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Upcoming ISSP Events
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December 7:
December 13:
December 13:
January 10:
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 From the President's Desk
Now Is The Time
To Stand Up f
or What We Believe In
By Jeff Yorzyk,
Director of Sustainability, Green Chef, Boulder, Colorado
Most of the sustainability professionals I know are feeling uncomfortable right now - and why shouldn't they? The global political environment is entering a challenging and unpredictable time following the surprises of the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom and the Presidential Election in the United States, which left many nervous about the future. That said, broad affirmation of the Paris Agreement at COP 22 should give us all hope that sustainability will remain a global priority. At times like this we have to double down on our personal resolve to make a positive change in the world, gather together for strength and validation, and refine the logic of our business case arguments. We here at ISSP want to assure all of you that we are committed to our position as the international gathering place for this community of practice, for ALL of you without restriction, and to furthering this profession through education, networking, and certification. Please join us by getting involved in a chapter or committee. There has never been a more critical time for us to stand together in our belief that a sustainable, regenerative world is the only path forward for the human race.
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ISSP Certification
Closes the Year with a Strong Finish
It's been wonderful to see the enthusiastic response to the launch of the ISSP Sustainability Professional Certification program among members of the sustainability community. The first globally recognized credentialing program for members of the sustainability field, ISSP Sustainability Professional Certification is closing out the year strong with the launch the premier
ISSP-SA Test Season
.
ISSP-SA candidates can now take advantage of
ISSP-SA Flash Cards as a study tool, and a comprehensive ISSP-SA Study Guide will be released on December 15th. While ISSP members and students, faculty, and staff of AASHE institutions already receive discounts on the ISSP-SA exam, we've also received a special grant from the Dragonfly Fund that allows us to offer partial scholarships to ISSP members who have completed the ISSP Educational Certificate Program. For more information about this offer, please visit our
Exam Fees page.
Despite our successes this year, there is still much more work to be done in order to make ISSP Sustainability Professional Certification a standard in the field of sustainability. You can help us with that effort by
registering for the ISSP-SA exam, purchasing ISSP-SA
study materials, making a tax-deductible
donation to ISSP, or becoming an
ISSP member to take advantage of exam discounts and a host of other benefits.
If you have questions about ISSP Certification or want to learn more about how you can get involved, reach out to us at
certification@sustainabilityprofessionals.org. And be sure to
sign up for our Certification Newsletter, if you haven't already, for ongoing updates on the program and study materials.
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ISSP Seeks
Nominations for
Board of Directors
ISSP is seeking
committed sustainability professionals interested in serving on our Board. ISSP's Board Members have lots to do - setting policy, developing programs, managing committees, fundraising, and implementing key ISSP projects. And we need your help!
Our newest Board cohort will begin their two-year term in January. To nominate yourself or someone you know, please email us with a brief description of your experience and which of the four key elements of ISSP's mission you are most interested in working on. Only ISSP members will be considered.
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ISSP Chapter Hosts
Director of
NYU
Center for Sustainable Business
On October 20th, the
ISSP Greater New York City Chapter
welcomed Tensie Whelan, Director of the NYU Stern School of Business's Center for Sustainable Business (CSB), as a guest speaker in their ongoing Leaders In Sustainability breakfast keynote series. The event drew a group of both established and emerging sustainability professionals as well as leaders from technology, finance, and management consulting to hear Professor Whelan present Sustainability For Competitive Advantage: How Sustainability Delivers Short- and Long-Term Value.
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| Professor Tensie Whelan (center) with NYC Co-Chairs Mark Wolf & Trisha Bauman |
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Held at the New York City Bar Association in Midtown Manhattan, Professor Whelan's talk examined how embedding sustainability into a company's core business strategy is driving innovation, risk reduction, employee and supplier loyalty, positive societal impact, and impressive financial results. Before heading Stern's CSB, Professor Whelan served for 15 years as President of the Rainforest Alliance. Under her tenure, the organization engaged 5,000 companies in over 60 countries in proactive, innovative mainstreaming of sustainability and established the Rainforest Alliance frog logo as an internationally respected brand.
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ISSP Webinar:
Discuss Greening Global Supply Chains
With the New Leader of TSC
Thursday, December 15 at 11:00am PT / 2:00pm ET
How do you create greater visibility and transparency throughout your supply chain in a way that accelerates business innovation and growth? How do you establish priorities for action to reduce social and environmental impacts while also uncovering new market opportunities?
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Euan Murray, CEO of TSC |
Learn answers
to these questions and more from
Euan Murray, who was named CEO of
The Sustainability Consortium
(TSC) effective December 1st. TSC is a global organization dedicated to improving the sustainability of consumer products. It is jointly administered by Arizona State University and University of Arkansas with additional operations at Wageningen University in The Netherlands and Tianjin, China. Murray has served as COO and Chief Strategy Officer since 2012, where he has been an integral part of setting strategy and leading TSC.
In this exclusive ISSP webinar, Euan will share lessons learned from The Sustainability Consortium's recently released impact report, Greening Global Supply Chains: From Blind Spots To Hotspots To Action. The report unveils a consistent, science-based measurement system to support the rise of more sustainable supply chains, and more sustainable consumer products, by serving as an important barometer for the entire consumer goods industry globally. The webinar is free for ISSP members and $25 for non-members.
