Book review by Alan AtKisson, republished from CSRNewswire In a minute, I am going to tell you why Elaine Cohen’s DōShorts Understanding G4: The Concise Guide to Next Generation Sustainability Reporting is a must-read for anybody working in sustainability. But first I need to give you some background. I have been a keen observer, and … Continue reading An Essential Guide through Unavoidable Techno-Babble (Review)
Business and Economics
Summer: A Time for Measuring, Analyzing, Discussing — and even Experiencing! — Happiness
The following was originally composed as a set of notes for use by Junko Edahiro, who writes a monthly newsletter on happiness and wellbeing issues in Japan. See the website of her Institute, ISHES, for more info. My own summer vacation, spent mostly in Sweden and the United States, has been a happy one ... … Continue reading Summer: A Time for Measuring, Analyzing, Discussing — and even Experiencing! — Happiness
Indicators, MDGs, SDGs, and GDP
On Thursday 16 May, I attended an excellent public seminar on the power of indicators and numbers in the context of sustainable development. Hosted by UNDP and the Dag Hammarsköld Foundation, in Stockholm, it featured two powerful women speakers: Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, former director of the UN's Human Development Index and now a professor at the … Continue reading Indicators, MDGs, SDGs, and GDP
Report from OECD: What Winning Looks Like
Here's a letter I sent out to my friends in the Balaton Group from New Delhi, India, where I was recently attending an OECD World Forum and moderating a panel on sustainability. I never thought attending a meeting on national statistics could make me so happy. /Alan Dear friends, I am reporting to you now … Continue reading Report from OECD: What Winning Looks Like
Letter to a Struggling Business Change Agent
This letter was written to a student who approached me for advice on how to engage a company that was just not showing any interest in sustainability ... Dear ______ Thanks for your patience, it's been a terribly busy time ... kids starting school, me starting work ... but I am happy to have this … Continue reading Letter to a Struggling Business Change Agent
Subject: Sustaining happiness (or, Why I didn’t go to a meeting on Happiness)
[Copy of Facebook Status Update] Friends, if you follow my Twitter feed, you'll see a note from friend Kristin Vala Ragnarsdottir saying she missed seeing me at the High-Level Meeting on Happiness hosted by the Prime Minister of Bhutan at UN headquarters in NY. This is a very significant meeting, and I was pleased and … Continue reading Subject: Sustaining happiness (or, Why I didn’t go to a meeting on Happiness)
Life Beyond Growth—download free report
New report traces revolution in how we think about "progress" Is there Life Beyond Growth? The new report by that name declares decisively yes, citing more and more countries that are seriously questioning the "Gross Domestic Product" (GDP) and traditional economic growth as their default definition of "progress." Despite all the economic and political turmoil … Continue reading Life Beyond Growth—download free report
Why Russia Should Invest in Sustainability
Seven Reasons why Russia Should Invest in Sustainability — Three of Them Unconvincing by Alan AtKisson CEO, AtKisson Inc. & Author, The Sustainability Transformation On Wednesday, 10 February, I made the second keynote presentation (after Ashok Khosla's opening) to a conference in Moscow called "Innovative Russia: Responding to Global Challenges." The other participants on the … Continue reading Why Russia Should Invest in Sustainability
Labeling Sustainability: Is Certification Working?
The answer from this small seminar group of world experts on assessing the impact of sustainability standards -- gathered by IVL, IISD, RFF and others to review the work of a big international research program called Entwined -- is a qualified yes. The "Yes" is interesting (and thanks to Erika Svensson of IVL for inviting … Continue reading Labeling Sustainability: Is Certification Working?
A Week in Super-Fast Green-Growth South Korea
My first visit to South Korea introduced me to a remarkable country. Everyone I met, from the taxi driver to government officials, was unfailingly kind and courteous. I came away very impressed, on many levels. But the trip certainly started out in an interesting way ... South Korea is in a hurry. I felt this … Continue reading A Week in Super-Fast Green-Growth South Korea