Here is another very interesting video on the topic of Sustainability that I wanted to share with everyone.
When sustainability means more than ‘green’:
Fabian Pattberg
Tag Archives - corporate responsibility
People I follow on Twitter – Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
I have been using Twitter for the past year and see Twitter as a great tool to extend the private and business networks.
The problem I had with Twitter from the beginning was whom to follow on the topics that I am interested in.
This is the first post in a new Twitter series I am writing where I will be listing the usernames of some people I follow on topics such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), CSR/Sustainability News, Social Media, and more. The post today will be about the Twitterers (people that are on Twitter) that tweet (expression for the individual Twitter updates) about CSR.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Twitterers
- James Farrar – A great blogger and invaluable source of CSR and technology insights
- Mallen Baker – Mallen provides top quality information and insightful commentary on all CSR topics
- David Connor – A never ending source of CSR information
- Chris Jarvis – Great insights and excellent blogger on CSR
- Elaine Cohen – Great information source on CSR Reporting topics
There are a lot more people that are providing excellent information on CSR on Twitter even though they are not listed here. This is just snapshot of the people I follow on the topic of CSR.
Search for CSR on Twitter
Another great way to get started connecting to like-minded CSR people on Twitter is to do a Twitter search with ‘CSR’ as the keyword or any other keyword you are looking for. Here is the direct link to the Twitter search for CSR:
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=csr
This way you will never miss a tweet on the keyword you are looking for.
I am obviously also on Twitter and tweet about CSR topics. So why not visit and let me know what you think. Fabian on Twitter
Happy networking everyone!
The Business Case for Sustainability at Interface
This week seems to be the week where I am posting a lot of videos. I have no idea why but I would not want to withhold this very interesting video on the ‘Business Case for Sustainability’ from my readers.
This video is a speech from Ray Anderson, the CEO of Interface.
He founded the company 30 odd years ago and is still running it as of now. Back in February of this year he gave this speech at a TED Conference in California.
This is a very inspiring video about how he became ‘Sustainability-Aware’ as a person and what he then initiated at Interface to limit the environmental and social impact of his business.
A ‘Must-Watch’ for every Sustainability / CSR company representative or anyone interested in the business case for Sustainability.
Enjoy!
Update And Some Interesting News Items Of This Week
Yesterday has been a really good day. It seems to me that the last few months have just gone by like the wind. Crazy. But yesterday was the first day where I felt that change is in sight and I can finally move on to tackle new challenges and focus on the goals I have set myself.
In any case. Here is a brief update of what I have been up to in the last few weeks:
- Finishing up a major Sustainability project for a client
- Preparing to launch the new and improved SustainabilityForum.com
- Moving into the new house here in the UK
- Growing my Twitter network to get to know more like-minded people from across the globe.
All in all……very busy. But that’s a ‘good’ busy. 
I will also have time over the next few weeks to post more which I am really happy about.
As a consequence today’s post will continue with my the weekly Top 3 news items. This has always been popular with my readers, so I will continue with it of course.
Top 3 News Items This Week
Interestingly enough are two of the top three news items about the importance of Sustainability/Corporate Responsibility during the recession. Very encouraging trend in my opinion when everyone is talking about cost cuts, layoffs, etc.
Why Corporate Responsibility is a survivor
Good article in the Financial Times on how Corporate Responsibility will not be put aside and labeled a “management fashion” during the recession. It is already much more then that.
Don’t Give Up Sustainability Now Or You’ll Pay Later
A very informative article on the journey of investing in Sustainability. A good read.
No new coal without CCS in the UK, says government
The UK foreign minister David Miliband announces that all new coal plants will have to demonstrate carbon capture capabilities. Lets wait and see whether they will stick with being so positive about CCS.
Sustainability News Review – Where are the Social Topics?
It is Sunday again and this means that whenever I have time I will give an update on the Sustainability / CSR news items which I found interesting during the past 7 days.
This week was an interesting week in the sense that the news items were again dominated by environmental news. It seems to me that there are fewer and fewer companies reporting on interesting social topics providing stories of real value to the reader. The result is that environmental topics dominate the Sustainability news agenda, and that social topics have lesser attention these days – suprising in times of credit crunch…..
