Colorado Rocky Mountain School 1999 Graduate Leading the Way in Cause-Marketing and Sustainability | 3BL Media

Simon  Isaacs, Colorado Rocky Mountain School class of 1999

VICE PRESIDENT, CAUSE-MARKETING AND SUSTAINABILITY, ignition Inc

Simon Isaacs is a leading thinker in sustainability and cause-related marketing. Simon is a Vice President at ignition Inc where he leads the cause-marketing division, working with corporate and nonprofit brands develop and launch global awareness, fundraising and marketing campaigns around issues such as clean water, malaria, HIV/AIDS and education.  Simon’s clients include the Coca-Cola Company, Gucci, Chick-Fil-A, BP, the World Wildlife Fund, the Ubuntu Education Fun, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Nations Foundation among others.  Simon also helps lead cause and sustainability work around the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Vancouver Olympics.

Simon previously lived in Rwanda where he worked for the William J. Clinton Foundation, directing safe drinking water and agriculture programs. Prior to Rwanda, Simon served as a Partnerships Officer at the United Nations Foundation where he raised and managed more than $30 million in corporate partnerships in support of the UN’s disaster and development efforts. Simon is also responsible for helping to establish the Global Water Challenge.

Simon is an active climber and runner, placing 2nd in the San Francisco Marathon.  In 2007, Simon ran on foot around the world as part of the Blue Planet Run to raise awareness and funds for the drinking water cause.  In January, 2010, Simon is climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with several celebrities and global influencers which is also part of a clean-water focused campaign.  Simon is an expert blogger for Fast Company and is currently writing a book on cause-marketing.

To learn more about Colorado Rocky Mountain School go to www.crms.org

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Do the clothes you buy really have an impact on climate change? | 3BL Media

With so-called environmentally responsible products everywhere, it’s become fashionable to be “green,” but is the fashion world confronting the realities of climate change? While boutique green fashion companies (that espouse sustainability as a key value) are growing, have the large companies that dominate the landscape improved their scores in the past year?

Nike continues to lead not only the Apparel/Accessories sector, but also received the highest overall score. Recently, Nike gained national attention leaving the board of the US Chamber of Commerce due to policy disputes regarding potential climate change legislation. Levi Strauss surged past Gap, finishing second in the sector. For the second year in a row, Levi Strauss was among the biggest movers, making a double-digit leap from 22 to 58 points, due in part to its leaving the US Chamber of Commerce because of climate policy disputes and setting strong emissions baselines.

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TAKE 5 | 3BL Media

Why 5? 5 is the perfect number, sort of like peas and carrots. It just works. It’s the new black – why? because everyone is thinking about and wanting to be involved in conserving resources.. a great way to be involved is to start timing your shower. Sounds a little harsh at first, I know. But, the 5 minute shower saves gallons and gallons of water when compared to the average 10 minute shower which can use up to 40 gallons. Cut that down to 10 gallons with taking 5.

Getting started is easy. First step make an intention to take 5. Have a timer in your bathroom so you know when 5 is up. It takes some getting use to. For example when I first started taking 5, my timer would go off and I would still be shampooing…how did this happen I thought? I definitely had to adjust and get use to the time frame and now it is like a game for me every day. So don’t get frustrated if adjusting to taking 5 takes a couple tries for you as well. Have fun with it. You are conserving gallons and gallons of water daily by shaving minutes off your shower, knowing you are contributing to conserving feels good! And your pocketbook will thank you too. Save on your heating and water bills by taking 5. Buy an energy efficient shower head and save even more! Turn off the water when brushing your teeth and take less baths and you have got yourself some serious savings…

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

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Put Your Mouth Where Your Money Is | 3BL Media

Celebrities have a large and very bully platform from which to speak. These days, if they’re speaking green, people are listening.

I don’t keep up with celebrity gossip. Not interested. And I’m going to tell you up front that while I think quite a few celebrities are pretty to look at and fun to watch, I don’t generally think they have anything profound to say. Especially when it comes to the environment.

But a large percentage of our cultural mindset seems driven by what celebrities say and do, so I was a little curious, I guess.

What are the beautiful people saying and doing to help promote environmental causes these days?

Here’s a list of the celebs who are trying – and making – a real eco-difference. Some of them may surprise you…

Judi Dench has teamed up with the UK’s Woodlandtrust.org.uk/cards to help fund the planting of trees in woodland areas with a holiday card recycling program. The group hopes to plant 12,000 trees in 2010.

