This Week’s Reading, Writing, Links

Catch The Economist article called The New Green Wave. I appreciate that CSR’s future includes license to operate in a changed world http://t.co/SFOnzjpNmD

RSVP: Sept. 18 NJ Sustainability Summit. Focus on small biz success & leadership http://t.co/VbELob2eXj

+1 for Hamilton Nolan’s response to sky-fell-oh-well WSJ carbon tax op-ed. Count me in for climate action hope http://t.co/iKkYDAL3g5

Good read: How sustainability leaders hold steady over the long haul http://t.co/HDcvdwW1CN

NJ sits on sidelines while our neighbors fight for our health & safety in EPA lawsuits http://t.co/PnCgRBvry3

GREAT explainer: Stop Trying to Kill EPA’s Carbon Rule http://t.co/PnCgRBvry3

US Resilience Project offering a “How-To” biz resilience workshop 9/16 at NJIT http://t.co/nY3n5VjfE4

Breath of fresh air for CSR: no-smokes leadership–here’s to better health. Kudos CVS Health http://t.co/n3qudMwljT

Glad NYT is adding a climate editor. We need more biz sustainability reporting. http://t.co/Wk7V9tDjP0

Dave Roberts is back! http://t.co/aF7pgcAvuT

Big idea for a big problem but how real? Via FastCompany: Secaucus testing solar-power commuter pods http://t.co/4baYnwgoPI

Rising tide lifts all boats so paddle hard RT @chrisleewilson The key to success is to focus on the needs of others.

What’s next for “responsible business”…my susty convo w/ Christine Bader for Earth People Media http://t.co/KaVMMB9Cnb

New Jersey PACE’s Sept. 4 press event & plan to power AC’s economic recovery w/ clean energy http://t.co/QuQILDpIo3

Listen in: @ASBCouncil & @GinaEPA Sep. 4 to discuss #climate policy & #smallbiz http://t.co/e1yNMRd3dU

This week’s Reading, Writing and Links

Kudos to my colleague Jeana Wirtenberg for her Stanford Social Innovation Review piece on 3 transformative business sustainability trends http://t.co/oIzOWPfIx1

Three takeaways from the July 9 Do Sustainability webinar “Creating a Sustainable Brand” with Henk Campher @AngryAfrican and Mike Berry @planamikebarry

1. “Is it relevant to ME?” is the KEY consumer question for creating sustainable products, which are the bedrock of a sustainable brand

2. A cigarette is still a harmful product, no matter how sustainably it’s made. Great @AngryAfrican insight regarding product vs. process.

3. Henk Campfer lays out how companies embed sustainability as a value proposition journey, from Marlboro to Method:

Ignored-Marlboro

Complied-McDonalds

Observed-Apple

Aligned-Dove

Acquired-Nike

Enhanced-Levi’s

Inspired-TOM’s

Designed-Method

Because money. NJspotlight Opinion: Why Doesn’t the NJDEP Believe in Global #Climate Change? http://t.co/01Zo7E4cSe

Helpful level-setting: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Private Equity’s Sustainability Progress http://t.co/cqEt28DOF4

Breaking the “Isn’t it tacky?” taboo re foodwaste. Nope. Waste is tacky. http://t.co/XIGXfE5Oeg

Let’s hope so. Can thousands of environmental and social justice groups in US join forces to challenge the economic status quo?

Carbonbrief asked energy companies if climate action could lead to ‘stranded assets’. Their response: http://t.co/yODRaFS6GR

Nicely done. “In Truth There Is Beauty” http://t.co/6HWVx0ezbC

Can Quirky model serve corporate sustainability behavior change as well as making more things? http://t.co/KhuZU2Ozlm

Restraint as a value for greater good. @timoreilly “Orgs should actively resist winner-takes-all strategies” http://t.co/o2cz7D13e8

Cogent thinking on Resilience as a strategic frame. The End of #Sustainability http://t.co/Gs6rc9fgRQ

Rubber meet road. Andrew Winston’s free ebook on setting context/science-based metrics & targets. http://t.co/QtDYGVIDab

Spend 3 Days with Us—And Run a $100M Sustainable Business for 5 Years

***

What if I told you that you could lead a fictional, $100M, triple-bottom-line company for five years—in just three days? You’d have the experience of running a sustainable business successfully—or into the ground—risk free.

