The Institute for Sustainable Enterprise, Silberman College of Business, announces the release of a groundbreaking report :
NEWS:  "Transitioning To Green" forums upcoming!
TOPIC:  The Transitioning to Green initiative is committed to helping you find your place in the world of the new green economy.  Headed by Dr. Jeana Wirtenberg, this organization exists to empower you to transform yourself not only in your career choices but also in how you choose to live the rest of your life.

Are you looking to transition into a greener career? Attend the Transitioning to Green Forum, a highly interactive, unique, one-day event with subject matter experts (SME’s) in sustainability and green jobs. Sunday, October 4th, or Tuesday, December 8, at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Click here to read more about the Forum and to register!


“Creating a Sustainable Future: A Global Study of Current Trends 2007-2017”
Complimentary Sustainability Report & Webcast Now Available Online

H I G H E S T    R A T I N G  -  F O U R    " B O O K S "   (equivalent of 4 stars - "must read" category)
R E V I E W :   People & Strategy Journal, Volume 31.3 (fall 2008).

The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook

Authors: edited by Jeana Wirtenberg, with William G. Russell and David Lipsky in collaboration with the Enterprise Sustainability Action Team.

Reviewer: Michael Williams, Professor, The Eli Broad College of  Business, Michigan State University.

The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook is a collection of well-written essays by 29 members of the Enterprise Sustainability Action Team. The editors organized the essays to convey the importance and method of developing core competencies and resources focused on long-term, global sustainability. The editors define sustainability as an enterprise’s awareness and ability to renew and rejuvenate
resource inputs, while not degrading local and global ecosystems.
 
A sustainable enterprise is likely to pursue a triple-bottom-line strategy tied to three broad domains of stakeholder needs: social, environmental, and economic.

The book is divided into five parts and contains explanations, activities, challenge questions, case examples and tools that leaders and managers can apply to help break down barriers to creating
sustainable organizations and enable their organizations to work in sustainable ways.

Part I provides the introduction and overview of how a leader can use the book to understand and implement sustainability. Central is the “Sustainability Pyramid Model,” created by the editors,
which describes the common qualities of nine sustainable enterprises. The pyramid is stacked in three layers: the foundation layer, the traction layer and the integration layer. The foundation layer includes: deeply embedded values, senior management support, and management’s commitment to sustainability as central to an enterprise’s strategic plan.

Part II presents three primary ingredients of the foundation of a sustainable enterprise. The first is leadership, effectively illustrated by the “Leadership Diamond,” created by Daniel F. Twomey, a contributor
to the book. Second is thinking about sustainable enterprise and the importance of having an open mind to see the opportunities afforded by sustainability. Third is the presentation of specific methods for developing a sustainability strategy.

Part III identifies the challenges of managing change. In particular, the essays in Chapter 5 concentrate on the employee as an essential stakeholder in the transition to sustainability. Chapter 6 gives
excellent examples of metrics and measurement systems to quantify and identify a company’s long-term sustainability.

Part IV turns to globalization and the challenge to look outside of oneself and beyond our bounded rationality to view the world. The essays attempt to challenge the reader to change and think in a much larger context. Finally, Part V is titled “When it all comes together,” and it is a very well laid out summary of the book.

Overall, this book is a very user-friendly and practical book on sustainability. It is well written and comprehensive, very clear and concise in its explanations and applicable examples. The key challenge
the editors continually ask themselves and the reader is “what more can be done?” The first thing to do is to read, understand and follow The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook.

PEOPLE & STRATEGY 31.3


T H E    B O O K :
Today, managers and leaders of organizations, in both the private sector and civil society, are being challenged as never before to find ways to play a proactive role in addressing the concerns of sustainable development. But they are often overwhelmed by a bombardment of conflicting messages from the media, shareholders, customers, employees, and NGOs. The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook helps managers deal with this confusion. It teaches them how to strike a better balance, moving from an “either/or” mind-set to one that holistically embraces social, environmental and economic issues simultaneously. It addresses the “what” (“what is a sustainable strategy for  a company or organization?”) as well as the “how” (“how do we go about building a sustainable enterprise?”).

The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook has been put together by an outstanding network of experts from business (Microsoft, Sony, Philips, and AIG), consultancies, and academia. Its aim is to teach and guide leaders, managers, practitioners, students, and professors in every sector of society, and in every industry, in creating a successful and sustainable enterprise. By making the steps needed clear, understandable, and simple to follow, the book naturally engages readers in their journey and encourages their participation in three key ways: by increasing their understanding and awareness of what sustainability means at a conceptual and practical, as well as a personal, level; by energizing and expanding people’s commitment to building sustainable enterprises; and by providing readers with extensive tools and techniques so they can individually and collectively take actions that will improve the social, environmental, and economic performance of their organizations in both the short and long term.

