If there were no one to design strategies for the conservation of resources, there would be even more waste on the planet. Sustainability issues span multiple business functions, making it difficult for organizations to create cohesive efforts.

For example, a company’s social license to operate is tied to numerous functions: a company’s health, safety, and environmental compliance; its way of operating, contributing to the communities, treatment of its employees, way of promoting itself, as well as its governance structure, ethics and others.

What does a chief sustainability officer (CSO) do?

Sustainability as a career has grown considerably over the last decade, with many successful professionals who work in the field holding a degree, most notably holding a bachelors in sustainability. A Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) has the primary responsibility of overseeing the entire sustainability strategy of a company, and solving all problems related to it.

 The role of a sustainability director is evolving rapidly and is capable of helping companies gain a great competitive advantage. As companies have committed to more efforts around sustainability, the environment, and other issues, the goal of the Chief Sustainability Officer has been to promote and monitor these efforts.

Why your business needs a chief sustainability officer

Different governments have started mandating sustainability practices in business, while the Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, as a universal call to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The 17 SDGs are integrated, as they recognize that interventions in one area will affect outcomes in others, and development must balance environmental, economic and social sustainability.

Following the promise of leaving no one behind, countries have pledged to accelerate progress for those furthest behind. This is why the SDG´s have been designed to provide the world with several life-changing “zeros”, including zero poverty, zero hunger, zero AIDS, and zero discrimination against women and girls.

Many professionals around the world nowadays seem to prefer working for companies with strong environmental ethics. This is particularly common amongst millennials, who make up around 50% of the workforce so companies have had to progressively evolve and adapt their structure to attract and retain this socially conscious group.

Millennials not only want to hear what their employers are doing to be more responsible, but they want to be co-creators of sustainability alternatives and help companies improve their responsible business practices by providing feedback, ideas and potential solutions. They want to be directly involved in the responsible efforts of a company, while they also expect their employers to provide effective activities related to environmental practices in the workplace. Even small businesses have realized the importance of this and are implementing sustainability as part of their core structure.  

A study from IBM, focused on analyzing global consumer trends, reveals that currently the importance of the values ​​associated with a brand outweighs other factors such as price or convenience for consumers. One of the conclusions drawn from the study is that a third of all consumers would stop buying their favorite products if they lost confidence in the brand and, in fact, another third of consumers affirm that during 2019 they had already stopped buying some products for that reason.

Consumers add that they give priority to those brands that are sustainable, transparent, and aligned with their values, when deciding to purchase. Therefore, they claim that they are willing to pay more, or even change their shopping habits, for those brands that fit their priorities.

Socially responsible or ethical investing is a combination of fundamental analysis active management and engagement, with an evaluation of environmental factors, in order to achieve a better long-term profitability for investors, benefiting society through the influence on the behavior of companies.

Ethical investing is in very good health and on the increase. Its growth in recent years has been very prominent at all levels: sectorial, geographical, by type, and more. Its implementation in some countries and in the institutional field is already very high and one of its main goals is to ensure that it extends more to the field of private. In addition, more and more environmentally aware investors are choosing to put their money into green companies.

How can employing a CSO benefit your business?

A corporate sustainability manager is responsible with social responsibility for everything that happens in the company that may have an environmental impact. Some of the many ways a company can benefit from what a CSO does are:

1. Encourages innovation: A CSO helps companies develop new processes and technologies to be more environmentally conscious.
2. Good Public Relations: Businesses that are seen as a responsible corporations tend to have more successful PR, which allows them to increase their credibility and support.
3. Attract top talent: Some of the best and most talented professionals seem to prefer companies that have CSO´s leading their sustainability initiatives. 
4. Gain a new customer base: Changes brought by a CSO can make a business reach new audiences, which could eventually translate into more clients and profits.

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An eco caravan is bringing green education directly to the people of Lebanon this month.

A solar powered taxi is traveling the globe at the moment, and now an eco-education caravan has taken to the roads of Lebanon (which, unfortunately, have seen a 538% increase in car use over the past 24 years).  The caravan will be bringing the Lebanese people an opportunity to receive an “e-ecoeducation” (eee) and learn about electronic waste management, collection and recycling.  The caravan, which is sponsored both by the Lebanese Minister of Environment Nazem al-Khoury and Fondation Saradar, hopes to “promote and develop understanding, skills and values that will enable people to participate in the achievement of an ecologically sustainable society.”

The caravan, which is equipped with 10 computers and other educational devices, will help provide visitors with relevant information and mini training courses.

In order to ensure that the information is truly available to a wider audience, the caravan is furnished with a ramp to provide easier access for the disabled as well as special software geared towards the visually impaired.

