Sustainability Learning Programs

How long is it?

• 2 days of face-to-face learning
• 1-hour eLearning module
• Optional follow-up webinar with Bob Willard, author of The Business Case for Sustainability and The Sustainability Champions Guidebook

How long is it?

• 5 months on online and in-person workshops
• 1-hour eLearning module

How much does it cost?

• Early Bird fee: $775 CDN + tax
• Regular course fee: $850 CDN + tax

Click here for a list of Early Bird and registraton deadlines.

How much does it cost?

• Regular course fee: $2,499-$3,799 CDN + tax, depending on sector
• An exclusive discounted price of $2,200 CDN+tax is available for participants from outside of Canada to help offset increased travel costs

What's the format?

In-person workshops.

When and where?

• Montréal, QC : 13-14 septembre 2010 (en français) -- (Cliquez ici pour plus d’information sur ce cours)
• Calgary, AB: September 28-29, 2010
• Vancouver, BC: November 9-10, 2010
• Winnipeg, MB: December 7-8, 2010
• Toronto, ON: January 13-14, 2011
• Saint John, NB: February 8-9, 2011
• Ottawa, ON: April 12-13, 2011

What's the format?

Mostly online with in-person workshops.

When and where?

• The course has begun with an online introductory session that was recorded
• Registrations will continue to be accepted until August 31, 2010
• New registrants will be brought up to speed to catch up with current registrants
• The course runs until January 2011
• In-person workshops will be held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with the first face-to-face session taking place on October 27-28, 2010

Who is it for?

This course is aimed at existing and emerging sustainability practitioners who want to gain the knowledge, skills, and tools to take a strategic, systems approach to communicating, planning, and managing sustainability initiatives.

We encourage participation from a wide range of sectors and perspectives, since this will enrich the dialogue and opportunities for peer-learning. Participants will include leaders and champions from:

• Corporations
• Small businesses
• Government organizations and municipalities
• Consultancies
• Universities
• Non-profit organizations

Who is it for?

This course is aimed at those who are leading and facilitating long-term planning efforts in their communities; in particular, the following individuals should consider taking this course:

• Municipal staff and community leaders tasked with leading ICSP initiatives for their communities.
• Consultants looking to improve their ability to support and facilitate ICSP efforts with clients.
• Community leaders looking to learn and apply a sustainability planning process to engage other leaders in exploring and realizing long-term success in their communities.

What's this course all about?

This is a 2-day intensive and interactive course that draws upon 20 years of practical experience and results in coaching sustainability champions who are leading their organizations toward sustainability.

Graduates of this course will be able to explain and begin to apply The Natural Step Framework to help their businesses, communities, and organizations take a leadership role in sustainability.

What are the learning objectives?

In this course, you will:

• Describe the current sustainability opportunities and risks facing organizations and communities.
• Listen to stories and case studies from leaders in organizations moving toward sustainability.
• Apply the key steps of the ABCD methodology for sustainability planning with a case study.
• Present the core concepts of The Natural Step Framework in a short presentation and receive feedback from peers.
• Strategize how you can most effectively promote sustainability in your organization or community.
• Reflect on how The Natural Step Framework can help you take a leadership role in sustainability.

What comes next?

Sustainability for Leaders (Level 2) course: details coming soon...

What's this course all about?

This 5-month course is designed around the lessons and experiences of The Natural Step and its partner organizations in community sustainability planning. Via a mixture of online seminars, in-person workshops and applied project work, it is designed to provide community leaders, and those supporting them, with the practical knowledge, skills and tools to lead long-term, participatory planning efforts toward sustainability. These are often referred to as an “integrated community sustainability plan” (ICSP).

What will you receive?

The course fee includes:

• A 1-year license for our award-winning, Sustainability 101 eLearning course.
• A customized, 2-day workshop facilitated by our experienced advisors.
• A follow-up webinar with Bob Willard, author of the Sustainability Champions Guidebook.
• A one–year membership in The Natural Step Exchange, an exclusive network of sustainability professionals from across Canada.

What will you receive?

The course fee includes:

• A 1-year license for our award-winning, Sustainability 101 eLearning course.
• A customized, 5-month workshop facilitated by our experienced advisors.
• A follow-up webinar with Bob Willard, author of the Sustainability Champions Guidebook.
• A one–year membership in The Natural Step Exchange, an exclusive network of sustainability professionals from across Canada.

Want more info?

Download our course brochure and outline:

• English
• français

Want more info?

Download our course brochure and outline:

• English

Questions?

Please contact Kim Larocque, Program Officer at klarocque[at]naturalstep[dot]ca or 613-748-3001 x228.

Questions?

Please contact Kim Larocque, Program Officer at klarocque[at]naturalstep[dot]ca or 613-748-3001 x228.

What do graduates have to say?

"The Sustainability for Leaders (Level 1) course provides a solid opportunity for working through the process of strategic sustainability planning. Going through The Natural Step Framework step-by-step allowed me to see the necessity of starting with a common language and an end goal in developing a meaningful action plan.

Though all participants came from many different backgrounds (NGOs, business, government), the common threads of sustainability made sharing ideas with other participants an invaluable part of the experience. The instruction offered allowed me to shift from seeing challenges toward finding opportunities for meaningful change.

The Natural Step instructors were full of energy and passion to help us find solutions to sustainability challenges. I am excited to start applying these tools in my organization."

--Natalie A., Calgary, course graduate

"This course contributed greatly to my professional toolkit and delivered much more. I learned from The Natural Step trainers the humility and discipline required to be an effective agent of adaptive change."

--Carolyn Frances Lair, Sustainable Strategies, Vancouver, course graduate

"This is exactly what our organization has been looking for. I can easily see this being used as the foundation of our work on our organization's path to sustainability."

--Anonymous, course graduate

What do graduates have to say?

"The Natural Step’s Integrated Community Sustainability Planning Course is excellent for anyone who is working on community sustainability. Whether convenient webinar conference calls, face-to face workshops, videos, documents, forums, special guest speakers–there are enough tools and resources offered to educate, inspire, and implement. The ICSP process can be complicated–this course helps untangle it."

--Christine Upton, Sustainable Halton Hills, course graduate

"This course gave me a deep understanding of sustainability issues and an effective process by which to deal with environmental and governance challenges and maximise community development opportunities. It also helped me to see how various sustainability initiatives and standards can fit together and contribute toward a cohesive sustainability strategy. The training gave me the structure, discipline, and confidence to effectively conduct a comprehensive ICSP process. Most importantly the work has been a transformative experience and had a positive impact on both my professional and private life."

--Carolyn Frances Lair, Sustainable Strategies, Vancouver, course graduate

"The ICSP course provided me with the background and framework which empowered me to move forward in working with my community on sustainability issues."

--Anonymous, course graduate