Page 18 – Sustainability Academy

Do you consider Georgia a green state? According to the financial website Wallethub, Georgia has some work to do. Last year, in order to “highlight the greenest states and call out those doing a poor job of caring for the environment,” Wallethub analyzed all 50 states across three key dimensions: environmental quality, eco-friendly behaviors and climate change contributions.

Those three dimensions were evaluated using 27 relevant metrics, including air quality, green buildings, daily water consumption, methane emissions and more. Each state’s scores were added up, with 100 points possible.

At the top of the chart was Vermont, with a score of 76.35. Rounding out the top five were New York, 75.49; Oregon, 75.24; Connecticut, 73.89; and Minnesota, 73.13.

Georgia finished No. 30, with a score of 53.89. Georgia ranked No. 20 for environmental quality, No. 41 for eco-friendly behaviors and No. 26 for climate change contributions.

As we start a new year and decade, CSE released its list of hottest trends on corporate sustainability for 2020 and beyond and many of these trends are related to the environment.

How can the state of Georgia improve their “green” ranking?

Do you represent or are directly or indirectly linked to environmental opportunities and/or challenges in Georgia? What solutions do you adopt? What actions to do implement? And what role can you play to ensure the sustainability of the state and all its stakeholders? Join CSE in Atlanta in a few weeks for sustainability discussions.

CSE’s Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2020, takes over Atlanta March 9-10, 2020 to help sustainability professionals rise to any occasion. This challenging two-day training offered by Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) aims to give you all the latest tools and resources required to implement or upscale existing sustainability initiatives taking place in your organization.

Over the past decade, the terms Sustainability, Climate Change and Corporate Responsibility have become central in discussions between policymakers, company board members, media, consumers and the society in general. While the concept has reached the mainstream, opportunities still exist for implementation, while at the same time new technologies and policies will require from organizations to provide innovative solutions, services and products. Here are the hottest trends to watch for and prepare for 2020 and beyond:

Through the recent European Green Deal, the goal is for Europe to become the first carbon neutral continent by 2050. The first steps will be the provision of a sustainable investment fund (1 trillion euros) for the next decade, as well as a more demanding Climate Legislation. The European Green Deal will be based on four pillars: the Emissions Trading System, Sustainable Investments, Industry policies, and Fair Transition and will affect directly existing business models and thousands of European organizations they have not integrate sustainability strategies.
The shift to circularity will become more and more obvious, and a $24 billion stimulus package has been announced to facilitate circular economies in Europe.
End of Plastic. The need to protect the marine environment will take center spot in the environmental agenda. To this direction, biodegradable alternatives to plastic will become more common, along with policies to ban single-use plastics, in an effort to protect the marine environment and biodiversity.
European companies will focus more on climate change, energy efficiency, sustainable operations and sustainable supply chains while new legislation and investor requirements will push for more transparency.
More sustainability (ESG) reporting is expected, and the reach of the GRI (Global Reporting Initiatives) and other related standards will continue to grow as companies seek to improve transparency, integrity and reliability. Integrating Reporting will not become the new trend yet, despite several publications that refer to this issue.
Sustainability report will evolve. Reports will rely more on graphs, info-graphics and videos and not only on words in order to capture faster and easier the attention of the readers.
Measuring performance and impact is becoming more and more important and a requirement from investors. Specifically, measurements will be required for demonstrating activities and their impacts to stakeholders improving decision-making as programs evolve over time, and align sustainability activities with corporate goals.
Expect to see more formal education for C-Suite Executives in corporate social responsibility and sustainability due to increased complexity and investor’s expectations.

CSE is a leading boutique firm operating globally that specializes in maximizing business impact in Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility. CSE helps professionals advance their careers through our certified on-site, online (www.Sustainability-Academy.org) and group training services globally and supports companies and organizations grow and excel through Sustainability consulting and coaching.

Upcoming in-person Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Programs (2020 Advanced Edition) include London, March 12-13 and Brussels in June 25-26, 2020 and other dates globally.

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Over the past decade, the terms Sustainability, ESG risks, Climate Change and Corporate Responsibility have become central in discussions between policymakers, company board members, media, consumers and the society in general. While the concept has reached the mainstream, opportunities still exist for implementation, while at the same time new technologies and policies will require from organizations to provide innovative solutions, services and products. Here are the hottest trends to watch for and prepare for 2020 and beyond:

