Online webinar: Wednesday, 28 March, 2012, 4-5pm BST
More information and registration…

Forum for the Future is running an open Forum Network webinar on 28th March, exploring the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in the transition to a sustainable society, following its recent Connect, Collaborate, Change report, commissioned by O2 (Telefonica UK).

The report highlighted the huge sustainability benefits that ICT can bring by encouraging people to collaborate and innovate, and is designed to enable all organisations to look more systematically at how they could use technology for sustainability. It continues to help O2 in their thinking about sustainable services.

The webinar will commence with a presentation by O2′s Gareth Rice, Head of Environment and Bill Eyres, Head of Sustainability, followed by a question and answer session chaired by Forum’s O2 partnership manager Ben Kellard. O2 has been working with Forum for the Future over the last three years to embed sustainability into its core business. In February, O2 launched its Think Big Blueprint plan, setting out how the business will harness digital connectivity to build a more sustainable future, with three key goals to be reached by 2015:

• Think Big for planet – deliver carbon reductions for customers that are ten times greater than the impact of O2’s network;
• Think Big for customers – help ten million people live in easier and more sustainable ways through O2’s products and services;
• Think Big for people – help one million young people to develop skills for life and lead community projects across the UK.

The webinar will look at O2’s journey over the last 3 years, the Think Big Blueprint and insights from how it was developed, and future priorities and challenges with insights from Connect, Collaborate, Change.

While Forum Network events and webinars are usually exclusively available to members of the Forum Network, this webinar is open to all.

More information and registration…

In this look-ahead:

• Beyond Labels: How UTZ CERTIFIED-Good Inside improves supply chain standards and value
• Supplier Environmental Sustainability Scorecards: P&G’s story so far
• Waste as a Resource: Converting end-of-life plastics into diesel
• World Water Day 2012 – Water and Food Security: Call for Solutions
• Which Water Quality for Which Uses? A Regulators’ and Practitioners’ Perspective

For a full calendar of what’s planned for the coming weeks in 2degrees, including many more events, see the 2degrees calendar of events.

Beyond Labels: How UTZ CERTIFIED-Good Inside improves supply chain standards and value

10th August 2011: This webinar will present a practical, evidenced based guide containing 19 principles to help you design and deliver your communications to achieve environmental behavior change at large scale events like the 2012 Olympic Games.

More from 2degrees…

Supplier Environmental Sustainability Scorecards: P&G’s story so far

11th August 2011: This webinar will discuss P&G’s reasons for moving to sustainability scorecards, how the scorecard system works in practice, progress of the program to date, including challenges and how there have been addressed, and how to apply P&G’s “open code” scorecard to your own supply chain.

More from 2degrees…

Waste as a Resource: Converting end-of-life plastics into diesel

17th August 2011: Learn about the latest technology employed by the SITA UK to convert end-of-life plastics into diesel. This technology will take Britain forward as it attempts to deal with mixed waste plastic with a solution that is both environmentally efficient and energy productive.

More from 2degrees…

World Water Day 2012 – Water and Food Security: Call for Solutions

24th August 2011: Broadcast live from World Water Week in Stockholm, the much anticipated debate is likely to spark a lively session focused on the viability of water and food security solutions. seminar will provide key messages and promising solutions to form the basis of the campaign for the World Water Day 2012.

More from 2degrees…

Which Water Quality for Which Uses? A Regulators’ and Practitioners’ Perspective

25th August 2011: How can water quality standards and guidelines protect water resources for multiple ecosystem services, and water uses? Join this session, broadcast live from World Water Week in Stockholm with key policy-makers, regulators, researchers from around the world.

More from 2degrees…

With 1.3 billion people watching, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games presents a unique opportunity to drive environmental behaviour change.

The UK Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) has commissioned Futerra to identify how best to seize this opportunity.

Games Theory – launched Monday 1st August - is the result. Games Theory is a practical, evidenced based guide containing 19 principles to help you design and deliver your communications to achieve environmental behaviour change at large scale events like the Games.

