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October 2007
Hello Friend:
I feel that we are at a historic moment in time. Many of us have tackled sustainability issues for decades. Now finally, the politicians and the public are getting engaged. But, beware of the short attention span – especially for complex issues. We need to grasp the moment. We need to use it or we'll lose it.
To do this I think we need to activate new models of leadership, innovation and organization. We need collectively to enter the next frontier of sustainability work.
For me this means provoking systemic change by engaging the drivers of our market economy (see my newsletter below). I believe we must connect to, and in some cases reroute, the wiring that powers our society – at both the organizational and the individual level. Ultimately, it comes down to decisions. Business and personal decisions and how they affect outcomes – sustainable or not. We all need to be aware of the impact of our every decision. If we do this collectively, we can trigger positive systemic change.
Speaking of decisions, I’ve made a big one in my personal life that has definitely provoked positive change. I’m getting engaged to a wonderful man who shares my passion for building a better world. We’re starting by building our green dream home. It is a pilot project within the 2010 Green Building Challenge spearheaded by Light House Sustainable Building Centre. I'll keep you posted on our progress. Meanwhile, my house is on the market. Do you know anyone who might be interested in a beautiful heritage home with great karma?
Now, those are good reasons party! If you're in the Vancouver area, please join me on November 22 to celebrate new beginnings and 45 memorable years in the Strandberg family home. It's a chance to engage in great conversation with like-minded people and boogie at the last sustainability dance party at this house. So please join me for a Getting Engaged Party.
Now here's...
News from Strandberg Consulting
Getting Engaged in Green Jobs
Are you looking to make a bigger difference in your work? If so, check
out my new Green Jobs column in Shared
Vision Magazine. The column
will monitor green employment trends and highlight hot spots. If you
want to engage in my job opportunity listserv, contact me at cstrandberg@shaw.ca and
I’ll send you notices of cool sustainability jobs.
Getting Engaged in Sustainable Insurance
If you have insurance, you’re connected to the largest asset-based
industry in the world. The insurance industry has extensive reach into
households and businesses. It is also one of the most vulnerable industries
when it comes to the costs of damage done by climate change. Getting
the insurance industry engaged in fostering a sustainable future is
a business imperative and a powerful lever for change. With
The Natural Step, I am working with The
Co-operators, a Canadian-owned
insurance company, to help them fulfill their mission to be a catalyst
for a sustainable society. This report I wrote for them may be
of interest:
Getting Engaged in Sustainable Supply Chain
Management
By introducing sustainable purchasing practices to supply chains,
green and social influences will begin to ripple through the economy.
In addition to working with organizations on the development and
implementation of their sustainable purchasing policies, I continue
to support the Fraser Basin Council in growing the Sustainability
Purchasing Network www.buysmartbc.com.
If you’re interested in activating sustainability purchasing
in your world, check out these publications I co-authored:
- Sustainable Purchasing Trends and Drivers
- Top 10 Shopping List for Sustainable Purchasing
- 10 Ways to Start or Enhance your Sustainability Purchasing Strategy
Getting Engaged with Money
Capital Markets, Sustainable Finance and Socially Responsible Investing
From my days on the board of Vancity Credit Union, and now as a Director of Vancity Capital Corporation, I know that capital markets have the potential to advance a sustainable economy. With the Tides Foundation and others, we're breaking ground for the emergence of a "social" capital marketplace which finances social and environmental development within communities. Last year the first meeting of social financiers and the traditional finance industry gathered to brainstorm ways to grow the community investment sector in Canada. For those interested, here are notes I compiled from the session.
Getting Engaged with Community Foundations
Working with the trade association, Community Foundations of Canada,
this pilot project aims to increase the number of foundations that align
their investments with their missions. The seven pilot foundations represent
half of the assets of community foundations in Canada. We produced
a primer for responsible investment:
Getting Engaged with Investors
If you’re looking to activate your portfolio, check this out. I
have developed a tool to help investors identify high impact investments
that do more to advance sustainability than traditional investments. SRI
Options is sponsored by Ethical Funds.
Getting Engaged through Industry Associations
Are you involved in your industry association? If so, you can help strengthen
the case for sustainability. Last year I co-authored a report for NRCan
on the
role industry associations can play to advance sustainability. The
report analyzed current practices amongst seven trade groups and
chronicled a roadmap for trade associations seeking to help their corporate
members. Through a number of webinar training sessions, we learned
that member firms want help in developing sustainability metrics to measure
progress. As well, a lack of limited resources and awareness of the business
case for sustainability are key barriers to industry association progress
on sustainability engagement of their members.
Getting Engaged through Corporate Boards
If you're a board member, listen up. You have the power to advance
corporate sustainability in your organization. A study I authored for
the Conference Board of Canada concluded that corporate social responsibility
(CSR) is emerging as a boardroom issue driven by the growing business
case and institutional investors seeking long-term performance. In
addition, check out this "at-a-glance" 12-step fiduciary
framework:
Strandberg Consulting - Solutions for a Sustainable
World
Coro Strandberg - Principal | 6325 Sperling Avenue - Burnaby, BC
V5E 2V3 | T 604.433.7339
E cstrandberg@shaw.ca www.corostrandberg.com