Adrian Grenier, star of Entourage and Alter Eco, is well known as a long time greenie. But recently he and his mother renovated a turn-of-the-century Brooklyn house using green technologies, including recycled blue-jean insulation. He’s also been working closely with producers of Entourage to green the show’s production. Wouldn’t it be nice if all Hollywood productions went green?

Cate Blanchett is an accomplished actress, but did you know she has accomplished quite a bit for environmental causes as well? A long time supporter of green organizations like Forest Guardians and the Sydney Theatre Company, she has also recently appeared in ads for Sydney’s Earth Hour. Last year, she renovated her home using green technologies, installing solar panels and a system to reuse rainwater.

Penelope Cruz drives a hybrid off-screen, but she has also been the driving force (pun fully intended) behind the push to get rid of the eco-busting limo-line at celebrity events. With the help of Global Green USA, Cruz has helped arrange for a fleet of more than 30 alternative fuel vehicles to shuttle stars to award events.

Willie Nelson. The prolific song writer and country singing legend created the BioWillie bio-diesel company in 2006. Using soybeans and other used vegetable oils, Nelson creates a regular diesel that can be used without any vehicle modifications. It is currently carried in about 22 outlets.

Natalie Portman launched her own line of Vegan footwear for Te Casan, proving once again beauty is more than skin deep.

Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation made headlines in 2009 as the rebuilding of New Orleans’ devastated 9th Ward continued. But, according to eccorazzi.com, he and wife Angelina Jolie also purchased Chateau Val Joanis, a winery in France, with the hopes of dedicating it to making the red stuff greener. Cheers!

Alicia Silverstone has created a line of eco-friendly handbags and also released her book, ‘The Kind Diet,’ in 2009. The book is dedicated to her philosophy about healthy, ethical eating.

Rick Moonen. Even if you’re not a Top Chef fan, you’ve probably heard of this rock star foodie. His restaurant, rm Seafood, is all about promoting and using sustainable fish.

Cameron Diaz. This mega-star gets her green on by hosting “Trippin,” an eco-themed MTV travel series.

Rachel McAdams. With Sherlock Holmes reaching blockbuster status, Rachel McAdams can say just about anything she wants. And what does she say? She says green is sexy. And she’s proving it with her website GreenIsSexy.org. “Because being informed is sexy. Being responsible is sexy. Being eco-friendly is sexy.” Can’t argue with that logic now can you?

Ally Zarin, our favorite Real Kid of NYC and co-star of “Taking Woodstock” is also Co-President of Teens Turning Green, a youth advocacy group which encourages teens to take steps to be greener.

So, it’s great to find out that there are so many celebs who are taking positive action toward eco-change. Can’t wait for next year’s list, can you?

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

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10 Great Green Jobs for 2010! | 3BL Media

We are leaving the “aughts” behind, the decade of 2000-2009, when the housing market, retirement plans, bank balances and job prospects seemed to produce more zeros than anything else.

As we enter the “teens”, the decade from 2010-2019, we have a chance to turn much of what was wasted over the past decade into resources for the next. And jobs are tops on the list. Where will the up and coming “green” jobs be during the “’teens”? Who’s going to be in the thick of conservation and turning waste into resources? With more government investment in renewable energy, waste reduction, and efficient transportation, this could be the decade of the green job.

Last year Fast Company took a look at this, and came up with the following list. We want to review them here at the dawn of the decade, see how they link to conservation and transformation of waste to resources. We’ve included where you can train or study for these jobs as well.In the upcoming months we’ll focus on individual jobs, and see what it takes to qualify for them and to do a stellar job at them.

The 10 are:
Farmer
The average age of farmers in America is 55. The necessary shift toward local and organic methods, which conserve the soil and water, reuse manure and crop residues will also require more farmers and fewer fossil fuel guzzling machines. Food guru Michael Pollan says we’ll need millions of new farmers, urban gardeners, cheese makers, bakers, brewers and other niche food producers, creating great tasting food for local markets.
Programs to check out: University of Vermont: Center for Sustainable Agriculture; Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture; University of Oklahoma: Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture; Evergreen State College: Sustainable Agriculture Program.

Forester
With deforestation rampant, sustainable forestry is desperately needed. Foresters can help local people shift from slash-and-burn practices to cultivating higher-value, faster-growing species for fruit, medicine or timber, while preserving natural forest habitats for species, tribes and ecotourism. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified lumber is making the same kinds of market gains as organic food.
Programs to check out: Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; Duke University: Nicholas School of the Environment; University of Michigan: School of Natural Resources & Environment.