In this webinar, presented by the Tips, Tactics and Tools for Communicating Sustainability working group of 2degrees, an expert panel will discuss Games Theory and the challenges and opportunities for environmental behaviour change at the Games.

The panel will include David Willans, Futerra’s Communications Director, David Stubbs, LOCOG’s Head of Sustainability and a member of Defra’s Sustainable Development Programme’s 2012 team.

More information and registration…

Leading business towards a sustainable future

It seems business leadership in sustainability has reached a fork in the road.

On the 1st March, the Aldersgate group – an alliance of leaders from business, politics and society – published its report  Greening the Economy, urging the UK Chancellor to support green growth.

On the same day the Sustainable Development Commission held its final event, the Big Sustainability Summit, at which Jonathon Porritt declared “sustainability is the only intellectually robust survival strategy for the human race”. If he is right – if increasing oil prices, population growth, food security, depletion of natural resources, economic crises and climate change risk are any cause for concern – who will spearhead the economic shift towards a more sustainable future?

Cue the rise of the Chief Sustainability Officer?

Is it possible that individuals, championing sustainability because they have identified it as a key competitive advantage for their corporations, can lead the charge? Acre Resources certainly believes so. In their new white paper, The Emergence of the Chief Sustainability Officer, Acre Resources have identified what it takes to be one of those individuals.

Described as an individual who can quickly gain respect and traction in the organisation, the CSO understands the company’s major operations and is comfortable with the Heads of Finance, Energy, Property, Logistics, and IT. The CSO has responsibility for product and supply chain development, savings and investments, employee and stakeholder engagement, and policy frameworks. These individuals are analytical and political, commercial and personable, and must be able to communicate.

Treading the narrow path that leads to the triple bottom line the CSO “usually reports directly to the CEO” and is tasked with integrating sustainability into the “core strategy and operations” of the organisation. Would the CEO of UK plc benefit from a Chief Sustainability Officer too?

On 5th April, Jim Woods, Non-Executive Director at Acre Resources and author of the white paper, will be interviewing a FTSE 100 Chief Sustainability Officer, and you are invited to join them. In this live 15-minute interview, Jim will explore the role of the CSO, the personal journey that has culminated in this position,  and whether the potential for effecting change is greater in an organisation seen to be leading the way or in a company that’s rather more ‘sustainably challenged’.

Will a successful CSO put him/herself out of a job? If truly embedding sustainability is the aspiration, perhaps they should aim to. But there could be a silver-lining. Whereas in the past CEOs have been drawn from Sales/Marketing or Financial backgrounds with the rise of sustainability on the corporate agenda, CSO’s might well find themselves out of a job but into the role of CEO.  You are also very welcome to put your own questions to Jim and the CSO in the hot seat.

To find out more and register please refer to 2degrees, the global community for sustainable business.

Thursday 24 February 2011, 5pm GMT

A free webinar from Earthscan – presented by Jerome Ravetz, originator of post-normal science, and Valerie Brown, editor of Tackling Wicked Problems – will discuss the kinds of knowledge we need to tackle our ecological and social crises.

• Hear about the limits of traditional science in solving ‘wicked’ socio-environmental issues;
• Discover different ways of doing science: ‘Post-Normal ’ and ‘Transition’ Science;
• Take part in a live online Q&A  with experts on the science of change.

Register now for this free webinar – Thursday 24 February 2011, 17:00 (UK time – GMT), 12:00 (New York – EST), 9:00 (San Francisco – PST)

Can’t make the date? If you register for the event, you will be sent the archived version the following day.

The webinar is aimed at scientists tackling wicked problems posed by global social and environmental change; government and non-government agencies who are hoping a new science can help them with their transitions to a sustainable state; and anyone concerned with the wicked problems we are facing, with an interest in the kinds of knowledge we are relying on to solve them.