The impact of the Sustainable Development Goals will continue to grow. More and more companies will use them to align their strategies, goals and reporting with the efforts of the United Nations. Last year, a 124% increase (since 2015) to the number of companies referencing and reporting the Sustainable Development Goals was observed.
Climate Change is becoming Climate Crisis and carbon tax in Europe after Canada will have an impact to global or other companies that have operations there.
ESG ratings are booming and will have a potential negative impact to companies with no Sustainability plan and Sustainability Reports that want to have access to capital from investors.
Sustainability-ESG reporting will continue to grow as companies understand its importance for improving stakeholder transparency, integrity and reliability, as well as improving their ESG ratings.
More and more companies are expected to invest in creating ethically sourced, sustainable product lines in order to maintain the ever-conscious Millennial consumer and compete with new brands.
Rise of A.I. and Blockchain tools on Sustainability. Based on World Economic Forum report, 10% of GDP by 2025 will be stored on Blockchain and similar technologies.
Policies for the End of Plastic and smart incentives for the use of Electric Vehicles and related green technologies will start dominating the North American marketplace.
Expect Generation Z-ers, who are the real early adopters and digital natives, to demand better and easier-to-use technology, more flexibility in the workplace, more active corporate policies to Climate Change, and greater degrees of acceptance and transparency in the workplace and marketplace.

Upcoming in-person Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Programs (2020 Advanced Edition) include Miami, January 16-17, London, March 12-13; Atlanta, March 9-10; Toronto, April 23-24; New York, June 11-12, and other dates globally.

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Florida’s wildlife is without a doubt impacted by rising sea levels, warmer temperatures on land and in water, and changes in seasonal rainfall patterns and storm events as the climate changes. Species distributions, life cycles, and interactions between predators and preys will shift in response to accelerating climate change.

Climate change is also expected to increase dissolved carbon dioxide concentrations in the water, making seawater more acidic. This change will likely cause harm to Florida’s coral reefs and the ability for marine organisms to build their shells.

While some species will thrive in a changing climate, others could decline to the point of becoming endangered.

Florida’s Everglades is undoubtedly suffering from climate change consequences. After being drained and developed, polluted with fertilizers, and overrun by invasive species, it’s no secret that today the vast wetland is on life support.

A recently released report, however, underscores the severity of the situation. The Everglades’ conservation outlook is “critical,” according to a study out this month from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with climate change, altered water flow, and invasive species taking a major toll on an already-damaged environment.

Of 241 natural wonders assessed around the globe, from the Great Barrier Reef to the Smoky Mountains, only 17 — or 7 percent — were rated critical. The Glades was the only natural gem in the United States to earn that dire designation.

What solutions can organizations play in helping reverse this situation? Do organizations in Florida have a role to play to show good corporate citizenship?

If you represent or are directly or indirectly linked to the biodiversity industry in Florida, what solutions do you adopt and what actions to do implement to ensure the sustainability of your organization in this threatened industry? Join us in Miami in early 2020 for sustainability discussions regarding this important aspect for the Sunshine State.

CSE’s Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2020, takes over Florida January 16-17, 2020 to help sustainability professionals rise to any occasion. This challenging two-day training offered by Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) aims to give you all the latest tools and resources required to implement or upscale existing sustainability initiatives taking place in your organization.

With the news that Silicon Valley is seriously lagging behind in its sustainability efforts, the need for easily accessible sustainability training is all the more prescient.

The past few decades saw a steady increase in the number of corporate sustainability roles. A decade ago, the role of Sustainability Manager did not even exist in organizations. Today a company that does not have sustainability at the core of its strategy and operations is at risk of being left behind not only its competitors but also regulators – especially as the amount and stringency of environmental regulation increases.

The next decade will see the integration of sustainability into all departments of an organization – from procurement to operations to sales and marketing. This process has already largely begun and will require a flexible and agile workforce that can keep up with changing sustainability trends, innovation, and regulation.

CSE’s Sustainability Academy provides individuals and organizations with certified online courses containing up to date content that meets the needs of the market today and in the future. The Sustainability Academy offers online certificates on topics ranging from carbon reduction strategies to sustainability reporting. We also offer online Diplomas in Corporate Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship.

Organizations may also sign up for group courses to bring their whole team up to speed on sustainability issues and how they can be integrated into corporate strategy. The Sustainability Academy has trained groups from leading organizations like PepsiCo and the United Nations. These courses integrate games, assignments, and discussions to engage participants and build team cohesion.

For more information on the Sustainability Academy’s course offerings for individuals and groups please contact [email protected].

The Center for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) is proud to have partnered with Elanco Animal Health Inc. to help identify the Social Return on Investment (SROI) of their East Africa Growth Accelerator (EAGA) – an initiative that provides sustainable development solutions to address potential food shortage in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

CSE used the SROI guidelines to evaluate the EAGA initiative during its initial period (June 2017 – December 2018) based on stakeholder testimonies. As part of the evaluation, a questionnaire was created in order to capture stakeholders’ point of view in different areas of the project. The main stakeholders that participated are distributors of the Elanco products, wholesalers, dairy and poultry smallholder farmers, agrovet shop owners and one NGO that uses interactive radio to help African farming communities support themselves. The impact, the total value of each change by stakeholder category was calculated.

