“The voices of the business establishment have come to recognize that the key drivers that make responsible corporate behavior an imperative are not only persistent, they are predominant, and they will endure for many years to come.” This quote from Jeffrey Hollender, Executive Chairman and co-founder of Seventh Generation’s newest book, The Responsibility Revolution, scheduled for publication in March 2010, should serve as a ‘call to action’ for the business community.  But while there may be commitment at the top, there is confusion in the middle.

Too often, big ideas (like sustainability and corporate responsibility), get lost when middle management isn’t clear on how to meld the vision with the business case. In fact, a recent IBM survey of more than 250 business leaders worldwide found that over two-thirds say they are focusing on corporate responsibility to grow new revenue streams, although, 76 percent admitted that line-managers "don't understand customers' expectations well."

Understanding the Value of Sustainability

To support business’ need to better understand the concepts of sustainability and provide actionable steps that individuals within an organization can take, the Kaplan EduNeering/Seventh Generation Sustainability Institute has developed unique online learning curricula.  Each interactive course can be purchased using our e-commerce engine (best for individuals and small organizations) or via an enterprise license.  Courses can be customized to meet specific organizational goals, programs and branding guidelines.

• Sustainability 101 – This course was written for use by all employees in an organization and can be extended to outside partners to ‘level set’ a company’s thinking on sustainability.  Users have remarked that they have reached that “aha” moment after taking the Sustainability 101 course and have thought of ways to uncover new opportunities to become sustainable.
  
  The course introduces the sustainability mindset, the principles of sustainability, the business drivers that make sustainability a top priority, and how to implement the principles into your organization.  You’ll gain examples of “best in class” company sustainability programs and actionable steps for developing a sustainability mindset.

• Sustainable Supply Chain – Raising awareness and presenting best practices for sustainable supply chain management is the objective of this course.  All companies have supply chains, and those supply chains often represent the largest cost to an organization.  This course focuses on helping your employees recognize opportunities to build sustainability into that structure, eliminate waste, reduce costs and make better business decisions. 
  
  This new approach to supply chain management focuses on issues including transparency, value chain, stakeholder engagement, and life cycle analysis.  It moves the needle from “component-level thinking” to holistic system-thinking.

• Greenhouse Gas Management – This course provides employees in manufacturing, transportation/logistics, supply chain management, finance and product development with practical ideas and guidelines for thoughtful planning and effective action to reduce your company’s greenhouse gases.
  
  The objective of the course is to raise awareness about the implications of global climate change on business success and provide employees with practical ideas and guidelines to manage greenhouse gases.  Included are steps to follow to create a climate change management plan.

• Sustainability Learning Video Series - This series of 10 short videos (seven to ten minutes) addresses a key aspect of understanding and implementing sustainability in your life and business.  Each video is delivered by Jeffrey Hollender, Executive Chairman and Co-founder of Seventh Generation.  Jeffrey has advised Fortune 500 companies, lectures around the world, and authored best-selling books on sustainability.  His newest book, The Responsibility Revolution, is scheduled for publication in March 2010.

The Sustainability Institute’s eCommerce portal provides both individuals and emerging companies with a cost-effective way to meet their sustainability training needs. By providing you with a self-serve training delivery and management tool, the Sustainability Institute helps businesses meet the ever-changing needs of their employee development requirements.

Kaplan EduNeering Clients

Existing Kaplan EduNeering clients should contact their sales representative regarding purchasing Sustainability Institute courses. Existing clients may also use our Contact Us form and a representative will contact you directly.

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