More about the Earthcast

The presenters argue that the normal conduct of science – with its rules of trying to reduce complexity and eliminate uncertainty – has not only failed to resolve ‘wicked’ problems such as climate change and industrial pollution, it has had a hand in causing them. This Earthcast will consider changes in the way we do science that could help us resolve ‘wicked’ problems – so-called because they defy traditional problem-solving methods.  

• Jerome Ravetz will explain how he developed Post-Normal Science, which allows for uncertainty and imagination. This is appropriate for policy issues where facts are uncertain, values in dispute, stakes high and decisions urgent.
• Valerie Brown will present her work on Transition Science.  Through her work with over 300 communities, she has identified ingredients needed to bring about social change: key individuals, members of the affected community, specialised advisors, influential organizations and a holistic focus. Valerie will propose that collective knowledge, the sum of these multiple knowledges, is emerging as the basis for a Transition Science.

About the speakers

Jerome Ravetz is Associate Fellow, the Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, Said Business School, Oxford University.  You can find his papers at www.jerryravetz.co.uk; www.nusap.net and www.postnormaltimes.net/blog. He is the author of A No-Nonsense Guide to Science (New Internationalist: 2006)

Valerie A. Brown is Emeritus Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Western Sydney, and Director, Local Sustainability Project, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University.  Her books include Social Learning in Environmental Management (Earthscan:2006); and Tackling Wicked Problems: Through the Transdisciplinary Imagination (Earthscan: 2010)

For more information, and to view all previous Earthcasts, visit www.earthcasts.co.uk

Wednesday 9 February 2011, 5pm GMT

A free webinar from Earthscan – presented by the authors of Business Planning for Turbulent Times – focuses on how to deal with increasing turbulence in the world, and with the complexity and uncertainty that come with it.

• Join experts discussing the latest tools for coping with complexity and uncertainty;
• Learn how to use scenario planning to cope with an increasingly turbulent world;
• Discover new methods for tackling the risk and uncertainty of financial markets;

Register now for this free webinar – Wednesday 9 February 2011, 17:00 (UK time – GMT), 12:00 (EST), 9:00 (PST)

Can’t make the date? If you register for the event, you will be sent the archived version the following day.

More about the Earthcast

Using modern scenario techniques to help to address these conditions, Rafael Ramírez and John Selsky will demonstrate some of the methods used to tackle risk, with a particular focus on the uncertainty of financial markets and the potential impacts on businesses of all kinds.

About the speakers

Rafael Ramírez is Fellow in Strategy and Director of the Oxford Scenarios Programme at the Saïd Business School and James Martin Senior Research Fellow in the Oxford Martin School, both at the University of Oxford. He chaired the World Economic Forum’s ‘Global Agenda Council on Strategic Foresight’ from 2008-2010.

John Selsky is Associate Professor of Management, College of Business, University of South Florida Polytechnic.

For more information, and to view all previous Earthcasts, visit www.earthcasts.co.uk

Thursday 27 January 2011, 5pm GMT

A free webinar from Earthscan – presented by the authors of Sustainability Education, Engineering Education & Sustainable Development and The Sustainable Self – highlights innovative ideas and strategies for embedding sustainability in curricula and professional development:

• An overview of higher education’s response to the sustainability agenda;
• Innovative and working approaches for embedding sustainability in curricula;
• A ‘whole of institution’ strategy for rapid curriculum renewal;
• Techniques to align core values with working and living sustainably.

Register now for this free webinar – Thursday 27 January 2011 / 17:00 (UK time – GMT), 12:00 (EST), 9:00 (PST)

Can’t make the date? If you register for the event, you will be sent the archived version the following day.

More about the Earthcast

Universities are grappling with sustainability policies and greening of their campuses, and educators face the challenge of transforming curricula and teaching and learning practices. Inaddition to the above points, Stephen Sterling, Cheryl Desha and Paul Murray will discuss consider:

• What is the response of higher education to Education for Sustainability (EfS) and what should it be?
• Why is the higher education sector facing a time lag dilemma in curriculum renewal for EfS?
• How can the sector catch up with the rest of society’s transition to SD?
• Where are the best ideas and practices, and what issues remain?
• The case for ‘personalising’ education for sustainability;
• How to promote personal engagement.