At the caravan’s launch on October 24th, General Manager of Fondation Saradar Tania Helou said that “the program seeks to promote awareness, disseminate skills and knowledge to develop, create and implement a ‘green’ culture and to transform behaviors into environmentally responsible attitudes.”

The caravan began in Beirut and will continue towards the towns and villages of Mount Lebanon.  Municipalities, schools, universities and civil society unions will be targeted at first.

According to Fondation Saradar,

“through education, the proposed program that combines advocacy and practical applications, is set to draw and raise the attention of the public at large, but more particularly, of young generations and the active population to promoting the preservation and improvement of our natural environment through their business environment and the use of technology, a ‘must’ tool in today’s life.”

: Fondation Saradar
: The Daily Star

Read about more green initiatives in Lebanon::
Lebanon Launches New Recycling Campaign, “Think Before You Throw”
Eco Tourism in the Middle East: Lebanon
Darreja Campaign Encourages Sustainable Transportation in Lebanon

The post Eco Education Caravan Touring Lebanon This Month appeared first on Green Prophet.

Sharpen those green pencils and get your eco-friendlier education at home.

When offering advice about how to reduce one’s carbon footprint, several environmental advocates, organizations, and websites suggest telecommuting to work as much as possible.  Telecommuting (or working remotely from home on a computer) saves gas, releases fewer carbon emissions, and…. enables you to work in your pajamas if you are so inclined.  But one of the activities that environmentalists rarely recommended transferring to your living room is home study.  Telestudying.  How about learning from home instead of traveling to school and perhaps relocating to a different location?

Home schooling has been a familiar concept for children under the age of 18 for a while – parents who wish to teach their own children can request permission to do so and instruct their kids at home.  Yet obtaining higher education degrees from home is a fairly new concept.

The field of online degrees may have started out among institutions with lesser reputations, but that has since changed and more educational institutions are realizing that they need to be flexible in order to reach their desired student base.  Not all students can or wish to relocate in order to further their education, but they still want that degree.  And institutions still want to instruct them.

Compared with the eco-cost of relocating and commuting daily to school, home study is almost free.  The literal cost is cheaper as well, with lower tuition and no commuting necessary.  (If you factor in the cost of those “first day of school” outfits, there’s another savings right there.)

Home study and online degree programs have also, on a more philosophical level, made education more accessible to the masses.  If you have access to the internet, you have access to higher education.

Read more about green education:
Why He’ll be Eco-Networking with a “Green” MBA
Eco-Mum on Greening Your Back to School Shopping
Bali Green School is a Model for Green Education Everywhere

Image via: Cordelia McLeilan

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The United Arab Emirates has been up to all manner of green things over the last couple of years. From solar-powered cash machines to plans to go plastic-free by 2013, and now they are hosting a unique sustainability camp on February 26, 2011. Rather than taking a narrow understanding of sustainability, the campaigners insist that sustainability is more than just being a tree hugger. The groups says that, “sustainability is the potential for long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions.” As such, they’re inviting everyone from human rights groups, animals rights activists to compost makers and tree planters along to share their struggles and successes in becoming more sustainable.

The event, which will take place at Dubai Knowledge Village from 10 to 5pm, will consists of a collective art installation made on the day, discussions, debates and setting goals for a more sustainable UAE.

Organised by BarCamp UAE, the event is modeled on the notion of Open Space Technology and so rather a rigid conference, the proceedings will be open and highly interactive. For example, the only way to register is to fill in a quick survey about your interests and concerns and then the answers are used to shape the event.

According to their twitter feed, the famed Green Sheikh who we interviewed on his views on going green in the Middle East may also be attending, so it’s definitely worth a look if you are in the country.

It sounds like a fun way to take part in the debate around sustainability in the UAE and as the organizers state: “We may not change the world in a day, but I believe that it’ll be a good start to set collective goals in which each of us including the organizations actively involved in the space learn, build and contribute towards continuous action in our community.”

:Image via Pedronet via flickr.

For more green news from the UAE see:

Pacific Green Inaugurates Masdar City’s Sustainable Palm Gates

Your Green Money Maker? Solar Powered ATM in Abu Dhabi

United Arab Emirates to be Plastic-Free by 2013

The post UAE to host Sustainability Camp appeared first on Green Prophet.

Ohalo College of Katzrin brings sustainable development studies into the ivory tower.

The world of academia and environmental activism do not always go hand in hand, and academics are notorious for their detachment from the real world.  But some universities and colleges are an exception to this generalization.  In fact, Tel Aviv University held a conference intended to bring together academic researchers and environmental policy makers just last month.  And green MBA degrees are popping up all over the place, instructing business students on how to integrate sustainable objectives in the business world.