As a leader, you’d strategize and negotiate with heads of marketing, finance, HR, production, sustainability, and sales, then put the business plan you’ve developed into action. You’d get to try out different market approaches and operational strategies. See what works best for your company and compete against other companies to achieve profits while improving conditions for both people and the planet. And you’d gain all the insights that come from learning by doing, with your leadership team, and the support of expert instructors.

That’s what our July 30-Aug. 1 program is all about: “LeaderShip for Sustainability: People, Planet, and Profits in a New Green Economy.”

“We are pleased to offer this program to deliver important lessons on leading a profitable business while also making a positive contribution to our society,” said the Honorable John McKernan, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. “This type of expert instruction is an essential part of our efforts to strengthen America’s long-term competitiveness.”

We’re hosting this program to respond to the challenges that our supporters and the wider business community tell us they’re facing. Whether your business is micro-sized or enterprise, we’re all dealing with the new normal described by Andrew Winston in The Big Pivot: resource constraints, weather challenges, changeable markets, and our connected world’s radical transparency. We all want to take care of people and the planet for tomorrow, as well as achieving profits today.

But actually making sustainability happen—at scale—and with the speed required—poses huge practical leadership challenges.

Which is why LeaderShip for Sustainability is a great choice. This course teaches not only established—but also emerging and high-potential people—how to be sustainability leaders in every part of the company.

No matter what your job title, as leaders and sustainability champions in our companies each of us has to understand the bigger picture for triple-bottom-line success that engages people to responsibly manage planet resources while generating profits. That means not only operations expertise, but also marketing, finance, human resources, IT and supply chain management skills.

Here are some of the ways that this course is different:

Gamification: Participants play an online business simulation where teams compete head-to-head to build and grow a triple-bottom-line company. Each team starts with $28M total assets to run their company over 5 years, completely risk-free.

Financials and metrics: The game forces players to wrangle with balance sheets, weigh debt decisions, and balance competing priorities. Many non-finance program alums report that this gave them a completely new understanding and appreciation of the CFO’s role in achieving sustainable outcomes.

Networking and support:The course continues after the three days in Washington, D.C. with in-depth follow-up calls to help you apply what you learned to your company’s goals and challenges. And you’ll join a community of fellow program alums that include senior and middle level leaders from BASF, Honeywell, Novartis, Alcoa, Church and Dwight, Sanofi, and Alcatel-Lucent.

The course is led by Dr. Jeana Wirtenberg (author of the new 2014 book Building a Culture for Sustainability, with a foreword by Andrew Winston) and her team from Transitioning to Green.

Please take a look at the program description and register today. The Early Bird discount ends June 30. Registration. CCC supporters receive a discount off registration.

Questions? Please reach out to me at jgerholdt@USChamber.comor Jeana Wirtenberg, Ph.D. at 973-335-6299 or jwirtenberg@transitioningtogreen.com.

Hope to see you at the end of July.

This Week’s Reading, Writing and Links

“Reducing risk” rules over “More profits” PwC Survey Finds Majority of Investors Consider #Sustainability http://t.co/autZ8qpqsd

Kudos to the Alabama planning director working with climate deniers to help his state. Tough job #actonclimate http://t.co/VhH4584FKX

A MINING exec talking about sustainable license to operate, zero-waste, zero-harm. Asking the right questions http://t.co/RyrHOs4gAV

Vision! Revived Longitude Prize offers £10m to solve greatest scientific challenges/ http://t.co/vJmBI3GYAZ

Important & encouraging: Evangelicals in Florida working for climate change. http://t.co/PUDSyvWYwR

Some practical “where-to-invest-once-you-divest” suggestions. http://t.co/287G24Dk4W

My latest: The ‘CVS Effect’ in Action: Lessons from Chipotle’s #BurritosNotBullets CSR Win.  http://t.co/pX4ZDQSNEr

In Shell carbon bubble argument, Guardian rockyrex commenter reminds that fates can swiftly shift, a la asbestos litigation. http://t.co/fZ6D0g4SrC

Shell reassures investors that carbon bubble is not a biz risk. Want to ask the reinsurers about that? http://t.co/78nNhVduGv

Great article! Jeana Wirtenberg: How 9 leaders are building sustainable culture http://t.co/wS7gDBvYam

IMO, the open-carry folks weren’t there for burritos. My $.02 on #BurritosNotBullets  http://t.co/nClfM7qHW4

