Blog Archive

The Portland-based nonprofit Natural Step USA announced Tuesday that it merged with the Cascadia Green Building Council.  The two groups will continue their existing operations and will retain their public identities under a unified leadership and infrastructure.

This summer, hire a competent, hard-working University of Western Ontario (UWO) Master's in Environment and Sustainability graduate student to support your organization in moving toward sustainability. The Natural Step Canada will mentor and train 10 students, one of whom could create a sustainability plan for your organization.

Job descriptions are due by February 10, 2011, through the University of Western Ontario’s CareerCentral. Post a position for your organization today or contact Anouk Bertner, the Manager of Natural Step Canada's Emerging Leaders program, for more information.

Do you think your city or community is one of the most sustainable in the world? If so, consider applying for the 2011 Sustainable City Globe Award.

(If your community isn't among the global sustainability leaders yet--but would like to be--perhaps you should check out The Natural Step Canada's Sustainable Communities Program. Through our unique suite of advisory, coaching, and process facilitation services, we can help your community make transformational changes toward sustainability. The communities we work with consistently win sustainability awards and honours in Canada and around the world. Yours can, too!)

Are you the next sustainability leader?

"The question of reaching sustainability is not about if we will have enough energy, enough food, or other tangible resources - those we have. The question is: will there be enough leaders in time?"

Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) has experienced great success with the Master's in Strategic Leadership toward Sustainability (MSLS) programme since 2005. With 300+ alumni working all over the globe, the impact of this programme's attendees has been truly humbling.

Dear friends,

I am writing to you today to ask for your help in supporting The Natural Step Canada’s important work to accelerate the shift toward sustainability.

Living more sustainably on this earth is an urgent challenge. Businesses, communities, and institutions around the world are rising to the challenge, but not fast enough. What we need now, more than anything, are dynamic leaders who can lead the shift toward a more sustainable world.

MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

It is with a great sense of excitement that I write to you in my new role as Interim CEO of the ‘TNS Global Sustainability Network’. I have worked in a variety of capacities with TNS around the world over the last ten years and it is wonderful to have been asked to lead this transition.

Last December, The Natural Step Council voted to transform The Natural Step from a small licensee network into a dynamic global sustainability community. My role is to help deliver this transition in 2011. As a first step, I would really like to hear what you, the TNS community, think is the best strategy to achieve this transition. That is why this issue of Stepping Stones is so important – it outlines what the internal TNS transition team has come up with, building upon what we’ve already announced in previous issues of Stepping Stones.

What do you think? How can our initial ideas be improved? What works for you? What’s missing? What’s superfluous? What’s unclear? I’d really like to know and so invite you to email me with your thoughts and comments at peter.price-thomas@thenaturalstep.org. I would particularly like to hear from you if you see ways to improve the strategy. In addition, there are a number of focus groups that we will be running and we would love to know your interest in taking part. To participate, please contact us at transition@thenaturalstep.org.

This is a really exciting time that has been enabled by the incredible work of the TNS transition team and, in particular, Richard Blume and Kelly Baxter. This transition would also not be possible were it not for the generous support of the Founder’s Club, to whom I am eternally grateful.

Anyway, enough from me. Please read the outline transition approach below and let me know what you think.

Many thanks,

Peter

Peter Price-Thomas

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A clear direction for TNS NZ over the coming year has emerged from the AGM and advisor strategy day held on 30th November 2010.  With up to 20 people present, there was a diverse group of TNS NZ advisors, trainee advisors and special friends.  “We were fortunate and very grateful to have the skills of Rosie Walford and Jana Lyn-Holly as facilitators,” explains Simon Harvey, Executive Director of TNS NZ.  “Their facilitation provided good objectivity and teased out a lot of information that could easily have been passed over.  And we got three clear priorities real

The TNS NZ advisor network has grown to 11 accredited members with the addition of Mardi Neumann, Jan Harrison and Ella Lawton.  These three earned their wings with the successful completion of their assessed live assignments.

TNS New Zealand hosted its first major event on 29th November 2010 with 120 people attending Co-Create the Future in Auckland – stories of success in sustainable practice.  The event featured eight speakers and a series of videos highlighting thought-leadership and achievements in sustainable practice.  By securing some foundation sponsors TNS NZ were able to host the event on a “by donation” basis (or “koha” to use the local concept of giving an amount that reflects a fair exchange of value) making it accessible to e

The Natural Step is very pleased to announce that we have appointed Peter Price-Thomas as Interim CEO of The Natural Step Global Network, effective immediately. Peter will be working on a contract basis over the next six months, based in the UK. Peter’s mandate will be to finalize the transition of TNSI from its current licensee-based organizational structure to a new membership-based “TNS Global Network”, which has been underway for some time.