Each chapter of the book illustrates through models, tools, cases, stories, and examples from a wide range of companies how to integrate sustainability into the day-to-day realities of running a business. Managers are coached, facilitated, and guided to enable them to create a better balance between the short and long term, to help them to become change agents in their organizations and to provide answers to the question “How do I make a difference?” Some of the areas covered are leadership, strategy, managing change, employee engagement, metrics and measurement, networks, and globalization.

Readers of The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook will find access to the innovative “Living Fieldbook”, which is an online community support service providing ongoing updated assistance in building a sustainable enterprise.

The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook offers an ingredient that has been missing in the enormous outpouring of information on organizations and sustainability: an holistic integration of solutions, which will make the journey personal for each reader.


Dr. Jeana Wirtenberg

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Business at the Crossroads: Aligning Commerce, Earth and Humanity

March 12, 2008 • 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. Eastern 

Environmental and social issues have historically been of peripheral concern to business.  At best, companies have felt compelled to “give back” to society in the form of philanthropy or other good deeds directed at the natural environment or the community.  Today global companies stand at a crossroads—facing terrorism, environmental destruction, and antiglobalization backlash—while searching for new sources of profitable growth.

So rather than treating social and environmental issues as expensive luxuries, many companies are now fusing social mission with competitive strategy.  This Webcast explores the integration of sustainable development and environmentalism in business strategy and illustrates how such practices can increase shareholder value and competitive position.

What you’ll learn:

Join us to discover business practices that are more inclusive, more welcome, and far more successful—for both companies and communities, worldwide. For example, you’ll hear about:

  • Paths to profitable sustainability: Shattering the “trade-off” myth
  • New commercial strategies for serving the “base of the pyramid”: What enterprises have learned about doing business in income-poor regions
  • Becoming indigenous — for real, for good: Co-discovering new opportunities, co-creating new businesses with the poor
  • Learning from leaders: best practices from companies such as DuPont, HP, SC Johnson, Tata, P&G, and more

About the Presenters:

Stuart Hart, Ph.D., is one of the world’s top authorities on the implications of sustainable development and environmentalism on business. He is currently the Samuel C. Johnson Chair in Sustainable Global Enterprise and Professor of Management at Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. He also serves as senior research fellow at both the Davidson Institute (University of Michigan) and Tilburg University in the Netherlands.

Mr. Hart is author of the best-selling book Capitalism at the Crossroads and wrote the seminal article Beyond Greening: Strategies for a Sustainable World, which won the McKinsey Award for Best Article in Harvard Business Review.

Jeana Wirtenberg, Ph.D., is president of Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in building sustainable enterprises through leadership, culture change, collaboration and learning. She is co-founder and Director, External Relations and Services, of the Institute for Sustainable Enterprise (ISE) at Fairleigh Dickinson University, focused on bringing people together to learn how to develop and lead thriving, sustainable enterprises that are “in and for the world.”

Working with CEO's, Presidents and VP's of Fortune 500 companies, Jeana has helped organizations reach the highest levels of performance excellence by aligning their vision and values with business strategy. She is lead author on several recent articles on sustainable enterprise, the future of organization development and she is also one of the lead authors on AMA’s report: “Creating a Sustainable Future: A Global Study of Current Trends and Possibilities 2007-2017.”

Attending this Webcast is complimentary, but you must register online or by calling 1-800-262-9699.

Webcast Details:

Date of Event: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Time: 12 p.m.–1:00 p.m. Eastern
Fee: Complimentary
Meeting Number: 17190 - 00001

You're invited to listen to this FREE AMA WEBCAST, again and again!!!

“Green Leadership: Creating  Business Value”  which was broadcast on  Wednesday, February 6th, 2008, is online here.  Dr. Jeana Wirtenberg, Director of External Relations and Services, Institute for Sustainable Enterprise (ISE) interviewed Andrew Winston, co-author of Green to Gold which highlights what works-and what doesn't-when companies go "green."

·       This American Management Association Webcast explored how smart companies use environmental strategies to innovate, create value, and build competitive advantage.
·       Here's a great opportunity to discover how forward-thinking organizations are putting environmental sustainability into their strategic plans and execution.

