28 Predictions from Bentley University Experts On the Future Directions of of Sustainability Bentley University (Waltham, MA) is a leading business school offering undergrad and MBA / MBS degrees. There are 4,200 undergrad and 1,400 grad students enrolled, studying accounting, finance, marketing, managements and liberal arts, all (the university says) "anchored" in technology. This private, not-for-profit institution of higher learning offers a blend of business, technology and liberal arts to prepare students with "relevant, practical, transferable skills." So where does Bentley the institution stand on matters regarding sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethical behaviors and other important aspects of 21stCentury business? For starters, we note the university has a director of sustainability (and special advisor to the president), Amanda King. She oversees the Office of Sustainability, guiding initiatives aimed at engaging the institution in environmental matters, including making the business case for environmental sustainability and CSR. "Sustainability" is a lively topic of discovery and discussion at the institution The Bentley Research Council organized the university`s October 30, 2015 Research Colloquium -- "Sustainable Worlds: Individual, Business, Societal, and Scientific Perspectives." The event was centered on presenting highlights of sustainability-related scholarly work conducted by the institution`s academic departments. Kristen Walsh, a Boston-based freelance writer interviews Ms. King and a host of involved Bentley scholars and professors in our Top Story this week. The experts in management, taxation, financial planning, natural & applied science, IT, sociology, marketing, economics, and other fields offer their predictions as they prepared for the meetings. Their brief list of 28 "Predictions for the Future of Sustainability" is worth a read. The topics and subject matter will be familiar to sustainability professionals - and there are some not-so-familiar items as well. Example: "Traditional burial practices pose a threat to the environment..." - Susan Dobscha, marketing scholar. And, "environmental psychology helps us examine and understand our human connectedness to our environments and ecosystems..." Virginia Egan, natural and applied sciences. And this should be familiar and welcome to the readers of our Highlights: "The future of sustainability lies in its integration with organizations` operations and decisions. This integration enables the business leaders to achieve the goals of doing good things and doing things good simultaneously," Gang Li, management scholar. While you read the Bentley U post, check out Bentley's "PreparedU Project," designed to examine challenges facing Millennial workers, companies employing members of the generation, and colleges and universities that prepare them for their careers. At G&A Institute, we are doing our part in working with colleges and universities on sustainability topics, and bringing classes of interns each academic year to work on real-world sustainability research projects as they complete their academic work. Our Honor Roll on the G&A corporate web site has profiles of these outstanding men and women who will be leading organizations in the business world, in academia, in not-for-profit institutions, and other career paths. We note, as example, our colleague from the first class of interns (2011), Michelle Thompson, who is now completing her final year as doctoral candidate at UCLA, getting her degree in environmental science and engineering. Check out her profile and our other outstanding interns profiled on the Honor Roll: http://www.ga-institute.com/the-honor-roll.html And check out the 28 predictions for the future of sustainability in the Top Story this week. Top Story of the Week 28 Predictions for the Future of Sustainability
(Tuesday - October 27, 2015)
Source: Bentley University - Where is the environmental sustainability movement headed? Experts offer their options
Sustainability in Focus
More Innovation is Needed in Sustainability Reporting: Consider ‘4-D’
(Monday - October 26, 2015)
Source: Triple Pundit - Sustainable Brands’ recent New Metrics ’15 conference in Boston included a plethora of experts from around the world lauding new methods to measure environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts of their companies. The... The executive view of sustainability
(Monday - October 26, 2015)
Source: NewsDay - Sustainability require significant investment and very few organizations are allocating a budget towards it. Where a budget exists, it is mostly insignificant and some organizations are actually chopping off the sustainability... How Sustainable Cities Collective Members Are Building a Better Future
(Monday - October 26, 2015) Associated Profiles : World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
Source: Sustainable Cities Collective - This is my last post for the time being on Sustainable Cities Collective and I want to take the opportunity to explain how I have come to understand the great value that it has. Regular readers... PepsiCo: ‘Is sustainability mainstream or faddish?’
