The following interview with Chad Park, Executive Director of The Natural Step Canada, appeared in the Mediaplanet Special Report on Green Innovations in the National Post on June 27, 2012.

What is the future of green innovation in Canada?

With increasing demand on natural systems and resources, combined with an eroding capacity of natural systems to provide these resources, the opportunities for green innovation can only increase.  The challenge for Canadian society will be how to create the conditions for more organizations to realize and grasp the opportunities. This will require creative approaches to collaboration; organizations that don’t typically work together to do so need to find new ways to overcome barriers or identify opportunity. 

What is the value of integrating innovative sustainability strategies into business operations?

When done properly, sustainability is an enabler of an organization’s core business goals—e.g. profit, innovation, value creation, etc. It helps generate employee and customer loyalty, identify new risks and opportunities, and inspire creativity.

What are the biggest misconceptions of the green industry?

The biggest misconception is probably that there is a green industry at all – as a separate industry. The “greening” of business is going to touch every industry. There is ample evidence to suggest that sustainability is becoming the key driver of innovation in business overall. Our businesses need to and are playing a leadership role in coming up with whole new business models, technologies, and relationships that redefine how we meet human needs within the constraints of the carrying capacity of natural systems.

View the entire Mediaplanet Special Report on Green Innovations in the National Post (PDF).

Chad Park is the Executive Director of The Natural Step Canada, a non-profit sustainability organization that delivers leading consulting and education services. He was recently honoured as one of Canada's Clean16—the 16 individuals in Canada who have done the most to advance the cause of sustainability and clean capitalism. For more on The Natural Step Canada, please visit www.naturalstep.ca.

If you are interested in learning more about our Service Path for Sustainable Business and how we can help your business develop a bold sustainability vision, strategy, and action plan, please contact us or join our next FREE Introduction to Strategic Sustainability for Business in Canada webinar.