Solar Power Installer
Every day, 13,000 times the energy needed to power all human society falls on us as sunlight. Installing solar hot water systems and photovoltaic cells are good paying jobs – $15 to $35 an hour – for those with construction skills. There’s a real need for installer wherever the sun shines. Right now 3,400 companies sector employ 25,000-35,000 workers in solar. The Solar Energy Industries Association predicts an increase to over 110,000 jobs by 2016 – even more if anticipated tax credits are accelerated.
Companies to check out: Akeena Solar; Sungevity; Sunpower; PV2, SEIA.org.

Energy Efficiency Builder
The cheapest energy is the energy you conserve. Buildings use 48% of US energy. LEED, Passivhaus and MINERGIE-P buildings use between 75% and 95% less heat energy than the same buildings constructed to the latest codes in the US. We’ll need lots of retrofitters who can recycle the aging US building stock into energy efficient showplaces. The Obama stimulus package supports billions in green building and  energy retrofits.
Programs to check out: Arizona State University School of Architecture; University of Michigan: Alfred A. Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning; The Earth Institute at Columbia University.

Wind Turbine Fabricator
Wind is the leading and fastest-growing source of alternative energy, competitive with fossil fuels. Autoworkers and others in manufacturing jobs can use their skills to make wind turbines. American Wind Energy Association job board is an excellent place to start looking for the 10,000 or more jobs added in wind every year.

Conservation Biologist
Want a rescue job with a deadline? The race to conserve ecosystems and ecosystem services worldwide provides opportunities in teaching, research and fieldwork for government, nonprofits, and private companies. The Obama stimulus package offers increased federal support for science and research.
Programs to check out: Center for Conservation Biology at the University of Washington; Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University. At College of the Atlantic every degree is in human ecology; it’s been called the most sustainable college or university in the world.

Green MBA and Entrepreneur
Our friend John Elkington coined the term triple bottom line – people, planet, profit – and it’s now gone mainstream in the business world. The U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Center found that business services like legal, research and consulting account for over 400,000 green jobs. This runs from marketing health foods and safe cleaners to being a VP of Sustainability within a large company, to growing a green startup like Big Belly Solar or Preserve.
Programs to check out: Stanford School of Business; San Francisco’s Presidio School of Management; Leeds School of Business; Bainbridge Graduate Institute in Washington; Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell.

Recycler
There are more than a million recycling jobs in the United States. Markets for paper and plastics are picking up again in this recovery, steel stays strong nearly half of all new steel is recycled, and recycling is THE economical alternative to high disposal fees. The US is a major center of recycled steel, thanks to companies like Nucor. New laws and regulations create need forcompanies that can “close the loop” by recycling and repurposing bottles, cans, e-waste, clothing, plastic bags, construction waste, and just about anything
Companies: Nucor; Rumpke; Recycle America; Preserve; Greenstar North America.

Sustainability Systems Developer
The green economy needs specialized software developers and engineers who design, build, and maintain networks of sensors and modeling that support wind farms, smart energy grids, and other systems that swap intelligence for resources. Developers familiar with open source and web 2.0 applications or experience with large scale enterprise resource planning are needed.
Companies: IBM, Gridpoint, WindLogics

Urban Planner
Urban planning is key the quest to conserve resources and lower America’s carbon footprint. Growing mass transit, shrinking sprawl, supporting pedal and pedestrian traffic over autos as well as planning for floods, heat waves and waste management are key strategies for cities and regions. Jobs here are projected to grow 15 percent in the next 6 years, most of them in local government, providing a little more security in tough times.
Programs to check out:Penn Institute for Urban Research; Harvard: Department of Urban Planning and Design; Portland State University: Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning.

So if you got a pink slip in the past year, don’t be blue, go Green in your new job!

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

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Green Business League’s New Free Points System | 3BL Media

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) January 6, 2010 – How do clients know the value of a Green product or service?  It would be nice if everyone was well schooled on the fundamental issues of Green and Sustainable practices, but the over-crowded nature of everyday life, makes that dream impossible.  Customers look for endorsements, certifications, and recommendations from legitimate authorities to help them easily locate a good product or service.  We are all familiar with Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, or the Energy Star program used for energy efficient appliances.

The Green Business League is already a well known name in the certification process.  The Green Business League has introduced a Green Points system that allows any company to apply for Green business certification points.  A custom designed logo is issued with the assigned points that the company can use in the promotion of its product.  The idea has real merit in a world that is often confused about the Green merit of their purchases.  The logo is awarded purely the merits of the product or service, and not merely a purchased credential.

