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IMPACT! – It’s about doing more good

Submitted by Our Storyteller on August 19, 2014 - 9:53am

The article "IMPACT! – It’s about doing more good," is written by Alyssa Kostello, alumni of the IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training program, and is adapted from her blog originally published on alyssakostello.wordpress.com.

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Back in May I was at the IMPACT! Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership where I spent four days with 175 other youth from across Canada. You may be wondering “What is this conference you speak of and what’s it all about?”

Take in a Little PATCH of This World

Submitted by Our Storyteller on July 31, 2014 - 1:31pm

NOW! Theatre is pleased to present the world premiere of Patch, written and directed by Alyssa Kostello, an alumni of the IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training Program (a collaborative project of The Natural Step Canada and The Co-operators), and recipient of 2 grants from The Co-operators IMPACT! Fund.

Inspired by the real life Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the effects it’s having on the albatross, Patch is a physical fantasy play that explores themes of isolation and waste. It runs in Vancouver on August 15-17 and in Victoria on August 22-31 (details below).

Reflections from Accelerate 2014: What does it take to collaborate?

Submitted by Saralyn Hodgkin on July 22, 2014 - 11:06am

It was fascinating for me to participate in and observe the unfolding of our recent Accelerate: Collaborating for Sustainability Conference. The convening of people was intended for a common purpose—to share our learnings so we are better abled in our collaborative efforts in transitioning to a sustainable society. We really dug into the practice of it all during this two-day conference.

I have been reflecting on my experience and fondly remember a wave of a-ha moments, moments of wanting to debate ideas, and moments of simply connecting with other practitioners. Between the awesome food and deep discussions, one overarching element that ran through the two days was what it takes to collaborate to affect systems change.

Learning the Art of Inspiration

Submitted by Admin on July 8, 2014 - 10:13am

The article Learning the Art of Inspiration written by Kathryn Cooper, President & Chief Learning Officer of the Sustainability Learning Centre, was originally published in the Sustainability Learning Centre newsletter.

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"The power of aspiration is much greater than the power of desperation"

Peter Senge shared this insight with the participants of The Natural Step Accelerate Conference earlier this month in Toronto. He was examining a paradox - the scale of change toward a sustainable human presence on the planet is urgent, massive and time bound - but the last thing the world needs is our panic. "Things are way too late and far too desperate for pessimism," he said.

Better is Not Good Enough: Toward True Corporate Sustainability

Submitted by Bob Willard on June 23, 2014 - 10:15am

The article Better is Not Good Enough: Toward True Corporate Sustainability written by Bob Willard was originally published on the Great Transition Initiative website.

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The reality of planetary boundaries presents one of the most daunting challenges of the twenty-first century. Corporations, although not solely responsible for the unfolding social and environmental quagmire, have been a significant contributor and must now transform to become part of the solution.

Turning Ideas into Actions: Introducing the 2013 IMPACT! Fund Recipients

Submitted by Our Storyteller on June 12, 2014 - 11:38am

Did you know that anyone who has attended an IMPACT! event is eligible to apply for funding from The Co-operators Foundation IMPACT! Fund?

The Co-operators Foundation IMPACT! Fund is a resource available to students who have attended one of the IMPACT! conferences or one of the regional IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training sessions to support youth sustainability projects in local communities across Canada. To date, the Fund has disbursed over $323,860 to 56 unique projects.

From Plastic Pollution to Profit: Young Sustainability Innovator Turns Trash Into Treasure

Submitted by Our Storyteller on June 11, 2014 - 1:16pm

Andrew Almack took part in the IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training program in Vancouver in 2013. Andrew has since gone on to spearhead the program Plastics For Change.

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When I was attending the impact champion’s conference, I had no idea that the project I was working on would become part of a global movement.

The Social Plastic movement is a movement demanding companies to use recycled plastic that reduces both plastic pollution and poverty.

Driving massive change through creative collaboration – is there still time for the bees?

Submitted by The Natural Ste... on May 14, 2014 - 10:49am
Scientists found bees from six of the 12 neonicotinoid-treated colonies had left their hives and died. Photograph: Rex Features

The article Driving massive change through creative collaboration – is there still time for the bees? Written by Kathryn Cooper, President & Chief Learning Officer of the Sustainability Learning Centre, was originally published on the Sustainability Learning Centre blog.

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“Honeybees abandoning hives and dying due to insecticide use, research finds.” This is the headline in the Guardian, May 9th, 2014. The most recent study by Dr. Chensheng Lu, an expert on environmental exposure biology at Harvard School of Public Health, points to neonicotionoids as a trigger to colony collapse disorder.

Business As Usual - Doomed to Fail - So What's Next?

Submitted by The Natural Ste... on May 1, 2014 - 9:05am

The article Business As Usual - Doomed to Fail - so What's Next? Written by Kathryn Cooper, President & Chief Learning Officer of the Sustainability Learning Centre, was originally published in the Sustainability Learning Centre newsletter.

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There is a reason that Business as Usual is "doomed to fail" in today's world.

In our wisdom, we have socially constructed global market systems that have evolved to be socially, dynamically and generatively complex. 

Can We Play in the (Oil) Sand Box Together?

Submitted by Chad Park on April 24, 2014 - 9:15am

The theme of The Natural Step’s upcoming Accelerate conference is “Collaborating for Sustainability.” Over the past two years, we at The Natural Step have dedicated ourselves to better understanding what it takes to collaborate more effectively across organizations to bring about the kind of breakthrough results that can shift systems toward sustainability. Accelerate will be another chance to learn together on this topic.

One thing we’ve learned is that systems change is unlikely to happen if we only collaborate with our natural allies. Instead, transformative change really does require understanding and working with those whose interests and perspectives are different than our own.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the hyper-polarized debates about Canada’s energy system and response to climate change, arguably our most important sustainability challenge. My observation has been that while many people tend to lament the polarization, we also tend to go back to mostly working in the realms in which we are most comfortable, mostly engaging with people who share our views. What do we miss when we follow these patterns?

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