What’s Up With Sustainable Business in 2012?
Posted: 6:06PM January 6th, 2012 | Comments
I’m not really a New Year’s Resolution kind of person. If you were to ask me, I would tell you that I hadn’t made any resolutions at all for 2012. Not one. But I’ll be honest, as I observe my own behavior over these first few days of January, I notice that I’m trying a little bit harder to be a little bit better- eating mindfully, walking/biking to work more than not, questioning my purchases, de-cluttering, being more timely, etc. So while I don’t have any resolutions per se, I apparently seem to believe that my behavior in January sets the tone for the rest of the year. And man, that’s a lot of responsibility! A whole year determined by just one month. Better do it right, then.
Here in the ‘At Work’ Department at Sustain Dane we’re really taking that idea to heart and bursting out of the 2012 starting gate, so to speak. Not only are we working hard to continue to growing our Mpower Business ChaMpions Program, but we are also launching the Sustainable Business Network, all before the end of January.
Mpower Business ChaMpions Program
January 11th we will be hosting our 3rd annual ChaMpion Showcase- a public event designed to highlight the work done by our current ChaMpions to potential 2012 ChaMpions. In 2012 we will have the capacity to work with up to 30 new businesses and organizations- more than ever before! Considering that this program started in 2009 with a modest 8 business, this growth is pretty fantastic. Come to the Showcase, send us your application, and set the tone for your organization’s 2012.
Sustainable Business Network
The Sustainable Business Network will launch on January 25th. The Network will create opportunities for businesses to integrate social responsibility into their core practices, develop professionally, and support the economic vitality and quality of life in the Madison Region (read: you’ll learn stuff, meet cool people, and do good).
And it’s not just here at Sustain Dane that folks are geeking out on Sustainable Business in 2012 (and summing up what happened in 2011). As always, this time of year inspires us to look back and reflect on what passed, as well as to look to the future and see where we’re headed. So check out the articles below- a short list curated by yours truly. I hope they help to inspire you to jump in and get started making 2012 what you want it to be. Otherwise you may have to wait a whole other year.
From GreenBiz: What Will Be the Biggest Driver for Corporate Sustainability in 2012?
“With 2011 coming to a close and 2012 just around the corner, GreenBiz asked executives from a range of companies and organizations to reflect on the past year and look at what lies ahead.”
From GreenBiz: 4 Sustainability Trends that will Shape 2012
“Sustainable development is entering a new phase, characterized by greater alignment within and between the public and private sectors.”
From Green Impact: New Year’s Resolutions: Six Easy Green Campaign Ideas to Work Greener in 2012
“As you reflect on your resolutions for 2012, consider making a 2012 work greener resolution.”
From Grist: Get Your Green New Year’s Resolutions Right Here
“Still deciding how to enhance and eco-ify your life in 2012? We rounded up resolutions from Grist readers and staffers to give you some ideas.”
From Environmental Leader: Share What You Learned In 2011
“Environmental Leader invites you to share a quote about the result of a sustainability initiative, environmental or energy management lesson or other insight you gained in 2011 for our annual Insider Knowledge Report. Last year, over 600 people submitted stories and thousands of Environmental, Sustainability and Energy Managers downloaded the report.”
From Environmental Leader: Most Read Stories of 2011
“The resulting list shows your varied interests, from policy and enforcement to strategy, green building, renewable energy and waste management. And company rankings continue to garner lots of attention, as readers check out how their companies – and their competitors – fare from year to year.”
From Environmental Leader: The Triple Bottom Line in Today’s Business Environment (7-min video)
Neil Drobny from the Fisher College of Business speaking on Ohio Means Business about the triple bottom line in today’s business environment.
From Triple Pundit: Resilience: The Next Big Word for 2012
“Resilience is a word that captures much of what has occurred over this past year: the Arab Spring; the anger that has boiled over into first the Tea Party and then the Occupy movements; strapped municipal budgets; and coping with an onslaught of natural and man-made disasters around the world. Whether we are talking about economic resilience, political resilience or social resilience, the R word captures what many at the grassroots are facing at a volatile time.”
From Triple Pundit: Jeffery Hollender: My New Year’s Resolution
Jeffrey Hollender is the 2012 Distinguished Citi Fellow in Leadership and Ethics at New York University’s Stern School of Business School. He is the founder of Jeffrey Hollender Partners, a business strategy consulting firm and the co-founder and former CEO of Seventh Generation, which he built into a leading brand known for its authenticity, transparency, and progressive business practices.
From Triple Pundit: Five Megatrends Creating 2012’s Trillion Dollar Global Sustainable Economy
“2012 will be the milestone year that the US economy demonstrates sustained economic growth through adoption of 21st century’s sustainable solutions. Earth 2017‘s economic model estimates that sustainable product solutions have now achieved the breakthrough trillion dollars per year in global annual revenues level and is on the path toward achieving $10 trillion of annual global revenues by 2017.”
Happy New Year,
Annie