”CSE is extremely pleased to have worked with Elanco to help quantify the social impact of the EAGA initiative, which aims at improving livestock production and farmer’s income in Africa, said Nikos Avlonas, CSE President. A significant social value for dairy and poultry smallholder farmers and their families, agrovet shops, distributors and wholesalers in the region.”

Interested in learning more about Social Impact Assessment and SROI?

CSE’s Sustainable Academy offers a specialized certified online course for Sustainability professionals who want to acquire the necessary practical skills for Social Impact Assessment and Social Return on Investment. The course provides information on these two aspects and takes professionals through the main issues of identifying inputs, outputs and outcomes of CSR initiatives. CSE’s Sustainability Academy offers tailor made online sustainability training courses to cover the specific needs of organizations.

Group courses are especially designed for companies and organizations that want to educate their staff and other important stakeholders on the important topics of sustainability. Find out more about CSE’s Sustainability Academy here.

Nikos Avlonas

President and Founder of Center of Sustainability and Excellence (CSE)

Not a new film of the popular series, a new type of bond known as “green bonds” are an investment tool which can, with what they generate, contribute to tackling climate change. As a consequence, more capital managers are attracted by the idea of investing in these bonds. Following the Paris Agreement, “green bonds” found the spotlight. While there are still questions over what exactly they accomplish, there is rising interest on behalf of many organizations and companies over their actual scope.

These kinds of bonds can fund projects not only in the field of solar and wind energy and public transportation, but also support initiatives over energy saving, renewable energy, energy efficiency (with building efficiency) and sustainable waste management. Initially, supranational organizations, such as the World Bank and European Investment Bank, issued most of the green bonds. Nowadays, more green bonds are issued by corporations, as well as universities and governments. Apple and Starbucks were among the first to proceed with a “green bond” issuance.

In Tunisia, for example, the green bonds that were issued by the World Bank increased the efficiency of irrigation systems and reliable and safe water supply systems in rural areas where water resources were limited. In China, they helped communities that are prone to natural disasters be more proactive by financing flood control systems and flood warnings. In Colombia and Mexico, they supported the energy efficiency of public transport systems, while in other parts of the world they funded alternative energy projects.

They are also being used in Europe. In 2016, Poland was the first country to issue a green bond, with the aim to fund “green” business projects. In 2017, France issued the largest green bond of all times, worth 7 billion euros, generating the investors’ interest who offered overall 23.5 billion euros. Remarkably, in 2017, the green bonds issued by companies and organizations were worth almost $150 billion dollars, double the price from 2016, according to the NGO of Climate Bond Initiative in London. We are already on track to surpass that with over $100 billion issued by June 2019.

According to the Climate Bond Initiative’s report for 2017, until the first trimester of 2018, European bonds reflected 37% of the total number of bonds globally. Meanwhile, the number of businesses issuing such bonds has increased: 48 of them belong in the energy sector, 35 in the financial sector, 23 in the real estate sector, 17 in local governments and 3 are states. European Union’s interest in green bonds is obvious given the European Committee has already proceeded in the modification of some accounting rules and procedures to benefit sustainable investments. Moreover, in June 2019, it submitted a Report on EU Green Bond Standard by members of a technical expert group, as stated by the European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis.

Following the progress of green bonds, one sees they undoubtedly can contribute in the mitigation of the climate change consequences. Unfortunately, some green bonds have been accused of being the product of speculations or linked with a fake ecological identity or greenwashing. To avoid this, green bond issuers, including private corporations, must assure and adhere to clear and transparent rules. This can be achieved through an independent Report and Assurance of all consequences following investments and control of projects that are funded with green bonds. At the same time organizations that issue such bonds must have designed sustainable development strategies and be competent at publishing the repercussions of all investments with green bonds.

Green bonds, as the new product in international markets, can contribute in significant investments and relate to the funding of green projects. Nonetheless, organizations and most of the nations that issue them should ensure transparency in communicating the positive outcomes of such investments, while also guarantee that they can function as an effective tool for Sustainable Development.

Green Bonds as one of the Best Solutions for Climate Change

Assuming that Developing and Developed World countries, will start using Green Bonds for funding large scale Renewable Energy and other carbon reduction related projects, will reduce significantly carbon emissions on a country level and could be potentially one of the best solutions for fighting, on time, Climate Change. This could work under the assumption that minimum standards will be followed and transparent reporting as well as external assurance will take place for each project.

Many of the most reputable and largest cruise companies in the world have offices in or near Miami.

In November 2019, it was announced Port Miami will be remaking the city’s skyline for $1.5 billion, one cruise terminal at a time, with five new cruise terminals coming to the port by 2022.