I would identify a valuable Sustainability / CSR news item as something with a clear message, relevant substance and not just the message that “Company XYZ has cut its CO2 emissions by x percent and introduced a new Sustainability management program”.
In my opinion, that’s pure corporate spin. However amongst the majority of ordinary news here are some truly interesting news items – happy browsing!
Investor Groups Point Finger at Climate Laggards: Exxon, Massey and Others
Intersting article on GreenBiz on the unveiling of the list of the companies that are lagging on environmental action.
Uptime Institute names ‘Global Green 100′
he US-based Uptime Institute this week announced its list of “Global Green 100,” the top corporations to demonstrate “significant energy efficiency achievements” at their data centres.
Brits call for less free carrier bags
More than 80% of people in Britain believe that retailers should stop giving away free plastic bags to their customers.
Five features of great socially responsible leadership
Great article from Mallen Baker.
Picture Credit: Pragmagraphr
The Sustainability Officers New Years Resolution – My Version
I assume most you have done some New Year resolutions for 2009.
Todays post is about the individual points of the New Years resolution of every Sustainability officer in a company.
In other words: What would I see as important for the Sustainability officer in a company to aim for in 2009 to drive Sustainability.
Sustainability Officer New Year Resolutions Points:
- Do not grumble about the recession. Sustainability initiatives can be done with a limited amount of money as well. Even with very little funds. You need a committed bunch of people that engage with others.
- Do not find an excuse for doing nothing just because your colleagues think that this is not worth the effort being a Change Agent with your organization. They are wrong.
- Talk to other people in or outside of your industry to exchange best practice. Learning how other people tackle this problem will make you smarter and better prepared for the future.
- Use social media (after coordination with your IT department) to make your opinion and initiatives heard. You do not need huge budgets to do that when you do it right.
- Ask your local government representative to help you with your work or initiative. Local authorities and local government need to do more with regards to Sustainability and they need to hear from you the Sustainability representative what your business is doing to make the world a better place.
- Start to talk to colleagues about your work and how passionate you are about it. This will help you to strengthen the awareness within your organization and will make your job even more enjoyable.
- Be nicer to you family members (This might not help you on the topic of Sustainability but it will definitely make your life easier).
- Be different then the normal employees. Stand out of the crowd and have an opinion. You can not be friends with everyone so just be the best you can be.
- Enjoy every day and be proud of yourself. You are have one of the most exciting and fulfilling jobs in the world.
This is what I would see as interesting New Years resolutions. They are very tough resolutions but I am sure every single one of them will make your life easier as the Sustainability officer within your organization.
Picture Credit: Zeitkunst
Top 5 Sustainability & CSR News Stories this week – 21.11.2008
Sorry for the lack of posts this week. It has been an extremely busy week. Nevertheless have I been reading some interesting stories this week. The most interesting articles make it into my weekly top 5 list.
This week my favourite in terms of topical area is the article on nuclear power as I believe that our decision whether to invest in nuclear power is a decision of great significance for our sustainable future. I also really liked the Al Gore’s article on Sustainable Capitalism in the WSJ.
Take a look and let me know what you think by commenting below.
My Top 5 Sustainability/CSR News Stories this week:
British Energy chief: “We can’t meet our climate change obligations without nuclear”
Nuclear operator claim plans for four new reactors need to be accelerated. If you like it or not we need to find a solution on the nuclear debate soon. One way or the other. Our time runs out.
Size matters: Long CSR reports win most green gongs
Longer corporate responsibility reports are more likely to win companies an environmental gong but they are still packed with greenwash and vague references to terminology such as ’sustainability’.
We Need Sustainable Capitalism
Nature does not do bailouts. An article by Al Gore.
Yahoo! Study Finds Growing Green Market
The drive to sustainability is having a broad effect on consumers, with three in four defining themselves as “green,” according to a new survey by Yahoo!.
Green Building Could Triple by 2013 – Report
The U.S. green building market is accelerating at a dramatic rate. The value of green building construction starts was up five-fold from 2005 to 2008 (from $10 billion to $36-$49 billion), and could triple by 2013, reaching $96-$140 billion, according to a new report.
Picture Credit: huntz