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ISSP's January Course:
Assessing Organizational Sustainability
Begins Tuesday, January 10
As more and more businesses move towards the forefront of sustainable development, the first step is to understand their own impacts and operations. ISSP's January 2017 course covers the fundamental concepts and tools of assessing the sustainability of businesses, nonprofits, and other institutions, with the end goal of weaving sustainability into all parts of an organization.
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Darcy Hitchcock |
Taught by veteran sustainability consultant Darcy Hitchcock, this course will provide participants with a basic understanding of the S-COREtm system, including the ten functional areas and practices common to all organizations. The course will help professionals understand sustainability "on the ground," and track progress towards it. It will also cover how S-COREtm can translate sustainability into the language of business, expanding the understanding of sustainability principles and their value throughout any organization.
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Share Your Thoughts on BS 8001:
The World's First Framework on
Circular Economy in Organizations
There is no shortage of talks, papers, guidance documents, and blogs on the circular economy. Yet despite all this, and a few high-profile forward-thinking examples, it seems many businesses are still struggling to get their heads around how to get started on employing circular thinking in their business models.
Believed to be a world first, the
British Standards Institute
(BSI) has recently published the consultation version of a new standard to help organizations of all types and sizes - wherever they may be in the world - on the steps they can take to transition to a more sustainable and circular mode of operation. It is deliberately jurisdictionally neutral and feedback from organizations in the UK, Singapore and the US who participated in the pilot process has been very positive.
The draft of BS 8001 is available for public consultation until the 15th January 2017. BSI welcomes comments on all aspects of this draft standard and have even posed supplemental questions on areas where it knows there will be conflicting views. The draft standard is available for review and comment here.
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2016 EthicMark
®
Awards Honor Advertising
Campaigns from United Nations and India
The Non-Profit winner,
Give Mom Back Her Name
, a UN Women campaign, honors mothers by sons openly saying their names. "Where the individuality of women becomes blurred with her family 'duties', it is this notion that we aim to challenge", says Mohammad Naciri, UN Women Regional Director.
Tata Capital's
Do Right Initiative
, the For Profit winner, highlighted uplifting stories from remote areas in India, using viral media to "crowdsolve," with celebrities, experts, donors, teachers and bloggers. "The initiative is a confluence of Tata's purpose and positive societal impact. This prestigious Award validates our efforts on a global stage," says Managing Director and CEO, Praveen Kadle.
The EthicMark
®
Awards seek to transform advertising, showcasing campaigns that demonstrate the value of ethics in well-functioning markets while simultaneously promoting profitable business, society, and the planet.
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Profile: Sarah Beyea, ISSP-SA
Sarah Beyea is the subject of the next article in our occasional series profiling ISSP members who have achieved ISSP Certified Sustainability Professional designation. Sarah recently completed the ISSP-SA certification process.
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Sarah Beyea |
Name:
Sarah Beyea, ISSP-SA
Title:
Sustainability Toolkit Project Manager
Organization:
Tavares Group Consulting Inc.
Location:
London, ON (Canada)
Educational Background:
Western University (UWO) - Master of Environment and Sustainability (MES)
University of New Brunswick - BSc Biology
University of New Brunswick - BA (Hons) Anthropology
What are your current job responsibilities?
In my role as Sustainability Toolkit Project Manager, I help organizations with sustainability action planning and implementation using the Sustainability Toolkit framework developed by Tavares Group Consulting. I have over nine years of project management experience. Currently I am the firm's project manager for the newest version of the Sustainability Toolkit, and the development of the Sustainability Toolkit software. Working with a consulting firm allows me to contribute to a wide range of sustainability focused projects in a variety of different industries. Past projects I have worked on include sustainability reporting, materiality assessments and gap analysis, environmental compliance, training development, and sustainability implementation. I have also been involved in several post-secondary student projects as a client mentor; most recently I have been fortunate enough to join ISSP's Credential Maintenance Committee.
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
I am very proud of the student projects I have been involved with through my work at Tavares Group Consulting, which have allowed me to work with students from a number of fields ranging from computer science and marketing, to environmental and sustainability studies. It is great to be able to provide experience to future sustainability professionals, and demonstrate to students outside of the field that sustainability is not the responsibility of just one person in an organization, but that it can be incorporated into any job role.
Why did you choose to join ISSP?
I believe that collaboration is key in order for organizations and communities to become sustainable. I chose to join ISSP because of the opportunity it provided to connect with other sustainability professionals working in different fields all over the world. I also wanted to get more involved with promoting the sustainability profession and to keep informed of current best practices and leadership trends.
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ISSP Webinar Feedback:
What Do You Want To See In Future Webinars?
Even though our calendar is filling up, we're always in the process of planning our next round of webinars, and we need your help! Complete this brief survey to tell us what you like - and want to see - in ISSP webinars.
You're also invited to submit your ideas for webinar topics by completing our Webinar Proposal Form. And feel free to reach out - we always love to hear from you!
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Sustainability Events Around the World
- GRI Reporters' Summit: North America, February 13, Scottsdale, AZ
- World Ocean Summit 2017, February 22-24, Bali, Indonesia
- Responsible Business Forum on Food and Agriculture, March 13-15, Jakarta, Indonesia
- GoGreen Seattle, March 16, Seattle, WA
- Responsible Business Summit NY, March 27-28, Brooklyn, NY
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The International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) is the world's leading professional association for sustainability professionals. ISSP is a member-driven association committed to moving the profession of sustainability forward through building strong networks and communities of practice.
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