November 7, 2007, Institute for Sustainable Enterprise, Madison, NJ, USA. - The Institute for Sustainable Enterprise (ISE), in the Silberman College of Business at Fairleigh Dickinson University, has just made available a groundbreaking, free report on the current state of sustainability practices and approaches by major corporations worldwide. The report, “Creating a Sustainable Future: A Global Study of Current Trends 2007-2017,” and a live Webcast entitled “Sustainability: An Evolving Business Paradigm” introduce the findings of the global 2007 AMA/HRI Sustainability Survey. The report and Webcast were sponsored by the American Management Association (AMA) and conducted by the Human Resource Institute (HRI) in collaboration with the Institute for Sustainable Enterprise (ISE) at Fairleigh Dickinson University. The survey and Webcast, together with a supporting slide presentation, are available online at no charge. 

“Creating a Sustainable Future” was born when the AMA commissioned the HRI to survey 1,365 employees and managers across the globe about sustainable business practices and approaches.  The resulting 2007 AMA/HRI Sustainability Survey became the basis for “Creating a Sustainable Future,” which presents the survey in its entirety and reviews its findings in depth. This report examines the history of the sustainability paradigm, the factors that are making the paradigm more compelling, the degree to which organizations value and engage in sustainability-related practices, and the future outlook for sustainability.

A quick review of the some of the report's main findings:

·        Respondents personally care more about sustainability issues than they think their organizations do, especially when it comes to social and environmental issues.
·        Sustainability-related initiatives are not yet deeply ingrained in most organizations.
·        Organizations that use sustainability strategies are more likely to be high performers in the market place.
·        Reducing or managing the risks of climate change is not highly rated as a driver of key business issues, either today or in 10 years.
·        The last chapter, “The Future of Sustainability,” pp. 43-49, concludes with three possible scenarios: The first two scenarios end up lose-lose-lose (for individuals, businesses and the world). Only one scenario - the third - is win-win-win (for individuals, businesses, countries and the world as a whole):

o       Scenario One:  Things Fall Apart
o       Scenario Two: Muddling Toward Sustainability?
o       Scenario Three:  A Global Sustainability Culture

The free Webcast provides the survey findings and offers ways in which companies can achieve a better balance between social, environmental and economic factors for short- and long-term performance. This Webcast was designed for vice presidents, directors and managers across all functional units who want to learn more about sustainability and help their organizations become more sustainable in both the short and long terms.

On this Webcast, you'll hear about:

·        The business factors driving greater focus on sustainability, as well as factors hindering its progress, both today and as we look forward into the next 10 years
·        The twelve most widely used sustainability-related practices
·        The relationship between sustainability and company performance
·        The significant gap between how much employees in companies personally care and how much they think their companies care about sustainability-related issues
·        How the most sustainable companies create broad stakeholder engagement built on a foundation of sustainable values and alignment
·        Best practices from such sustainability leaders as Ray Anderson of Interface Inc. and Govi Rao of Lighting Science Group Corporation (formerly with Philips Lighting)  

Click on these online links to access the complimentary report, slides and Webcast:
 “Creating a Sustainable Future” report  http://view.fdu.edu/files/amawebcastreport.pdf
 “Sustainability: An Evolving Business Paradigm” slides http://view.fdu.edu/files/amawebcastppt.pdf
 “Sustainability: An Evolving Business Paradigm” Webcast http://www.amanet.org/editorial/webcast/2007/sustainability.htm
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Immediate Release                      

Contact: Jeana Wirtenberg                                                         

Tel/email: 973-335-6299; jwirtenb@fdu.edu



Free AMA Webcast - Internet version (in case you missed it, or care to watch it again!)
September 11, 2007 
Time: 12:00–1:00 p.m. Eastern
 
How can we create a better balance between the needs of people, the planet and profit in both the short- and long-term? Although out of the awareness of many, our ability to step up to this critical challenge affects everyone—both inside and outside of organizations—and challenges businesses as never before. Today an ever increasing number of organizations are becoming aware of the sustainability business paradigm – balancing social, environmental, and economic factors for short- and long-term performance—and, in many cases, are adopting sustainability-related values, principles, strategies and practices.

Join us at this complimentary Webcast where we’ll discuss the findings from a recent global survey on sustainability sponsored by the American Management Association and conducted by the Human Resource Institute in collaboration with the Institute for Sustainable Enterprise at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

For an hour, you’ll explore:
The significant gap between how much employees in companies personally care as compared to how much they think their companies care about sustainability-related issues; The relationship between sustainability and company performance; The twelve most widely used sustainability-related practices;
The business factors driving greater focus on sustainability, as well as factors hindering its progress, both today and as we look forward into the next ten years; How the most sustainable companies create a foundation, traction and broad stakeholder engagement for sustainability.