On the other side of the program is a way for companies to accumulate Green Points toward a credible Green business certification.  The Green Business League has a standing list of Green Practices that are used by Certified Green Consultants across America and Canada.  Many of these Green Practices may not be commonly known, but now businesses can identify Green products and services at a glance when they see the GBL Green Points logo.  These means that there has been an independent review of the product’s or service’s Green merits, and an award of Green value has been assigned to the offering.

By purchasing GBL Green Points products and services a company can build credit toward the 100 point goal required for the silver level Green Business Certification.  Traditionally, a business wishing to earn an honest Green business certification would hire a Certified Green Consultant to provide the guidance of a Sustainability Plan that would map out the process required to earn the Green Business Certification.  This is now the new way for businesses to move toward their Green business certification by buying Green Points products and services.

The mystery is made less mysterious by looking for the Green Points when shopping around.  If there is any product or service that does not presently have Green Points, the process of application is very easy and requires only a $100 fee.  Frankly, this an open door to any business wishing to raise the level of play from Greenwashing to Green integrity.  There is no longer a need to make claims that have not true authority behind them.  While Green Points are not a certification or even an endorsement, they do demonstrate that the product or service being offered is deemed to have Green merit.  That merit is further substantiated by the ability of customers served being able to apply these credits toward a credible Green business certification.

The GBL Green Points system was launched on January 1, 2010, and should quickly gain popularity by hundreds and thousands of businesses who have products and services that offer obvious Green benefits.  Green Business League assures supporters that this is not a “Buy In” type of program.  The $100 price tag is simply a cost covering fee, so there is no financial incentive to pass through a high-paying applicant.  Integrity of the program is relatively transparent, not driven by special interests, or merely a website purchase.  Every GBL Green Point award comes from a serious review and clear Green merit demonstrated.

The buying public will discover that the GBL Green Points system is the ideal way to easily locate a Green product or service.  When this seal is in use, it means that there has been an independent review.  This is not a laboratory analysis but a practical review of the expected value of the product or service in the workplace.  One of the recent Green Points awards went to EcoStrip, a manufacturer of a unique type of power strip.  The Green Business League awarded EcoStrip 5 Green Points for each of these strips with a maximum of 25 points for multiple purchases.  Any company purchasing the EcoStrip product is assured that it has 5 points, and up to 25 points, as it moves toward a Green business certification.  What can be appreciated about this system is that every company can participate at its own speed; no two companies will apply the exact same tools, but there is palpable and obvious environmental improvement.  This stands out as a far better system than the guesswork claims presently in use.

The Green Business League invites all providers to request an evaluation of their product or service.  There is no guarantee of Green Points award if there is no evident Green merit to the offering.  There is a practical viewpoint at work that asks the Green value question for any application.  Green Points are awarded based upon where the offering will improve the environmental performance of the user.  This is not a technical matter that is done a laboratory, but a pragmatic evaluation of the good accomplished by the product or service.  For these reason, Green Points assessment can be accomplished in less than 30 days.

Companies eager to receive their GBL Green Points award may apply for the program at the Green Business League website.  Any application that does not receive a GBL Green Points award will be fully refunded.  Expect a 30 day cycle for the process to be completed.

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CSR Minute: Global Banking Alliance for Women; Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ Dilemma

Corporate Social Responsibility News: Global Banking Alliance for Women; Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ Dilemma

Less than a month left to vote in CRRA’10! | 3BL Media

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) January 6, 2010 – It is now January and time is running out to use your votes in the third annual CR Reporting Awards – the CRRA’10! Any person with an interest in CR Reporting is encouraged to participate in the voting process.

Voting closes on January 29th, which is only about three weeks away, so now’s the time to get your voice heard before it’s too late.

Voting online is a simple procedure, easy to understand, and the entire process will only take a few minutes (it’s reading the reports that takes time!)

The CRRA’10 solicited reports published over the last year. This year, 130 leading international reporting companies from over 40 sectors entered reports across nine categories:

• Best Overall Report

• Best First Time Report

• Best SME Report

• Best Integrated Report

• Best Carbon Disclosure

• Creativity in Communications

• Relevance & Materiality

• Openness & Honesty

• Credibility through Assurance

You may select up to 5 choices in each award category and as a `thank you’ for your time, you will be entered in our Voters’ Prize Draw if you vote across our 9 categories. As in previous years, 10 lucky voters will each receive GBP 250!

All interested stakeholders can find full details and place votes now on http://www.corporateregister.com/crra.

If you are not already signed up as a user on CorporateRegister.com, this can be completed free of charge and in one easy step at http://www.corporateregister.com. 

Contacts

For further information, please contact: Paul Scott, Corporate Register Ltd, tel. +44 (0)20 7014 33 66, email: info@corporateregister.com.

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