The Natural Step Canada’s Sustainability Learning Programs: Looking back, looking forward

Submitted by The Natural Ste... on January 11, 2011 - 8:44am

In 2010, The Natural Step Canada held 8 sessions of our Sustainability for Leaders Course – Level 1: Foundations in cities across Canada, from Halifax to Vancouver. The two-day public sessions drew over 150 participants who each took part in two days of interactive and dynamic learning. 

Together, they explored the scientific basis of The Natural Step Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development and reviewed case studies of how leading companies like The Co-operators and municipalities like the District of North Vancouver have applied The Natural Step Framework to accelerate transformational change toward sustainability. 

They explored the business case for sustainability, discovered how to be a sustainability champion in their own organization, and learned how to utilize a “backcasting from principles” approach to sustainability analysis and planning. They then applied this learning to a complex case study of a vacation resort.

The participants drew on their experiences from their different sectors—business, municipal, government, health, academic, and non-profit—making the conversations rich and helping everyone see sustainability from a new angle.

Each participant was also supported to continue their learning through a 1-year license for The Natural Step’s award-winning eLearning courses and membership in The Natural Step Exchange, our network for sustainability leaders and practitioners who want to learn, share, and connect with others across Canada (which includes free admission to our awesome Sustainability Practitioner Webinar Series).

Check out some of the great blogs, photos, and videos from our 2010 courses, all courtesy of our incredible Youth Storytellers:

Last year, we also hosted a second session of our Integrated Community Sustainability Planning (ICSP) course. Participants from across Canada, the United States, and Europe took part in this blended learning program. Through webinars, our online eLearning forum, and in-person sessions, they successfully applied The Natural Step Framework to create an ICSP for their communities.

We were also excited to launch two new webinar series in 2010, which have been wildly successful so far:

Our quarterly Introduction to The Natural Step webinars provide a free 1-hour introduction to The Natural Step’s approach and case studies of how we’ve helped organizations and communities accelerate the transformation toward sustainability.

  • Our bi-monthly Sustainability Practitioners Webinars are 1-hour sessions that provide a chance to go deeper into the science behind The Natural Step Framework and to explore how to be an effective champion for transformational change. You can participate for free if you are a member of The Natural Step Exchange or pay $30 per webinar to attend as a guest.

Learn more about our Sustainability Learning Programs, and be sure to visit our Courses/Events Calendar for dates of upcoming webinars and courses near you. Or if your organization is interested in hosting a session of one of our courses, please contact us for more details.

If you're interested in learning more about us and our approach, join us for a FREE Introduction to The Natural Step webinar on January 19.