We knew we had become part of a “social innovation lab wave” when the response to our Call for Expressions of Interest in the Sustainability Transition Lab last June attracted almost two dozen ideas from across Canada for projects and partnerships.

Talking to so many groups over the summer as we worked with our Advisory Council to identify the best possible candidates for our first project, we were humbled and inspired. Ultimately, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with Evergreen CityWorks to develop a Sustainability Transition Lab project focused on the wicked problem of affordable and sustainable housing in the Greater Toronto Area.

“How do we collectively have all our needs met within ecological limits” was one of the quotes overheard at a recent MBA Sustainability Leadership Bootcamp, hosted by The Natural Step Canada that took place November 8th – 11th in Calgary. This question was one of the many that framed discussions, case studies and reflections that took place during this intensive workshop mixing business students, engineers, and sustainability professionals from diverse backgrounds.

Christian Brum took part in the IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training program in Guelph in 2012. After participating in the IMPACT! program, Christian went on to create the University of Waterloo Green Guide. Congratulations Christian!

***

Last September, I met a representative from the Co-operators who introduced me to the IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training program. I had been looking for an opportunity to make my campus more sustainable at the University of Waterloo, but wasn’t exactly sure how to go about an idea I had. She told me about this program for students such as myself looking to make positive environmental and social change at the local level. She said that applications were being accepted for a two-day training session in Guelph where I’d meet other passionate students from the region who were eager to take action and develop their own project ideas.

The following dialogue between Bill Baue and Bob Willard on the Towards a Gold-standard Benchmark for Sustainable Business project was originally published on sustainablebrands.com.

***

At the third annual Sustainable Brands #NewMetrics Conference at the University of Pennsylvania in September, the need for next-generation sustainability goals — which measure progress toward real-world goal-lines such as carbon budgets, water tables, and living wages — emerged as a key theme. To dig deeper, #NewMetrics channel co-curator Bill Baue discussed this question of “endzone” goals with prominent voices in the field, including Allen White, of the Global Initiative for Sustainability Ratings; Andrew Winston, author of the forthcoming book, The Big Pivot; SustainAbility CEO Mark Lee, and others.

Here, we launch the #SustyGoals series with Bob Willard, author of The New Sustainability Advantage, who is spearheading the effort to articulate the Gold-standard Benchmark for sustainable business, in conjunction with The Natural Step Canada.