(Monday - October 26, 2015)
Source: Food Production Daily - PepsiCo will highlight its sustainability progress across its most significant areas: water, packaging, waste, energy and agriculture at Gulfood Manufacturing 2015, in Dubai, this week (October 27). The value in sustainability: Juan Costa
Monday - October 26, 2015)
Source: Live Mint - Juan Costa, a former minister with the government of Spain, has been working with consulting firm EY since 2010 as the global leader of climate change and sustainability services. Costa was in New Delhi recently and talked about... Interface: Sustainability credentials have boosted recruitment efforts
(Monday - October 26, 2015)
Source: Edie.com - Interface's reputation as sustainability leader has helped the business attract top-level talent in all areas of the company, according to the firm's chief innovation officer. Sustainability Goals That Boost Program Integration: Business-Relevant Goals
(Tuesday - October 27, 2015)
Source: Environmental Leader - One of the most stubborn barriers to embedding sustainability throughout an organization is that the connection to everyone’s job isn’t clear in the way that optimizing profit is. Business-relevant goals tackle this challenge by... 7 questions that will shape the future of sustainability
(Tuesday - October 27, 2015)
Source: GreenBiz - It’s a challenge for everyone: Where should I focus my effort? What’s worth trying now, and what do I need to prepare for? To answer these questions, you need to be scanning what’s changing in the world. Sustainability’s Gold Mine: Grey-Water Recycling
(Wednesday - October 28, 2015)
Source: Triple Pundit - With sustainability becoming today’s mantra, it is a contradiction that society has yet to embrace all the technologies that allow us to, you know, live a genuinely sustainable lifestyle. How sustainability should shape the American diet
(Wednesday - October 28, 2015)
Source: MSNBC - The World Health Organization’s somewhat startling finding this week, that processed meats can be carcinogenic, has suddenly brought national dietary policy into sharp focus. Although the headline is an unsettling one, it is... 5 Fashion Sustainability Tips From Kering's Resident Expert
(Wednesday - October 28, 2015)
Source: Fashionista - On Monday night, the Fashion Institute of Technology kicked off "The Hand of Fashion" in New York City. The 10-part speaker series focuses on sustainability in the fashion industry and was planned in collaboration with Simone... Why Transparent Communications Is a Key Driver of the Shift to the Circular Economy
(Thursday - October 29, 2015) Associated Profiles : UN - Global Reporting Initiative GRI
Source: The Huffington Post - We opted for conducting this type of reporting in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) , which has built a reputation for offering a rigorous methodology for organizations to report on their...
SASB Offers Sustainability Accounting Credential
(Thursday - October 29, 2015)
Source: Accounting Today - The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board has introduced a new credential for accountants and other professionals who deal with sustainability issues. The Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting, or FSA, credential provides... How Big Ag Stampeded Over Science and Reason to Keep Sustainability Out of Our Dietary Guidelines
(Thursday - October 29, 2015)
Source: PSMag.com - Pollution and contamination on massive feedlots have been linked, time and time again, to a host of ecological and public-health threats: Salmonella and E. coli outbreaks, poisonous hydrogen sulfide emissions, algal blooms, and... Report: Measuring sustainability through a corporate lens
(Friday - October 30, 2015)
Source: GreenBiz - Companies today are experiencing greater integration of sustainability into the business, due in part to increased buy-in from leaders regarding the benefits of sustainability. Strong sustainability track record can account for 11% of a company's value - report
(Friday - October 30, 2015)
Source: The Guardian - How much is a good reputation worth? Volkswagen recently demonstrated the cost of a bad one: in the two days after its emissions scandal broke, its share price plummeted, wiping out almost $28bn in market value. On... ESG Issues & Players 5 Things You Can Do To Drive Corporate Culture
(Wednesday - October 28, 2015)
Source: Forbes - Tech companies may get all the attention for creating engaging and collaborative workspaces and strong corporate cultures, but the truth is that employee engagement benefits businesses in any industry. Enerplus, a medium-sized Wind and solar prices fall again, while fossil fuel energy grows more expensive
(Tuesday - October 27, 2015) Associated Profiles : Bloomberg New Energy Finance
Source: zmescience.com - Elsewhere, regulations like price on carbon is making fossil fuel energy more expensive. According to the Bloomberg New Energy finance, on-shore wind energy has once again dropped in price and is competitive with... As Droughts Worsen, Food Companies Take Action on Water Risk
(Thursday - October 29, 2015) Associated Profiles : Ceres
Source: Triple Pundit - On World Food Day earlier this month, seven food and beverage companies agreed to publicly disclose how they are managing water risks. The companies include Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Hain Celestial, Hormel Foods... Asset Managers, US Pension Funds,
Sovereign Wealth Funds Oracle sued by New York State Common over political funding
(Thursday - October 29, 2015) Associated Profiles : New York State Common Retirement Fund
Source: Pensions & Investments - The lawsuit, filed Monday in Delaware Chancery Court in Wilmington by the $182.5 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund, Albany, seeks access to business records outlining the contributions. Some... Fed puts December rate hike firmly on the agenda
(Thursday - October 29, 2015)
Source: Reuters - The U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday and in a direct reference to its next policy meeting put a December rate hike firmly in play.
Dutch pension fund plans to ditch private equity
(Sunday - October 25, 2015) Associated Profiles : PGGM – Asset Managers for Pension Funds
Source: Financial Times - PGGM the Dutch investment giant, wants to bypass paying fees to expensive and opaque private equity firms by hiring more internal staff so that it can take stakes in companies directly. PGGM's increasingly... Watching the Watchers  Friends of the Earth (Europe)
Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium
Established: 1969
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Part of Friends of the Earth International. Funders include several European Union Commission agencies, Oxfam Novib, and foundations.
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