Emerging Leaders News Feed

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Are you:

• A student between the ages of 19 and 25? OR an IMPACT! Alumni? 
• Passionate about the fate of our planet and its people?
• Ready to do more to champion sustainability in your community?

Then you are invited to apply to be part of the IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training in Edmonton on June 21-22, 2012.

The Co-operators and The Natural Step are partnering to offer you IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training! This series of two-day trainings will be offered across Canada and focuses in two areas: developing your sustainability project and realizing your leadership potential using The Natural Step Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. 

This complete program includes:

(Le texte français suit)

Are you:

• A student between the ages of 19 and 25? OR an IMPACT! Alumni? 
• Passionate about the fate of our planet and its people?
• Ready to do more to champion sustainability in your community?

Then you are invited to apply to be part of the IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training in Ottawa on August 16-17, 2012.

(Le texte français suit)

Are you:

• A student between the ages of 19 and 25? OR an IMPACT! Alumni? 
• Passionate about the fate of our planet and its people?
• Ready to do more to champion sustainability in your community?

Then you are invited to apply to be part of the IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training in Vancouver on September 27-28, 2012.

(Le texte français suit)

Are you:

• A student between the ages of 19 and 25? OR an IMPACT! Alumni? 
• Passionate about the fate of our planet and its people?
• Ready to do more to champion sustainability in your community?

Then you are invited to apply to be part of the IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training in Montreal on September 13-14, 2012.

A Transformative Approach to Innovation, Strategy, and Results

The Natural Step Canada’s Level 1 Sustainability Course: Foundations in Strategy is an opportunity to apply the core concepts of sustainability. In this compelling 1-day workshop you will work through a hands-on case study using The Natural Step Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, giving you the knowledge and tools to better understand “strategy” and take a systemic approach to planning and managing sustainability initiatives. After this workshop, you will be better equipped to take a sustainability leadership role in your organization to capture value, enable innovation, and drive strategy.

Une approche transformante pour favoriser l’innovation, la stratégie et fournir des résultats concrets

Le développement durable a le potentiel de stimuler l’innovation et la création de valeur pour les entreprises et les collectivités à travers le monde. Le cours de niveau 2 de Natural Step Canada « Application et mise en pratique approfondies » est un cours conçu pour les professionnels du développement durable et ceux qui souhaitent mettre en place des processus de changement en matière de durabilité. Dans ce cours, vous mettrez en pratique des outils et méthodes pour :

30 MBA Students from across Canada convene for 5-day experiential learning

On the fourth day of a five-day Sustainability Leadership boot camp hosted by The Natural Step Canada, some of the 30 MBA students attending were asking for more homework and longer days.

According to The Natural Step principal adviser Pong Leung, this is one example of how the organization that helps companies embed sustainability into their operations was able to achieve its goal of engaging a critical stakeholder group — future leaders of tomorrow.

“The passion and the energy of the students I think were really amazing,” says Pong, adding it was one of the reasons The Natural Step wanted to engage business students who are already interested in sustainability practices.

Held in Calgary, the first-ever Sustainability Leadership Boot Camp took place Feb. 22-26 and saw business students from across the country convene to learn from The Natural Step about how to become sustainability champions in their future workplaces.

Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) in Karlskrona, Sweden is looking for prospective students for a Master’s degree in Sustainable Product-Service System Innovation (MSPI). Do you know an engineer, designer or product innovator looking to enhance their skills and expertise?

As our world becomes increasingly complex and the need for more sustainable products and services becomes essential, designers and engineers on the cutting edge of sustainable innovative practices are increasing in demand. Industry needs people who understand what the world wants: innovative products and services delivered in the most sustainable way possible. 

At BTH, we believe that combining an overarching approach to socio-ecological sustainability with a disciplined focus on meeting market and human needs through product-service systems is the way of the future, and we are doing our part to show the way. By closely collaborating with our industrial partners (to see our industrial partners click here), we are preparing people to be the next generation of innovators. They will be bringing together engineering, innovation, and sustainability competence through this unique master's programme.

The MSPI programme supports the sustainable development of global economy and society. Check out our programme design here.

When I recall what prompted me to become a leader for sustainability, I know for sure, it was my mentor at my first job at Wingspan Design. Mike McGuire saw that I cared about people and the planet and he said to me: "You care about the environment, right? Why don’t you develop our environmental policy here?"

I hadn’t really thought about it that much before, but I thought, well yes, I care about the environment. He pointed me to a server file full of resources that he had collected over the years. As I read more into the topic I realized how huge and important sustainability is for me and for everyone. I decided that, yes, this is the cause worth giving my life to.

Mike saw something in me that I didn’t yet see clearly in myself. I knew I wanted to do something good, but he offered me a direction to focus, some resources, and most importantly, his belief in my ability and heart.