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Dear Friends,

Natural Capitalism is gaining recognition east and west. Last month Hunter received the Rachel Carson Award in New York City. This month NCS is focusing on Employee Engagement creating articles that are being published in Sustainable Brands. Our article in transforming education for sustainability was in Sustainable Industries. In the upcoming months NCS will launch three separate exciting academic programs. Read on to learn how NCS is implementing sustainability and driving change.

Toby Russell (C.E.O.)

 
Hunter Honored as 2012 Rachel Carson Award Recipient

The National Audubon Society recently recognized our Hunter as an environmental pioneer. Hunter was given the prestigious Rachel Carson Award, which honors visionary women whose dedication, talent, and energy have advanced environmental educational locally and globally.

Allison Rockefeller stressed its value as “one of the most coveted awards for American women in the environmental and conservation movement.” She emphasized the social significance and longevity of the Award, noting, “Women have played an enormous role in environmental and conservation leadership and this award recognizes and celebrates their work, and influences a younger generation of girls and women to do the same.”

Named after Rachel Carson, author of the seminal Silent Spring and a forerunner of the modern environmental movement, this year’s Award was particularly special, as 2012 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the book’s publication (read more).

Breaking News: Hunter just received word that she will be given the Women In Green Forum Trailblazer Award and Care2 Impact Award at the upcoming Women In Green Forum on to be held in Santa Monica on August 28-29 (see Upcoming Events for details)
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Sustainable Brands (Month of July, 2012)

Hunter and NCS are the guest editor for Sustainable Brands' July focus on Employee Engagement. We will feature perspectives on how market leaders such as New Leaf Paper, Levi's, Aveda, and Chipotle and other innovative brands are inspiring, educating, and engaging their employees around sustainability. The articles will profile organizations, large and small, discuss best practices, detail how companies can improve and expand their engagement programs, and show how engaged employees are critical to building and monetizing brand value.

Content for these topics will be published daily, so check back often. And please, don't hesitate to join the conversation! We would love to see your comments on the articles.

Go to articles >>

Sustainable Brands: Hunter Lovins (July 5th, 2012)

The business case is clear: happy, inspired employees drive increased profitability. Companies typically focus on external factors such as retaining market share. Smart businesses also drive productivity and profit by focusing internally on effective employee engagement and retention. Companies that understand and utilize the power of their workforce to further their initiatives will achieve market leadership today and in the years to come.

Read article >>

Sustainable Industries: Hunter Lovins (July 15th, 2012)

The diverse crises that the planet faces will only be solved when companies and communities implement authentic and innovative sustainability practices. It is therefore encouraging that there are an increasing number of colleges and universities now including sustainability as part of their campus management programs and curriculum.

Are these programs effective enough to create the next generation of thought leaders our world needs? The answer is, “No. Not yet.”

Read article >>

Fast Company: Hunter Lovins (June 15th, 2012)

It’s always an honor to be invited to join a head of state to tackle global problems. But it’s rare that anything comes of it.

Last February I was surprised to receive an invitation from the Royal Government of Bhutan to join His Excellency, Jigmi Thinley, the Bhutanese Prime Minister and more than 600 leaders from civil society, business, governments, academic institutions, and global experts for a high-level meeting at the United Nations on happiness and well-being.

Read article >>


 


Natural Capitalism runs a robust internship program that provides hands on sustainability training and experience to young people just entering the workforce. They get a rigorous three-month course of study and work alongside NCS staff on research and implementation projects. More importantly our past interns are getting jobs, even in a down economy. Below is an email we just received from Matt Klahn, one of our past interns:

     "I found a job! I'm working as an Energy Efficiency/Sustainability Engineer at The Shaw Group down in Centennial. Shaw is a huge multinational construction company with offices in almost every one of the United States. Much of the work I will be doing will focus on retrocommisioning buildings across the country to be more energy efficient. I have already started working on a project with Duke Energy and Clemson University in South Carolina. I will also have the opportunity to work with Recharge Colorado giving energy efficiency advice and information about rebates to Denver residents. I am very excited to apply my technical knowledge on energy efficiency projects and also have time to interact with people doing outreach.

I thought you should also know that I was mostly asked about my internship last summer during my interview, so I really think the opportunity I had with you all at Natural Capitalism helped guarantee me the job. And, if you have any engineers who apply for internships there, definitely let them know how much it helped me get a job and how much I appreciate having had that experience. Have a good rest of your summer and I will talk to you again soon."

