considerations our fixation with growth is revealed to be a road to ruin. This is evident from hotter temperatures, rising sea levels, extreme weather, melting ice, collapsing fisheries, water scarcity, expanding deserts, forest fires, dying coral reefs and species extinctions.

Event - 2018 Shared Value Leadership Summit

This event will take place on April 30 – May 2, in Conrad, New York. The 2018 Shared Value Leadership Summit will dive deep into the world’s greatest opportunities. This includes access to medicine, clean energy, smart technologies and workforce opportunities.  The Summit will be attended by the women and men who are taking shared value strategy from the boardroom to shared value reality on the ground.  The list of speakers includes former US Secretary of State and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Event - The World Environment Expo 2018

The World Environment Expo 2018 will take place on June 5 - 7 in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Green Society of India in association with Indian Exhibition Services is organizing the first ever World Environment Expo (WEE 2018), on 5-7 June 2018 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. This international exhibition on environment protection and clean & green energy is being hosted concurrently with World Environment Protection Congress 2018 and India Buildtech 2018 Expo.

Learning - Sustainability Strategy (Certificate, Diploma and Program)

In 2018 the certificate course in Sustainability Strategy will take place at St Gobain Innovation Centre, 95 Great Portland St, London, UK on June 4 - 5, August 6 - 7, October 1 - 5, and December 3 - 4. The Diploma in Sustainability Strategy will take place on August 6 - 7.

These courses of study are provided by ©Sustainability & CSR Insights, a business strategy think-tank and an Accredited Continuing Professional Development (CPD) company providing courses approved by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) for the ©Certificate in Sustainability Strategy, ©Diploma in Sustainability Strategy and dual certification The W. Edwards Deming Institute® Sustainability Strategy Program.

Kinder Morgan Pipeline is as Good as Dead

The Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion has been a thorny issue for Justin Trudeau's ruling Liberal government. The $7.8-billion pipeline would ferry 890,000 barrels of tar sands crude 1,150-kilometres from Edmonton to a terminal in Burnaby, B.C., near Vancouver, where it would be exported to markets in Asia.

The battle over the Kinder Morgan pipeline is about more than just the dangers of transporting oil by pipe, it is also about bitumen-filled supertankers in ecologically sensitive coastal waters. If it is built the pipeline will increase tanker and barge traffic 700 percent in the Salish Sea and Puget Sound. This will expose communities and the marine environment to the risk of an oil spill and imperil marine life including BC's Orca population.

Pruitt is Purging Scientists at the EPA

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt is purging science and scientitsts. To make matters worse many of the scientists that have been let go have been replaced with fossil fuel industry lobbyists and lawyers. Under Pruitt remaining scientists are muzzled and facts are suppressed. In addition to repealing regulations Pruitt is burying the science that supports the agency's rules.

The EPA under Pruitt has abandoned science and with it actions based on evidence. Instead of being guided by facts the agency is now guided by the very industries it is charged to regulate. The EPA was once one a paragon of science, now scientific conclusions that are incompatible with Pruitt's pro-polluter agenda are censored. Pruitt not only removed references to climate change from the EPA website, the agency's new four year strategic plan does not mention climate change once.

Event - 2018 Ceres Conference (Boston)

This Ceres conference will take place April 24-26 at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. We urgently need to scale up sustainable solutions to climate change, water scarcity and pollution, and human rights abuses to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and deliver on the goals of the global Paris Agreement. At Ceres Conference 2018, you will hear from institutional investors, C-Suite company executives and capital market leaders who understand the financial imperative of addressing these sustainability threats. Join 600 influential leaders across the U.S. and around the globe and help transform the economy to build a more sustainable future for generations to come. Ceres Conference 2017 in San Francisco brought together more more than 600 investor and company leaders and advocates who are catalyzing the biggest breakthroughs on sustainability. This year’s conference will also feature ‘World Ceres Talks’ to showcase innovative and inspiring leaders who bring a distinct message and unique perspective on a wide range of topics.

Event - International Coporate Citizensship Conference: Resilience, Responsibility, Results

The International Coporate Citizensship Conference, subtitled Resilience, Responsibility and Results will take place on April 8th 2018 in Los Angeles, California. At this conference, the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship will explore how strong corporate social responsibility programs can ensure a sustainable and prosperous future while delivering strong returns. This is the best place to connect and network with “who’s who” in the field.

Leading companies are demonstrating resilience and corporate responsibility to achieve results. They are advocating for environmental, social, and governance action at an unprecedented scale—and in doing so are investing now in what will make them stronger later.

Webinar - Sustainability Reporting is Evolving. Are you Adapting your Reporting?

This free webinaar will take place on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm EDT.

Join speakers from Mentis Solutions and Greenstone for this free webinar to gain further insight into the sustainability reporting landscape and major trends that could impact the way you report going forward.

Pruitt's Advocacy on Behalf of Polluters is Killing Americans

Scott Pruitt makes his living sucking the teat of big polluters. Although Pruitt has all but ignored environmental groups he has regularly met with regulated concerns. The fossil fuel industry is now running the EPA and chemical industry lobbyists are writing the agency's toxic chemical rules.

Pruitt has quietly sought to eviscerate key protections including the Clean Power Plan, the Clean Water Rule, methane emission limits, and bans on dangerous pesticides like chlorpyrifos. Pruitt thinks industry should be allowed to discharge unlimited amounts of climate change causing emissions (carbon and methane), smog-forming volatile organic compounds, and cancer-causing pollutants like benzene into the air we breathe.

Pruitt is Destroying the EPA

The fact that Scott Pruitt is a climate denier and an oil industry minion does not mean he is ineffectual. Pruitt is not like his tempestuous and bellicose boss, he is a smooth operator. He took the job as EPA administrator with the intent of dismantling the agency he was tapped to lead. Despite concerns about his personal spending, his ability to execute his dirty industry agenda has made him Trump's most successful appointee. In the 14 months that he has been at the helm of the EPA he has succeeded in crippling the agency. The EPA's executive committee and the vast majority of subcommittees have been decimated. The agency is a shadow of its former self and what remains is being transformed into an instrument for political propaganda.

Decoupling Economic Growth and Resource Consumption

The decoupling of resource consumption and economic growth is among the greatest challenges we face. Although it is challenging such decoupling is a sensible approach to a serious problem. As explained by Achim Steiner, the former head of UNEP, "Decoupling makes sense on all the economic, social and environmental dials." .

Recent research exploring resource consumption in the context of respecting planetary boundaries* indicates that we are nowhere near where we need to be. Of the 150 countries studied, none afford resource use at a globally sustainable level.

Easter and the Environment: Spiritual and Cultural Transformation

The symbolism of Easter offers an opportunity to reflect on the importance of the natural world and the shift of consciousness required for the survival of life on this planet. If we are to find a way forward we urgently need to address climate change and environmental degradation.  To alter our perilous trajectory we need to assume responsibility for the state of our world. Science alone will not take us where we need to go. We need a spiritual transformation that will enable us to address the wide range of human activities that are adversely impacting the Earth's geology and ecosystems.  James Gustave Speth is an environmental scientist who believes that science cannot solve the crisis we face.

"I used to think the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science we could address those problems. But I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy." Speth said, adding, "to deal with those we need a spiritual and cultural transformation - and we scientists don't know how to do that." Speth is the dean and professor in the practice of environmental policy and sustainable development at Yale University’s School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.