At work, do women care more than men about sustainability?

 Individuals are increasingly seeking jobs where they can be an agent for postive change. This was the main finding of Net Impact’s “Talent Report: What Workers Want in 2012,” which I previously covered in “Talent Show” on how astrong CSR program can attract and retain talent. Behind the report was rich data provided by 1,726 respondents.

Liz Maw, the CEO of Net Impact, and I thought it would be interesting to slice the data from a gender perspective. Our key question was, “Who wants to be a catalyst for change more, men or women?” Maw was generous to share the gender cut exclusively with me.

Does a sustainable lifestyle really cost more? (Infographic)

Think you can’t afford to live a much more sustainable lifestyle?  That’s a popular misconception – as the demand of environmentally-friendly products has grown over the years, consumers have been conditioned to believe that green goods or eco products equate to more expensive merchandise.  While this is not the case with most eco-vacations, as we pointed out last year in this Blog, this infographic alerts consumers to the fact that a lot of “green” choices cost little or nothing…and when you add them all together, you may actually be saving money.  

EXCLUSIVE New Photos: Plus-Energy Masdar City in Abu Dhabi

Once billed as the world’s first zero carbon, zero waste city in the desert environs of Abu Dhabi, Masdar hasn’t quite lived up to its original ambitions. But it has come fairly close. Initially launched in 2006, the government-backed project has gone through several phases. Two years ago we visited the first Masdar Institute buildings with their iconic terra-cotta facades and rooftop photovoltaic panels. Now new buildings are sprouting, including Siemens’ regional headquarters expected to achieved LEED Platinum and three pearls from the Estidama rating system. Flip through our gallery for an exclusive peak at the first images of the expanded Masdar Institute and a futuristic new hub designed to host 100 clean tech companies from around the globe.

Do we need the S-word? Yes, for many reasons

Do we really need to use the “S-word” – sustainability –  in order to talk about sustainability? Joel Makower originally posed this question (and answered with a “no”). This strikes me as one of the classic questions for our still-young field, one that goes to its core, and which will be raised again and again.

The polar extremes of response to the question are: “Sustainability just doesn’t resonate with my audiences, I can make changes in my organization without it, so who needs it?” versus “How can you possibly talk about a subject without mentioning the main way you refer to that subject?” I aim to speak both to the critics at the first pole, as well as those who want to take the sustainability term further.

“El Gran Viaje” Buenos Aires-Río: una iniciativa por la movilidad SUSTENTABLE

 El germen de este proyecto nace con la creación de un espacio en la red destinado a buscar el concilio y la convivencia entre peatones, ciclistas y conductores. Los protagonistas de esta historia, Nicolás Dubois (urbanista francés de 25 años) y Julián Grobe (arquitecto argentino de 27), se conocieron en Buenos Aires a través de la red Couchsurfing, una comunidad en la que viajeros y residentes de todo el mundo practican el turismo vivencial, vecinal y de carácter comunitario. Su pasión por el universo bici y ese afán por cambiar el rumbo de las cosas, hizo el resto. De esta alianza amistosa nació Biciactivistas, que a través de acciones y campañas específicas busca espacios comunes de convivencia entre diferentes movilidades, en pro de una mejora en la calidad de vida de la ciudad. El pasado 10 de noviembre, Nicolás y Julián dieron un paso más allá, iniciando la primera etapa de “El Gran Viaje”, un trayecto a pedales que recorrerá 2.700 kilómetros entre Buenos Aires y Río, pasando por el Uruguay, con una duración estimada de 65 días.

Stylish, Sustainable St-Agatha-Berchem Housing Complex Exceeds Energy Code in Belgium

 

This new sustainable social housing project in St-Agatha-Berchem, Belgium was completed this year and takes inspiration from historic projects in the city. The cubic, contemporary project was designed by Buro II & Archi+I to exceed Belgium’s new energy efficiency standards. The white cubic volumes are accented with warm wood and rich green garden areas, and the complex also takes advantage of solar power, rainwater collection and eco-friendly materials.

El turismo sostenible busca alianzas para atraer visitantes

En el Centro de Convenciones Eugenio Espejo. Empresas turísticas ofrecen paquetes turísticos. Ampliar En el Centro de Convenciones Eugenio Espejo. Empresas turísticas ofrecen paquetes turísticos. Tiempo de lectura: 2′ 58” No. de palabras: 476 Redacción Ecuador Miércoles 28/11/2012 Empresas turísticas, de alojamiento y operadoras de tours del país se reunieron ayer en el Centro de Convenciones Eugenio Espejo, de Quito, para exponer sus propuestas y lograr, según los participantes, acuerdos y alianzas turísticas.

Cham heritage holds potential for tourism

VietNamNet Bridge – The central province of Quang Nam has great potential in history, tradition, culture and environment, as well as two UNESCO-recognised world heritage sites and the world biosphere reserve of the Cham Islands, to promote sustainable tourism, said Lucy Russell, the editorial manager of QUO, a travel brand and communications agency, at a two-day workshop here on Thursday.

Another attraction: Tourists in ancient Hoi An. The central province
has great potential to promote sustainable tourism according to an expert.

An Enlightening Farmstay Deep in the Costa Rican Rainforest

As we stepped into the cool of the jungle, the thick foliage blocking out penetrating sunlight and the outside world, our host casually picked a leaf off a tree and consumed it without missing a beat. He chewed on the impromptu snack while continuing to explain the symbiosis of the ecosystem we currently were engulfed in, pointing out exotic plants and explaining their proliferation over millennia. While most people discuss the origins of their housewares on a tour of their home (Here’s the dining room, we got the centerpiece from IKEA…) Stephen Farrell was shedding light on the botany and biology of his farm. This wasn’t eco-tourism, this was eco-education.

Corredor ecoturístico en la Cordillera Septentrional Modelo de desarrollo sostenible, fundamental para fortalecer Turismo Cibao, Costa Norte y Línea Noroeste, grandes atractivos

Si usted no lo sabía, el Corredor ecoturístico en la Cordillera Septentrional, no solo es un modelo de desarrollo sostenible, sino una de las primeras opciones para fortalecer el turismo en las regiones del Cibao, Norte y Línea Noroeste, con grandes atractivos.

Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label being promoted at WTM

The Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label (SSTL) is for the first time being promoted at the World Travel Market (WTM) with the support of the UNDP GEF. The SSTL is a Sustainable Tourism Management and Certification program designed specifically for use in Seychelles. It is voluntary user-friendly and specifically designed to inspire more efficient and sustainable ways of doing business. The program has been developed in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program under the Global Environment Facility (UNDP GEF) and it falls under the UNDP-GEF funded project which is mainstreaming biodiversity in the tourism sector. It is aligned with the GSTC’s Criteria (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) but has been drawn on local knowledge.

La arquitectura sostenible española gana premios

La sostenibilidad supone un requisito cada vez más importante en la concepción de los proyectos arquitectónicos pero si la ubicación de la vivienda se encuentra entre Alaska y la península de Kamchatka, se convierte en todo un reto.