 
 
Unreasonable Climax
Boulder, CO (July 20-21, 2012)
The greatest minds of our time converge to share their innovative visions for defining progress in our rapidly evolving world. Hunter, a mentor at the Unreasonable Institute, will help 24 entrepreneurs from across the globe speak—for five minutes apiece—about how they are tackling such critical concerns as sustainability, social empowerment, financial security, and gender equality. View this year’s presenters and purchase tickets to Unreasonable Climax.


American Renewable Energy Day (AREDAY)
Aspen, CO (August 17th-21st, 2012)
Over the last seven years AREDAY has become known as a solutions-oriented symposium that attracts the nation’s most influential leaders in the fields of climate, energy, finance, politics, education, and environmental filmmaking for panel discussions and collaboration. Hunter will be presenting at this years event—details to be announced soon!


Green StartUp Gala
Santiago, Chile (August 22st, 2012)
Hunter will keynote the CleanTech Open Green StartUp Gala in Santiago, Chile. Learn more about the event.


Bard MBA in Sustainability
New York, NY (August 24th, 2012)
Bard College is launching their MBA in Sustainability this August. Hunter is proud to be a founding faculty member. The program will develop core business competencies, including leadership, operations, marketing, and finance through the lens of sustainability. An exciting feature is the use of New York City as a Living Laboratory for the students. Program graduates will be prepared for leadership positions at businesses of any size. Bard is still accepting exceptional applicants.


Women In Green Forum
Santa Monica, CA (August 28th-29th, 2012)
Hunter will be presented the Women In Green Forum Trailblazer Award and the Care2 Impact Award this August at the Women In Green Forum. Over the past three years, the Women In Green Forum has attracted a global audience from a wide range of sectors. With the goal of building a community of professionals focused on career growth that is inline with environmental benefits, the Forum has become the premier venue for fruitful networking and information exchange.


Sustainability Leadership and Implementation Certificate
Denver, CO (September 7th, 2012)
Gain the knowledge, tools, and skills needed to implement an effective and profit-enhancing sustainability program in your organization! Our Sustainability Leadership and Implementation Certificate course at DU has already helped empower sustainability professionals at Chipotle, DaVita, White Wave, Lockheed, Eco Products, Denver Public Schools, and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Learn more and sign up here.


Iowa Tour
Ames, Des Moines & Iowa City, IA (October 3rd-5th, 2012)
The Iowa Environmental Council is taking Hunter on a whirlwind tour of Iowa. The first stop is Iowa State University on Oct. 3rd as part of their Globalization, Technology, and Culture series. On the 4th Hunter will keynote the Iowa Environmental Council Annual Conference in Des Moines. The tour will close with a lecture at the University of Iowa sponsored by the University of Iowa Office of Sustainability.


Bainbridge Graduate Institute MBA
Seattle, WA (October 11th, 2012)
Since offering the first-ever MBA in Sustainable Business back in 2002, Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) has achieved international recognition for its innovative, flexible, and effective approach to sustainability training. In addition to its MBA program, BGI offers three certificate programs with specific industry focuses: sustainable built environment, sustainable energy solutions, and sustainable food and agricultural systems. Learn more by visiting their website.


AASHE Conference & Expo 2012
Los Angeles, CA (October 14th, 2012)
As part of AASHE's 2012 conference NCS will present a workshop for University Staff, Educators, and Academics that will explore how to effectively message and communicate sustainability in today’s climate. In addition to this workshop NCS is in the process of increasing our presence at the conference—watch this space!


Housing Washington
Tacoma, WA (October 16th, 2012)
Hunter will present on Integrating Sustainability into Our Communities at the 19th Annual Affordable Housing Conference in Washington. Housing Washington is a dynamic forum for learning, discussion, networking, and collaboration to support the preservation and creation of affordable housing in Washington.

For a full list of upcoming events and to download past presentations visit our calendar.

 
 

   Thank you for caring about our work at Natural Capitalism. This E-lert focuses more on our education programs, but our corporate consulting (which we’ll profile in the next e-alert) continues apace. If it sounds like we’ve been busy, just wait til the fall. Personally I’m a bit in a state of bliss. The writing has allowed me to spend several weeks at home. But it’s not going to last long. Launching three academic programs starting this fall and meeting a barrage of speaking engagements, I'll be hitting the road hard again in August.

Here’s hoping that our trails will cross somewhere down the road. I’d love to hear your thoughts about what we’re doing, ways that we might do it more effectively, and any way that you might want to help.

Thanks for all your support. It means the world to us.

    Warmest regards, Hunter

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