Andrew Winston at Fortune Green this week: In terms of climate change, “the cost of doing nothing is now. Not next year or next century.” –

10 Companies That Are Actually Listening to Customers. http://t.co/JJhLqcmRIP

Bottomless salad bowl in your own backyard! http://t.co/Y1uFyDkrsR

Leave the gun, enjoy my burrito. Thanks Chipotle for standing up for your customers’ peaceful enjoyment http://t.co/QpX9quD0Rl

TweetChat #fails….grats to Aman Singh for hosting productive collegial #sustybiz chats http://t.co/R7eRsWQTod

“Get to Yes” progress from Obamacare opponent shows change is possible for climate action. http://t.co/znAYTQpC8o

A poem that cleans the air—literally a breath of fresh air! http://t.co/uarkyxGjtD

“What everyone does when no one’s looking” Good MITsmr piece on corporate culture http://t.co/vn91PkjW20

Andrew Winston: How CEOs Can Save the World http://t.co/Gh2iQuWOd

Green Links: The Week’s Thinking, Reading, Writing

Microbeads: Helpful post w/beads product list & non-beady alternatives http://t.co/yAADskgh33

My latest for Sustainable Brands: Testing the ‘CVS Effect’ on Microbeads: Could L’Oreal & @Unilever Be Bolder? http://t.co/menwewKs7B

Going! Mar. 7 Tri-State #Sustainability Symposium! http://t.co/o558YTQL1O

Interesting petition, we need the same in the US: UK media should move #climate debate to response https://t.co/mCYipFC7pZ

From the always on-target @blindspotting: “So how do you change paradigms?” http://t.co/18HrjlzhK4

Simple advice for having more of what matters: You don’t need it. http://t.co/MpgSYDJk9h

Truth: “Climate change deniers have grasped that markets can’t fix the climate” http://t.co/6Wii7crdRr

ENJOYING Jeana Wirtenberg’s new “Building a #Culture for #Sustainability” book. Features 7 NJ business case studies. https://t.co/rS7k5EvmTw

MAY 2014 Classes Scheduled: Transitioning to Green’s NEW #Leadership for #Sustainability (grad myself) http://t.co/yHd0YjPtYy

Intriguing peek at an upcoming book — It’s All My Fault — here: http://t.co/M0laYHAFiy

All about NJ’s climate plan inadequacy: http://t.co/EhUbH1lvhr. And shorter by me: http://t.co/TlXq1ug3Bu 

Here’s hoping we’re at a tipping point where climate action becomes the norm for business-forward action http://t.co/garojSvH8v

Worthy and worth sharing: The “St. Francis Pledge”? http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/the-st-francis-pledge/

Laudable but wondering: Does microbead “phasing out” by 2017 signal consumers that green & climate action can wait? http://t.co/COUVKM5HEU

Appreciating Alex Steffen ‘s “attention philanthropy,” ie, the gift of pointing out something worthwhile http://t.co/Zm0Rn7aT38

On steroids & quarterly reports: short-term fixes can really screw up systems thinking http://t.co/OsIQAifXjJ

Nicely put on climate change denial http://t.co/V98v64IB8f

Score! Check out this post on climate change action & sports http://t.co/HDR1ZDxAr4

Maybe a boat instead? (tongueincheek) “Miami Luxury Condos Come w/Free Tesla” http://t.co/yz5BNXQ715

John Kerry warns on catastrophic  climate change http://t.co/ZOUYIaO4hL

Jeana Wirtenberg’s New Book: Building a Culture for Sustainability

Jeana Wirtenberg knows sustainability is about people.

Living, breathing, caring, feeling human beings.

It’s not green. Or eco. Or solar. Or resilient. And it’s not even environmentally conscious or any other of the buzzwords we hear.

Sustainability is what people do to make sure we’re living today so there’s enough for all, forever.

That means each one of us.

Including what we do at work–whether we’re the boss or employee.

And if we spend the majority of our waking hours at work, we need to make them count.

For people close to home, across the county and around the world.

So, how do great companies do that?

They embed this “enough for all forever” awareness into their organization’s DNA by building a culture for sustainability.

A company’s culture is how each person works, and how they work together, for their customers and stakeholders.

That’s the genius behind Jeana’s new book. She exhaustively interviewed and researched nine leading global companies that have made sustainability part of how they do business. And then laid out a road map for replicating their success.

The companies she picked also happen to be headquartered in or have a large presence in NJ.

