In addition to my work as an associate with The Natural Step, a few months ago I started a YouTube channel called Sustainability Illustrated. The purpose of the channel is to change the world one video at a time by giving people free access to the best sustainability knowledge and processes available.

It is no secret that YouTube has transformed the way we use the Internet. I believe that YouTube is where people go to learn (about pottery, gardening, physics, etc.) and that this trend will grow in the future. So, I decided to combine my skills as a sustainability consultant and an artist to share what I have learned over the years helping businesses and communities be more successful and resilient.

I have posted 7 videos in English so far (all translated into French as well):

1. What is sustainability? (Scientific definition)
2. What are the root causes of unsustainability?
3. Do we fit our planet? (Ecological footprint)
4. The sustainability challenge explained (through animation)
5. Is climate change human made?
6. How might Einstein solve our sustainability problems (backcasting)
7. Winning the sustainability 'game' (conditions of success)

I will cover concepts of the Framework for Strategic Sustainability of course, but will certainly not limit myself to this. I am also hoping to cover a new topic every week or two - everything from objection handling to the business case for sustainability, human needs, triple bottom line, stories from the field and so forth. To date I’ve had some extremely positive feedback; received more than 300 subscribers by word of mouth only; and had over 13,000 videos watched in the last 2 months. YouTube is a social platform and hopefully the channel will become a community where people learn and share their sustainability knowledge and practices.

In order to make the channel financially sustainable, I started a Patreon page where people can make a pledge of $1 or more for each new video created. You can get more details and watch the video on http://www.patreon.com/sustainability. I would like to thank all the patrons who have decided to support Sustainability Illustrated, with a special thank you to The Natural Step Canada who is the first organization to become a “Sustainability Star” patron ($250+ per video). They make Sustainability Illustrated a reality and make it possible for us to create more videos to share freely. The channel is still a long way from being financially sustainable but we are getting there, one video at a time…

Think this project is a good idea?! Here is how you can help:

• Subscribe to the channel: it is free and the number of subscribers is how YouTube defines a “successful” channel. The more subscribers, the more visible the sustainability videos will be.
• Support us: make a pledge of $1 or more on http://www.patreon.com/sustainability
• Share the videos with people they can help.

Please let me know what you think and share your ideas to improve the channel and make it even more visible and successful by sending an email directly to amagnin(at)naturalstep.ca.