The Ohalo College of Katzrin in Israel is rising to our global environmental challenge as well, by opening an entire department devoted to sustainable development and renewable energy.

The focus of the department will be regional and study “the unique interrelationships of different renewable energy sources and their impact on the sustainability of development in the Golan and Galilee regions.”

Since Ohalo College predicts that renewable energy will become one of the key scientific fields of the upcoming century, the primary focus of the new department will be “to educate future technicians and engineers in a broad based, holistic and interdisciplinary renewable energy and sustainable development fields.  Faculty will focus on educating renewable energy technicians and engineers while conducting innovative research from nanomaterials for improving efficiencies of renewable energy systems.”

Ohalo College also considers itself highly suited to developing this new department, since it is located near several sources of geothermal energy, water power, wind power, biofuel sources and solar energy.

:: Ohalo College of Katzrin

Image via: Emmanuel Dyan

Read more about the intersection of higher education and environmental activism::
Why He’ll Be Eco-Networking With a “Green” MBA
Saudi Arabia’s KAUST University is Eco-Friendly Environment for Fueling Academic Progress
Haifa University Reduced Electricity Consumption by 22%

The post Ohalo College of Katzrin Opens Department of Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy appeared first on Green Prophet.

Marda Permaculture Farm shows that traditional and modern sustainable farming practices can go hand in hand.

Amidst the conflict and destruction that plagues Palestine, the Marda Permaculture Farm stands out as a model of sustainability and greenery.  Founded in 2006 by permaculturist Murad Alkhufash (pictured above) who is a tenth generation farmer, the working farm blends local traditional farming methods with modern permaculture techniques and science.  It also empowers the local community to produce healthy food for itself in a cheaper and more eco-friendly way, by avoiding industrial fertilizers or pesticides.

As the farm describes itself,

“The farm is an oasis of green in a land that is dry, where Palestinians have lived under great hardship, yet where there is a promise of a new future.  We believe that permaculture is a key ingredient in the future, not only for Palestine, but for the Middle East and the world. We’re setting out to show how it’s done.”

Marda Permaculture Farm is a sustainable development NGO that focuses heavily on education and transmitting its beneficial lessons to others.  It held its first Permaculture Design Course (PDC) this past June, which was attended by both Arab and international students.  In order to contextualize the course within the local culture, a traditional Palestinian cooking workshop and an intensive Arab language course were offered in conjunction with the PDC.

Community outreach takes place throughout the year, however, and visitors are welcome to stay at the farm for 1-3 day visits to experience Palestinian farming and permaculture techniques.  The farm is also able to offer certified PDCs in Arabic.

Marda Permaculture Farm is currently looking to expand its ability to instruct the community by building an education building that would include a classroom and accommodation for students.

Some eco-tourism around Marda is also available through the farm, which organizes eco-social hiking tours of the region.

::Marda Permaculture Farm

Read more about permaculture in the Middle East:
Permaculture and Green Communal Living Through Eco-Israel
From Capitalist Pig to Living In A City Tree
Learn Permaculture and Green Building Techniques in Israel

The post Marda Permaculture Farm Plants Sustainable Seeds in Palestine appeared first on Green Prophet.

These questions are at the heart of the Feather Project which seeks to bring together young and old people to create solutions for the problems facing the planet.

Launched by the award-winning humanitarian Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp from the Netherlands, the project states that using the wisdom of elders, the dreams of the young, and the world’s spiritual traditions we can create a more sustainable planet.

Rabbi Soetendorp also notes that the key to safeguarding the planet is intergenerational dialogue in which wisdom is passed on and the hopes and wishes of the future generations are expressed.

He wrote: “It is the natural but too often neglected passionate cooperation between the generations, blending the lessons from the past with daring visions for the future that will pull us out of the trap of self-indulgence and callousness, which could only lead to destruction of ourselves and the diversity of all life.”

Jewish Principle of Tikkun Olam

The inter-generational project is inspired by the Earth Charter which was set up to promote the transition to sustainable ways of living and create a global society founded on an ethical framework that includes respect for ecological integrity. The feather is used as a symbol of thought and dialogue and so it gets passed on from one person to another as they express themselves. As well as native American imagery and wisdom which are present in the scheme, the project is also influenced by the unique Jewish experience in Europe.

The Feather Project falls under the Jacob Soetendorp Institute for Human Values founded by Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp to honour his father who worked tirelessly to rebuild Jewish life in the Netherlands after the Shoa, as well as his foster parents who risked their lives to hide him from Nazi persecution in 1943. The Institute is guided by the universal principle of tikkun olam, the Jewish mandate to repair a world that is broken and its work includes collaboration between the religions and promoting environmental awareness.

