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Uncovering the hidden benefits of engaging staff in sustainability training

Submitted by The Natural Ste... on March 15, 2010 - 2:01pm

New research shows that employees receiving a sustainability education can help align practices throughout an organization and can help to build a trustworthy, external, company image. Read more about Kevin Moss' thoughts on "Why Employees Should Be Part of Any Green Solution"(article source, www.greenbiz.com).

National Post: Green Pastures Ahead

Submitted by The Natural Ste... on March 15, 2010 - 1:05pm

By Lisa van de Ven, National Post           March 12, 2010

New light bulbs -- check. Recycling sorted -- check. Energy-efficient appliances -- got them, too.

It's no secret that green living has taken on momentum and that Canadians are starting to make environmentally driven choices around their homes. They're doing so in overwhelming numbers: A recent survey by Bosch Home Appliances showed that 95% of Canadians have done something to try to live in a more eco-friendly way, including switching light bulbs and purchasing Earth-friendly household products. But many aren't satisfied with stopping there: The survey reports 75% admitted that while they're greener than five years ago, they still have a ways to go.

The Reflective Principle — Sustainability

Submitted by The Natural Ste... on March 10, 2010 - 10:44am

We have to learn to live on our planet, and that's a job that involves educators, says DAVID LOADER.

 The learning focus in schools today is, appropriately, on the development of skills like numeracy and literacy, and on a curriculum designed to prepare young people for a productive and satisfying life as adults in the future. We have to ask ourselves, though, whether this is a school's only responsibility.

The aims for Australian schooling are defined in the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians made by the nation's education ministers in 2008. This statement makes it clear that schools have a responsibility to do more than pursue academic achievement in terms of the development of successful learners; they have to develop confident individuals, and active and informed citizens.

Unique Vision: Long after the Olympics are gone, Whistler2020 keeps focus on town's natural wonders (24 Hours Vancouver, BC)

Submitted by The Natural Ste... on March 9, 2010 - 2:34pm

By SUZANNE ELSTON, Special to QMI Agency

February 20, 2010-This year will be remembered for bringing the eyes of the world to Whistler, B.C., but for local residents, 2020 has a much greater significance and focus. Whistler2020 is the name of the town’s long-term community sustainability plan.Traditional urban planning tends to focus more on isolated pieces of the planning puzzle, rather than on interconnected systems. What the town needed was an integrated approach that would address social, economic and environmental challenges...

The Natural Step Canada and EnviroCentre launch season two of the Greening Ottawa NGOs (GONGOs) program

Submitted by The Natural Ste... on March 9, 2010 - 9:37am

On March 4th, EnviroCentre and The Natural Step (TNS) Canada hosted the first workshop for the 2010 cohort of the Greening Ottawa Non-Governmental Organizations (GONGOs) program.  Participants will work together throughout the year long program, which is designed to support collaboration and sustainability initiatives amongst Ottawa area NGOs.  

The Natural Step Heads East: Storytelling in Halifax

Submitted by The Natural Ste... on March 2, 2010 - 12:04pm

Submitted by Shane Yates 02.03.2010

On February 24th and 25th, The Natural Step came to Halifax for their Level 1 course: Sustainability for Leaders.  Arriving at the Dalhousie Student Union Building, I did not know what to expect from this one of a kind experience.  Having been assigned the position of youth storyteller for Halifax, I brought along a camcorder, digital camera, and notebook thinking this would be enough to capture what the workshop truly represented.  It turned out the workshop itself was only the tip of the iceberg of a much larger movement. 

TEDxWhistler: Looking beyond the Olympic Games

Submitted by The Natural Ste... on February 24, 2010 - 11:50am

While most of Canada focuses on how many medals Canada is winning or losing, the Whistler Centre for Sustainability has been sharing another important story.  As co-host of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Whistler is concerned not only with delivering a successful games but also what happens after the games. As The Whistler Centre says, “what happens after the Games after the adrenaline levels drop, hangovers dissipate, and Whistler starts coming to grips with a more carbon-restrained world?”  Can Whistler continue “to be the premier resort community as we move toward sustainability” as their mission states?
 

A look at Whistler’s Athlete’s Village

Submitted by Kelly Hawke-Baxter on February 23, 2010 - 2:42pm

Yeterday I wrote about Whistler’s efforts to make this the most sustainable Olympics in history. A big part of this story is Whistler’s Athlete’s Village. Initially, the Athletes Village was planned as a temporary village – instead, the development of the permanent village is providing a means to meet housing needs in a way that is socially, environmentally and economically sustainable. 

During the Games, Whistler's Olympic and Paralympic Athletes Village will serve Olympians and Paralympians and their support teams. Post Games, the area will be turned into a new Whistler neighbourhood – Cheakamus Crossing – providing approximately 250 resident- restricted residences, with a mixture of housing types, indoor and outdoor recreational facilities, convenience retail and other services.

Whistler gets a gold medal for sustainability efforts

Submitted by The Natural Ste... on February 22, 2010 - 10:08am

Sustainability: the hidden story at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games which will be the most sustainable in history. The Resort Municipality of Whistler has, for many years, been at the forefront of community sustainability in Canada with their award winning plan, Whistler 2020, which is based on The Natural Step’s Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. For years the municipality of Whistler and dozens of community partners have been taking concrete steps to move their community toward sustainability - from LEED buildings to energy reduction and transportation policies to waste management and pesticide reductions and affordable housing developments, Whistler has demonstrated unwavering leadership and commitment. The Olympics are no exception. The following is from Whistler’s account of planning for the Olympics, “Delivering the Dream”:

Walmart's Green Business Summit in Vancouver

Submitted by The Natural Ste... on February 19, 2010 - 12:44pm

“If you’re not willing to do something different and do it first, then you’re not leading.”  David Cheesewright, CEO, Walmart Canada

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