Workshops
Our workshops are usually 4 weeks long with weekly one-hour webinars plus other individual or online assignments. Participants should expect to spend 3-5 hours a week. The benefits of this are many:
Better for learning:
- You have access to the best experts in the business, no matter where you or they are located in the world;
- You can absorb the information over a month and return to the ISSP forums with real-world questions
- You have access to the instructor and co-learners for a month
- We cap enrollment at 30 for-credit students (and up to 20 more people can audit). You get individual attention from the instructors.
Better for the environment:
- You don't travel so you don't have the associated greenhouse gases
- Most materials are electronic so we're not printing out lots of handouts
Better for your budget:
- You save all the travel time and expenses
- Our classes are very affordable because we don't have to provide a classroom or fly in instructors
Refund policy:
If you cancel a month or more before a course begins, we will refund 100% of your payment less any Paypal fees; 22-30 days out the refund is 75% of payment; 15-21 days 50%; 7-14 days 25%. Cancellation with less than a week's notice results in no refund. A transfer from one course to another is handled the same as cancellation.
Workshop Calendar 2010
Introduction to Climate Change (February 2010)
Introduction to Climate Change covers the fundamental concepts related to global climate disruption and the associated risks and opportunities. Through the webinars, readings, and discussion forums we will examine the current science of climate change including anthropogenic and natural contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. We will explore the ramifications of climate change on ecosystems and ecosystem services, the human and social impacts, and the business risks and opportunities. We will also examine several case studies around the challenges of climate destabilization. The instructor is Indigo Teiwes.
Sustainability Planning and Reporting (February 2010)
Learn how to create a sustainability plan and report. Get access to the SPaRK (Sustainability Planning and Reporting Kit) electronic files...spreadsheets for common metrics already set up for you, MS Word template for a sustainability plan. The instructor is Marsha Willard.
Sustainable Community Development: Economic Recovery 101 (March 2010)
Learn how you can take advantage of this moment in time to build more sustainable systems and practices in your community. We’ll use the LASER Guide (Local Action for Sustainable Economic Renewal) to chart a course for your community that you’ll be able to put into action at the end of the course. The instructor is Gwen Hallsmith with Hunter Lovins.
Measuring GHG Impact: Enterprise GHG Inventory and Product Carbon Footprint Assessment (March 2010)
Carbon footprinting, both at an organizational and a product level, is an essential skill in bringing sustainability to organizations of all types. Tom Gloria, of Industrial Ecogoloy Consultants, will provide you with an excellent background, rigorous process and concrete tools for conducting a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory of a company and carbon footprint of a product. The instructor is Tom Gloria.
Description coming soon! The instructor is Scot Case.
Developing Climate Action Plans: An Integrated Approach (April 2010)
In spite of the lack of a comprehensive nationwide greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction policy and associated protocols, many businesses and other institutions are moving forward with efforts to understand and mitigate GHG emissions as a means to stay ahead of regulation and address global climate change. As numerous organizations have learned the hard way, developing and implementing a climate action plan for the first time can be a daunting and complicated task. This four part webinar series will outline the key elements of an effective, integrated climate action plan, identify critical stumbling blocks, and provide practical ways to ensure success. The instructor is Paul Horton.
Practical Tools and Methods for Change Agents (May 2010)
This course will guide practitioners through the jungle of sustainability techniques and change processes, and help them learn when and how to apply them successfully. Using the ISIS Method as a guiding structure and sequence (Indicators Systems Innovation Strategy), participants will deepen their understanding of both these general methodological categories, as well as specific sustainability tools, with AtKisson's ISIS Accelerator tools in focus. The instructor is Alan AtKisson.
Roadmap for Successful Strategic Energy Management Planning (May 2010)
In today's challenging economy, it's easy to appreciate the benefits of conserving energy. But it's not always easy to determine how to accomplish desired savings. Is ENERGY STAR, LEED, or some other metric of performance the answer? This series will help you to think strategically about the energy management goals of your company/facility. It will offer a roadmap for critical thinking about energy costs and building performance, with details on the necessary ingredients for achieving energy- and money-saving results. The instructor is Kim Hughes.
Life Cycle Assessment 101 (June 2010)
This is an introductory course on life cycle assessment. Participants will learn the steps involved and complete a simple LCA in a business simulation using an Excel spreadsheet. The instructor is Tom Gloria.
Social Sustainability: What's it got to do with organizations in the developed world? (July 2010)
Sustainability directors and coordinators operating in the developed world often struggle to understand what social sustainability has to do with them. “Social sustainability” is often framed as an issue of underdeveloped countries where severe poverty and human rights abuses may be present. For organizations operating in the developed world, however, many of these issues are legislated (child labor, minimum wage, discrimination, etc.) or proper infrastructure is in place (eg for clean water, sanitation and transportation). Inadvertently, though, companies may be causing harm in developing countries (eg through sourcing). And they have an important role to play in creating a productive and humane workplaces for their employees as well as solving problems in their communities. The instructors are Darcy Hitchcock and Marsha Willard.
Sustaining Sustainability: Organizational Assessments and Systems (September 2010)
Once initial sustainability projects have been completed, organizations are often at a loss as to how to maintain newly acquired practices and continue to move their sustainability efforts forward. Management systems are the key to ongoing progress. A SMS (sustainability management system) allows for systematic internal review, monitoring and corrective actions for continual improvement. The instructor is Dorothy Atwood.
Leadership Skills for Change Agents (November 2010)
This course prepares sustainability professionals at any level in the organizational hierarchy to lead an organizational change to a sustainable enterprise. It connects the dots between timeless leadership practices and how to transform an organization to a sustainability culture. The instructor is Bob Willard.
Sustainable Supply Chain (November 2010)
Supply chain management (SCM) has been evolving from a traditional focus on purchasing and logistics to a broader emphasis on value creation. Supply chain managers are continually searching for new approaches to increasing profitability and efficiency. The application of sustainability principles within SCM processes represents the next stage in this evolution. There are significant opportunities for sustainability professionals to create business value, in collaboration with other functional groups, by enhancing supply chain performance. The instructor is Rick Woodward.
