Guest blog by Earth Institute Staff
Students looking to learn how to transform the way organizations do business are enrolling in Columbia University’s M.S. in Sustainability Management program. The program offers a combination of sustainability, management, and financial skills that allows them to pursue careers in fields as varied as agriculture, fashion, and finance, but which also allow them to go beyond business-as-usual, to innovate and change their organizations and chosen...
Guest blog by Network for Business Sustainability
Canadian businesses play a critical role in building resilient economies and communities. Our latest report, From Challenges to Opportunities: The 7 Sustainability Opportunities for Canadian Business in 2015, highlights opportunities for business to take decisive action towards positive change.
The task of improving sustainability nation-wide is daunting; businesses cannot act alone. They must marshal resources, talent and commitment both...
Guest Blog by Julie Urlaub, Taiga Company
Does social media make workers more productive? According to a study from McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), there is a great deal of potential value in using social media “to enhance communications, knowledge sharing, and collaboration within and across enterprises.”
In other words, if employees can access Facebook and Twitter at work, a small amount of time may be lost or wasted, but the overall effect on productivity provides more gains than losses. In fact, MGI estimates that by fully implementing social technologies, companies have an opportunity...
Guest Blog by Cheryl Heller, Founding Chair, SVA’s MFA program in Design for Social Innovation
This interview with Cheryl Heller was conducted by the Design for Social Innovation (DSI) program (taking applications now) and explores what it means to design for social change—a path Cheryl has dedicated her life to and writes about periodically.
DSI: How do you define design for social innovation?
CH: Design for social innovation is really interaction design in...
Guest Blog by Richard Mazzola, CEO/Founder, KarmaConnect
2015 will be a critical year for the progression of sustainability movements. As the United States prepares for a Presidential election in 2016, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) disseminates their Fifth assessment report and the United Nations urges new austerity measures for emissions we will see a significant shift in the way we talk about sustainability:
1. The Sustainable Shopper
Over the past 5 years consumers have increasingly become aware of a brand’s sustainability. But rising retail prices...
Guest Blog by Fred Boltz and Anders Granlund
The year ahead is a critical one for the planet’s climate and our collective future. In December 2015, countries will come together in Paris to finalize a global treaty that could set us on a path toward capping and eventually reducing greenhouse gas emissions. There is momentum with the recent agreement between the United States and China. More commitments are needed, but we also need to change our approaches to climate change and other stresses.
The effects of climate change are already visible around us....
Guest Blog by Tara Holmes, Communications and Marketing Manager, Future 500
More and more, across ethnic, racial, class, and geographic divides, it’s clear that women are playing the driving role influencing social, economic, and environmental policy. This role comes as no surprise as globally, according to the UN, women are most directly impacted by a changing climate and therefore have more at stake, and more to lose.
...
Guest Blog by David Israelson
War! What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing … except, some say, profit opportunities.
Investing in “sin” companies – weapons makers, Big Oil, polluters, tobacco, gambling firms and the like – is likely a vexing issue for most DIYers. Can investors live with themselves if they put money into companies that are known for questionable or harmful practices?
It’s an ethical minefield, no pun intended.
Consider these moral quagmires:
– Investing in weapons companies may be unpalatable to many DIY investors, but lots...
Nestlé, in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), will host its sixth Creating Shared Value Forum, in Switzerland, on 9th October.
The forum will provide a space for debate and discussion for members of academia, industry, international institutions and civil society from around the world on the changing role of business in society.
Nestlé believes that for a company to be successful over the long term and create value for shareholders, it...
Guest Blog by J.H. Fearless
In a groundbreaking finding, Nielsen recently reported that the majority of the world’s consumers now prefer to buy products that are socially and environmentally responsible.
Will this trend last? That depends on the individual consumer.
Who’s Buying?
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is no longer a new or vague concept in the minds of global consumers. And the increasing number of people who...