Time For Action Is Now

Personal testimonies shared during the Feather Project included those by Rabbi Soetendorp and how he was saved as a child during World War Two. Pakistani human rights lawyer Parvez Hassan, who attended the launch of the project along with Dutch Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende, also shared his concerns that the current generation will leave behind a world full of treaties, laws and principles but no action. He added that it is the core task of the next generation to do better than the elders and start walking the talk by implementing the rules and principles that have been drafted.

In fact, the main aim of the project is to inspire youth from around the world to share their wishes for the future of the planet. Young people are invited to record and upload their own “feather messages” in which they share their visions for the future, and interview elders in their communities about their life experiences.

If you’re under 35, share your ‘feather vision’ either through writing, video or even drawing and hopefully you will inspire a more sustainable future for posterity.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz9hXhjlFtg[/youtube]

Image via Woodley Wonderworks on Flickr.

For more on Faith and Sustainability see:

Atoning for Environmental Sins in the Kitchen this Yom Kippur

Cambridge to Build Europe’s First Eco-Mosque

Detox your life: Take the ‘Buy-Nothing-Ramadan’ Challenge

The post Feather Project’s Young And Old Get Together To Save The Planet appeared first on Green Prophet.

Just today, reports came in that a suicide bomber killed and injured more Iraqis in Baghdad, soon after the United States committed to its withdrawal from the country, and raising questions about the nation’s ability to rebuild itself. Pockmarked by war, it seems logical that appropriate building materials, biodiversity concerns, and wildlife conservation would stand low on the list of the country’s priorities. But this hasn’t stopped deputy plans officer for the 402nd Army Field Support Brigade, Joshua Mater, from forging links between his alma mater, Oregon State University (OSU), and various ministries and universities in Iraq, in order to foster sustainable development education that will enable Iraqis to rebuild their country when the Americans are gone.

Michael Scott Mater Foundation

Designed to “create opportunities for individuals and communities by providing financial resources, work-force training, cross cultural exchanges and sustainable solutions to real world challenges,” according to Galen Putnam, the non-profit organization Michael Scott Mater Foundation (MSMF) has an international reach, including projects in Peru and the United States as well as Iraq.

It is also a continuation of Mater’s former efforts to improve Iraqi lives. Previously, with help from OSU, he raised $30, 000 to provide textbooks to Thi Qar University School of Engineering in Iraq.

Named after Joshua’s father who died from cancer in 2002, Mater said that deciding to start the foundation was not easy. He says that the organization requires a lot of hard work and that he faced almost insurmountable barriers.

“However being a part of nation building and helping individuals in need is the most rewarding aspect of my life,” he told Putnam.

The program in Iraq has several initiatives:

• The Green Micro Loan initiative that provides business training, networking opportunities and loans, from $1,000 to $20,000, to entrepreneurs in order to help start or grow new or existing business with an emphasis on sustainability;
• The foundation’s World Empowerment Initiative develops job skills through vocational training in vulnerable communities;
• MSMF partners with businesses, schools, and governments to provide individuals with the necessary skills to enter or re-enter the workforce;
• The MSMF Sustainable Solutions Initiative is built on the concept of coalition development between members of academia, industry, government and communities in order to promote the development and implementation of green technologies and sustainable practices throughout the world.

Sustainable Engineering Education

At present, Mater is pushing especially hard to develop the Coalition for Sustainable Engineering Education (CSEE). So far, this program, developed in concert with OSU and several dedicated Iraqi professors, has resulted in the establishment of the National Education Program for Sustainable Engineering Education led by Dr. Angham Alsaffar.

Among their major concerns are water quality and conservation, wastewater treatment and recycling, indoor and outdoor air quality, renewable energy, green building, and ecosystem services and management.

“The next step is to get the CSEE agreement signed by all parties; the universities, Iraqi ministries, OSU and MSMF,” Mater said.

Mater hopes that the sustainability conference to be hosted by the Iraqi Minister of Higher Education in Baghdad in October 2010, will provide the perfect venue for securing commitment to sustainability at various levels.

At the conference, “experts from OSU will discuss the integration of sustainability into the Iraqi higher education curriculum and how this will lead to economic development and job creation in Iraq,” according to Putnam.

Mater’s brigade commander, Col. Lawrence W. Fuller, said of Joshua: “Not only is he a valued employee, he is an inspiration to others. His efforts to build relations with our Iraqi partners are commendable. Our reason for being in Iraq is to help them rebuild their country and achieve stability and Josh does that both on and off duty.”

:: www.army.mil

More Green News From the Middle East:

Can UAE Foreign Minister and South African President Jacob Zuma Save The Environment?

Taiwanese $15 M. Investment Shines Light on Israeli LED Start Up Oree

Green Prophet Flies To “The Oman Eco Group Blogs”

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