With a combination of public and private dollars, Miami-Dade County is betting on the cruise industry in a big way. Mayor Carlos Gimenez said about $6 billion of Miami-Dade’s economy comes from the cruise industry, a number that is likely to grow given the investment in new port infrastructure and in the ever-increasing fleet of ships.

In 2019, 6.8 million people cruised from Port Miami, a 66% increase since 2009, according to county statistics.

Although cruises are increasingly popular, they raise environmental concerns as their heavy and growing use of fossil fuels means someone on a seven-day cruise produces the same amount of emissions as they would during 18 days on land. And they can damage fragile ocean ecosystems, due to practices like irresponsible disposal of sewage.

In March 2019, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced the advance in sustainability on the seas, aiming to reduce the rate of carbon emissions across the industry fleet by 40 per cent by 2030.

Given Miami’s commitment to grow its presence in the cruise industry, the city could also play an important role and push the industry for more sustainability practices. Will this happen?

If you represent or are directly or indirectly linked to the cruise industry in Florida, what solutions do you adopt and what actions to do implement to ensure the sustainability of your organization? Join us in Miami in early 2020 for sustainability discussions regarding this important industry for the Sunshine State.

CSE’s Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2020, takes over Florida January 16-17, 2020 to help sustainability professionals rise to any occasion. This challenging two-day training offered by Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) aims to give you all the latest tools and resources required to implement or upscale existing sustainability initiatives taking place in your organization.

CSE aims to meet the needs of the Shipping sector to adopt sustainable tactics through its strategical partnership with Water Revolution Foundation (WRF). With the headquarter offices located in Amsterdam, WRF represents all the top yacht and super yachts manufacturers. CSE will support its partner to create a code of conduct, based on international standards on Sustainability Development as well as the demands of International Maritime Organization (IMO), which also apply in seagoing shipping.

Yachting sector is one of the largest industries, worth of 75 billion dollars globally, that has made a significant progress during the last years. Through this partnership, CSE will define any emerging needs on sustainable development issues not only in this promising industry but in shipping overall. Its goal is to offer integrated strategic proposals that will be specialized and customized to the sectors’ needs.

Cooperation started in the middle of November during Superyacht Forum in Amsterdam, where yacht manufacturers as well as suppliers (marines, engine manufactures, etc.) attended the certified sustainability practitioner program delivered by CSE. Next open certified sustainability program that will take place in Europe is in London, March 12-13 2020 and in Brussels, June 25-26 2020.

As we just celebrated Thanksgiving in the United States, it was a time for us at CSE to reflect and be grateful for the successful year we’ve had so far in 2019. This was once again a year where we saw corporations expressing interest and willingness to be part of a more sustainable world. The Center for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) is pleased to help organizations on their sustainability journey.

The number of trained sustainability (CSR) practitioners certified with our CSR-P designation is a testament of that. We held 14 programs in 2019, and over 1,000 Sustainability Executives and Managers joined us. For example we tackled the hard sustainability issues in Houston and New York.

CSE’s research work continued in 2019, with a special focus into the state of Sustainability Strategy and Reporting in North America. Sustainability Reporting Trends in Silicon Valley 2019 was a follow-up to CSE’s 2016 research. Except for certain large multi-nationals, the report finds limited sustainability leadership from the world’s largest concentration of tech companies.

CSE has an ambitious agenda for 2020 to continue pushing corporate sustainability globally. We start the New Year strong by bringing CSE’s advanced certified sustainability practitioner program to Miami and Atlanta, two major American and Canadian cities dealing with their own specific sustainability issues.

CSE is committed to keep its global leadership in sustainability education of sustainability professionals and C-Suite executives in North America and around the globe. The CSE’s Sustainability Academy (www.sustainability-academy.org) leads the way in Certified Specialized Sustainability (CSR) Education. Its global initiative, the Sustainability Academy, aims to provide affordable, specialized online education and coaching on the issues of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility.

The Sustainability Academy offers the Online Diploma on Corporate Sustainability and a series of specialized programs on Sustainability Reporting, Carbon Reduction Strategy and ESG Performance for Investors. There are also special In-house Programs for organizations, who recognize that investing in their human capital through education is the most important determinant for growth and excellence in Sustainability. To confirm this claim, recent research has demonstrated that organizations with a strong learning culture can outperform their peers. The Academy aspires to reach 100,000 professionals by 2025!

Thank you to all our friends, colleagues, practitioners and followers. Don’t miss any CSE news: subscribe to our newsletters, follow us on social media and refer us throughout your networks.

Stay tuned for our upcoming trainings in 2020 and insights, which starts with the Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition in Miami in January 16-17, 2020 and also includes a stop in Atlanta March 9-10, 2020.

*This article was published at CSRWire

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