For too many years, the cult of “shareholder value” has lead companies to make decisions based on profits first.

That’s changing. And these companies prove it.

Jeana’s book is an essential contribution to the growing realization that not only is being a responsible corporate citizen a good thing for business profitability, it’s also the moral, right, human way for us to conduct ourselves in the world.

And as we race towards a 2 degree centigrade tipping point for our earth’s temperature, it’s also a game-ending race for survival.

As the sustainability expert Andrew Winston has said, “Business cannot succeed in a world that fails.”

In the same way, business cannot succeed if the people involved aren’t working together.

Jeana’s book offers case studies, concrete examples, and a path forward towards a sustainable, prosperous future–for ourselves, business and the world as a whole.

Building a Culture for Sustainability
People, Planet, and Profits in a New Green Economy

Jeana Wirtenberg Ph.D
Foreword by Andrew Winston

This practical, easy-to-understand book sets a path to successfully building a culture for sustainability in today’s global marketplace, providing “best practice” case studies from industries and sectors including manufacturing, business-to-business, hospitality, consumer products, telecommunications, and professional services.

“Sustainability” isn’t merely a buzzword; it’s critical to long-term success.

In their own words, leaders, managers, and employees from nine global companies explain how they are turning their visions into reality. Sustainability and human resources expert Jeana Wirtenberg describes how these companies are transforming challenges into opportunities by opening their minds to the megatrends that will define the future. The vast majority of today’s CEOs consider sustainability essential to their company’s success, yet most do not know how to embed it into their company and its culture. This book guides firms of all types and sizes—from those organizations just starting their journey to sustainability, to those seeking to accelerate their positive impact on people, reduce their negative environmental impact, and improve their bottom line. Wirtenberg shows readers how extraordinary results are possible by engaging the hearts and minds of employees throughout the organization.

Features
• Never-before-published stories and lessons learned from nine successful global companies that are building cultures for sustainability
• Tips from business leaders on how to create purposeful work environments that ignite employees’ passion
• Practical resources: on-the-ground successful programs; proven global and local best practices; top-down and bottom-up strategies and activities; and user-friendly frameworks, tools, and references that help firms at any level of sustainability build a more sustainable culture via increased employee engagement

5 “Jersey Strong” Climate Change Resources

As a coastal state, New Jersey is going to feel the impacts of climate change sooner than a lot of other places. This is especially true when it comes to sea level rise and flooding. (Both links highly recommended.)

Even though our Governor doesn’t talk much about how climate change will impact New Jersey, a lot of other people are. (Including the DEP: Read the June 2013 climate change impacts report.)

With that in mind, I wanted to share five really great NJ climate change resources that are under the radar, but shouldn’t be.

There are people all over our state who are working hard so that New Jersey will be stronger than the next storm. (And everything that climate change is going to dish up in coming decades.)

1. World-Class Scientists: The Rutgers Climate Institute

 

2. Support for Sustainable Businesses: NJDEP’s Sustainable Business Initiative (SBI) and FDU’s Institute for Sustainable Enterprise (ISE)

  • —The SBI’s next meeting is Feb. 4 from 1-3:30pm in Trenton.It will feature Jeana Wirtenberg, author of the new book Building a Culture for Sustainability-People, Planet, and Profits in a New Green Economy.  She’ll discuss lessons learned from nine successful NJ-based global companies.Contact Athena Sarafides at athena.sarafides@dep.state.nj.us to RSVP and more information.
  • —Don’t miss ISE’s March 4 breakfast seminar features sustainability heavyweight John Ehrenfeld, author of Flourishing. RSVP and more information.

 

3. Strong Legislation: NJ’s 2007 Global Warming Response Act

A lot of people don’t know that NJ has a strong climate change law with GHG emissions targets already on the books. Well, we do.

 

4. Robust Collaborations and Partnerships: New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance

The alliance was formed in 2011 by a diverse group of concerned stakeholders who want to make sure that NJ is prepared for coming climate change impacts.

 

5. World-Class Speakers: North Jersey Public Policy Network

Come to the Feb. 20 event with Geoffrey Feinberg from Yale University’s Project on Climate Change Communication and Climate Nexus.

It’s called America’s Future: Communicating with our Neighbors on Climate Change.  Don’t miss this chance to hear and ask questions of one of the country’s best-informed researchers on why climate change is so incredibly hard to talk about. RSVP today.