'Smart growth' gaining ground
By By Angela Carter, Register Staff
Saturday, Novembedr 17, 2007

NEW HAVEN — There is a small but growing demand among consumers for “smart growth” features in the housing market, according to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official who spoke at the first Smart Growth Conference Wednesday.

In addition, more home builders and developers are incorporating smart growth principles in their projects, said Lee Sobel, the real estate development and finance analyst in the EPA’s Development, Community and Environment Division.

Sobel was the keynote speaker at the conference, organized by the statewide citizen group 1,000 Friends of Connecticut and held at Southern Connecticut State University.

Smart growth refers to a planning and design concept that communities use when housing and commercial developments are formulated. It emphasizes improving transportation, as well as protecting public health, the environment and cultural and historic resources.

The EPA plans to release a research report on the topic in February, Sobel said.

Because New England has few large tracts of land available that appeal to developers in conventional projects, Sobel said the opportunities for smart growth here are likely in urban neighborhoods where sites are being rehabilitated or in small communities where “the infrastructure stops” but land is available to add a modest number of buildings.

“It’s really about providing the consumer with a new choice for housing, working, shopping, playing and getting around,” he said.

During the EPA’s study period, from 2001 to 2004, researchers found that “one-third of today’s home buyers want a smart growth product,” Sobel said. In that time frame, there were 7.7 million housing starts, with 33,085 of them featuring smart growth units, simultaneously showing both lagging support and market potential, he said.

Heidi Green, president of 1,000 Friends of Connecticut, said about 340 attended the conference, which included morning and afternoon workshops on how smart growth relates to issues such as sprawl, affordable housing, the state economy and public health.

Green said the organization is likely to hold such events again. “Conferences are a good way to inspire people and to educate people,” she said.

It also gave members of the coalition a chance to meet and build a base of supporters who will keep smart growth issues at the forefront next year, the first year campaign finance reform laws will apply to state races, she said.



 

Coalition for the Permanent Protection of Kelda Lands

                Across Connecticut open space lands are threatened.  Nowhere more so than in western Connecticut where up to  10,000 acres of watershed and open space land has been put at risk of sale and development by the takeover of Aquarion/Bridgeport Hydraulic by the British firm, Kelda.

                The lands owned by Bridgeport Hydraulic are some of the largest uninterrupted forests in the region.  They provide essential wildlife habitat and add to the state's rural character.  Development of these lands would increase suburban sprawl, traffic congestion, and air pollution, adversely affecting quality of life.  Permanent preservation of these lands is vital.

                We call upon Kelda to step forward as a good citizen and voluntarily do the right thing: donate permanent conservation easements on these critical open space lands.  This makes great business sense as Kelda would reap considerable federal and some state tax benefits.  According to an expert analysis, Kelda's bottom line would benefit as much from gifting permanent conservation easements as it would from selling all of its Class II and III land.

                In the absence of such a step, we call on our elected leaders to enable the creation of a regional water authority (RWA) with a directive to permanently preserve all BHC open space lands.  The first step in formation of such a representative, locally-owned RWA would be to conduct a feasiblity study to ensure that the RWA would stabilize water rates, help communities stem the rising costs of municipal services and preserve real estate values, all at little or no cost to taxpayers.

                We are pleased to join in coalition with other citizens, elected officials, legislators and groups to protect these critical open space lands.
 

_______________________         __________________
Signature                                                       Title
 

_______________________         _________________________
Printed Name                                        Organization or Individual

_______________________         __________________________
Date                                                         Phone
 

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Fax                                                            E-mail

Print out this form, sign it completely and then send it by "snail mail" to:
 
 

 Connecticut Fund for the Environment
1032 Chapel Street, 3rdfloor * New Haven, Connecticut 06510 * 203-787-0646 * Fax 203-787-0246
For information contact: www.cfenv.org
32 Grand Street * Hartford, Connecticut 06106 * 860-524-1639 is our address at the Capitol

Original sign-up printed on recycled paper

THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
KELDA COALITION news: DPUC Public Hearing  Friday, Feb. 8 at 7pm in Weston Library Community Room...last push to assure that all the land is preserved forever!!!  League is going to make its voice heard before Wednesday, March 27, 2002...we'll do it again!