“Higher education institutions are in a race to equip graduates to deal with 21st Century challenges – and opportunities. Our future education leaders will be those who make rapid curriculum renewal towards education for sustainability a priority, throughout their institutions.”
Engineering Education & Sustainable Development (Earthscan:2011)

About the speakers

Cheryl Desha is a member of The Natural Edge Project, a sustainability think-tank which operates as a collaborative partnership for research, education, and policy development on innovation for sustainable development.

She is co-author of the book Engineering Education and Sustainable Development: Guide to Rapid Curriculum Renewal in Higher Education (Earthscan:2011)

Stephen Sterling is Professor of Sustainability Education, Head of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Centre for Sustainable Futures University of Plymouth, United Kingdom.

He is an editor of the book Sustainability Education: Perspectives and Practice across Higher Education (Earthscan: 2010)

Paul Murray is Associate Professor in Sustainable Construction and Sustainability at the University of Plymouth, England. He devised the UK’s first undergraduate degrees in Environmental Building and was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2004 by the Higher Education Academy for his outstanding contribution to teaching excellence.

He is author of The Sustainable Self: A Personalised Approach to Sustainability Education (Earthscan 2011)

For more information, and to view all previous Earthcasts, visit www.earthcasts.co.uk

Thursday 11 November 2010

Earthscan is running a free Pre-COP webinar, presented by Chris Rose – author of How to Win Campaigns: Communications for Change – and Lorraine Whitmarsh, author of Engaging the Public with Climate Change: Behaviour Change and Communication.

• Learn effective communications strategies for engaging the public with climate change (and why looking for generic messages about climate change is probably a waste of time)
• Learn about the different roles the public can play in tackling climate change
• Discover behaviour change strategies for encouraging sustainable lifestyles and communities

Register now for this free webinar – Thursday 11 November 2010 / 17:00 (UK time), 12:00 (EDT), 9:00 (PDT) / 30 minute presentation followed by Q & A – your chance to interact with the authors

More about the webinar

This ‘earthcast’ will give practical insights into how to develop more effective climate change communication and behaviour change strategies. It will present some of the challenges and opportunities for engaging the public with climate change, but also consider the limits to public engagement with climate change. The earthcast will also cover:

• How unconscious values match to attitudes and beliefs that can be used to design action on climate change
• How NGOs could change their strategy on climate change and the UNFCCC
• Different roles the public can play in tackling climate change
• Behaviour change strategies for encouraging sustainable lifestyles and communities
• Messages about climate change that engage the public (and those that don’t)

Chris Rose is an environmental campaigner and communications consultant. He is author of the Campaign Strategy Newsletter, has worked for Greenpeace, where he was a leader of the successful campaign that stopped the sinking of the Brent Spar oil platform in the north Atlantic, Friends of the Earth, WWF International and a host of other organizations on issues from drugs strategy to fear of crime.

Lorraine Whitmarsh is a Lecturer in Environmental Psychology in the School of Psychology and Research Associate with the ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society (BRASS) at Cardiff University, UK. She is also a Visiting Fellow with the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

Who should register? Anyone involved in communicating climate change, sustainability, and related issues, and those interested in changing behaviour – policymakers, professionals, businesses, campaign groups, NGOs, students and interested citizens.

Earthscan is running a free webinar, presented by Sara Parkin, founder of Forum for the Future’s MA in Leadership for Sustainability, and author of The Positive Deviant: Sustainability Leadership in a Perverse World.

The webinar will help you:

• Learn how doing the right thing for sustainability can inspire and enable others to join in
• Discover habits of thought and principles of practice for making sustainability-literate decisions
• Develop a ‘good enough’ knowledge base from which to act, and design your own journey to confident leadership

Register now for this free webinar – Thursday 21st October 2010 / 17:00 (UK time – GMT +1), 12:00 (EDT), 9:00 (PDT) / 30 minute presentation followed by Q & A.

For more information about the webinar click here.