Specifically, after defining CSR, these authors and their contributors describe how to get involved in CSR, how to identify CSR opportunities, how to best communicate CSR activities to stakeholders, and practice of tracking CSR performance.

While their focus and context is emerging and developing countries this book is of interest to all those concerned with the CSR and business linkage. These authors seek to provide the reader with insight into some practical skills in designing CSR strategies in order to use them for competitiveness as well as tracking performance of CSR programs.

Further information about the book and how to order it may be found at the authors’ website and ordered online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

EJ Wensing PhD

ejwensing@ecosphere.net

Yet, as a concept we all likely have ideas about what it means.

Most would agree that it includes protection and improvement of the environment for future generations.

Many would also likely agree that it includes reducing pollution and destruction of the environment.

Many understand that the environment connects all people on our shared planet.

Sustainability is much bigger than the environment, though. It also includes human rights, social justice, and a basic standard of living for all.

It is a balance between generating environmental well-being and human well-being.

This balance can be found through collaborative action across global cultures.

Sustainability means a better future for all.

EJ Wensing

ejwensing@ecosphere.net

Collaboration within and between communities worldwide is essential to generating a sustainable global future.

Actually connecting collaboration within and between communities is, however, no easy task.

Its been a while since our last post here as we’ve been busy trying to research, develop, and connect communities for sustainability at various sites throughout North America.

While the enthusiasm and understanding is there, putting that willingness to collaborate into action is often difficult.

Nonetheless, connecting communities in collaborative action for sustainability is an essential part of generating a sustainable future.

EJ Wensing

USVI  

Wishing everyone a Happy 2012 New Year !

EJ Wensing

Lead at Ecosphere Net

ejwensing@ecosphere.net

Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent made this proclamation this week at Colorado University (CU) as he committed to a new partnership with the University; one in which the success of society takes precedence over business success.

As reported in The Coloradian, Kent is developing a great new partnership model with CU for sustainability. (link here)

NSF supported research by the lead co-founder of Ecosphere Net, EJ Wensing, is developing the Sustainable Futures Protocol (SFP). The SFP is an exciting new social science research protocol that seeks to develop leadership and partnerships for sustainability worldwide.

The SFP will fit right into the CU/Coca-Cola model as well as other ventures for corporate social responsibility.

Ecosphere Net's EJ Wensing is seeking to research and develop the SFP while acting as a consultant to corporations as they seek to shift with societies toward a sustainable global future.

I have read several opinions about this event.

Some say it’s a non-event, suggesting that the Earth’s capacity is still unknown and likely much greater than we expect. Some suggest that in the economically developed world the population growth has plateaued so its “only” a problem in the developing regions of the world.   

Many leaders for global sustainability, however, from the social entrepreneur to the sustainability champion see it from the perspective of “connectedness”.

Simply put, the concept of connectedness is about how we are all linked around the world no matter where we live; linked because we all utilize the same life supporting ecosystems and linked because we are all human.

The former takes the practical stance. We are all co-dependent on each other because we eat, breath, and drink the food, air, and water from the same cycling resources. The latter might be seen as too “touchy- feely” by some, but speaks to the moral and ethical obligation we have to our fellow humans.

I think the research efforts of groups like Population Council are the best approach to curbing world population growth. Developing valid and effective collaborative action initiatives is the key.

Our part at Ecosphere Net is to pursue research of the most effective cross-cultural learning systems to characterize, develop, and connect community leaders for sustainability worldwide.

EJ Wensing

ejwensing@ecosphere.net

EJ Wensing has received a generous award from the US National Science Foundation for his doctoral research (Link Here to NSF Announcement)

Funding will go toward his cross-cultural research study of community leaders for sustainability and his development of the Global Sustainability Inventory (GSI) that seeks to characterize those personal and social characteristics that help make them effective.

Very funny and very brilliant.

EJ Wensing

Many researchers are beginning to ask, what about the people? How do our attitudes and behaviors need to shift to help generate a sustainable future? 

In other words, if we could look into the future what would the people of the sustainable future be like? How do they work within and between their communities to help generate a sustainable future?

If we could look into the future I suspect we’d see a lot of people being more active in their communities. These communities would be organized into collaborative groups that would network with other similar groups around the world. There would be community sustainability centers that would serve as meeting places for the collaborative groups with the capacity to connect to other centers around the world.

Of course many such groups already exist and already meet at community town halls or on the internet.

What appears needed, however, is the social science research to help refine them and co-ordinate them so that they can work together to help generate a sustainable future across global societies.

EJ Wensing

ejwensing@ecosphere.net

Our global future remains uncertain.

What is certain is that as global populations continue to get bigger our futures are becoming more and more connected.

The pollution generated in one part of the world effects the health of those in other parts of the world.

Killing the ocean in one part of the world will affect the health of all the seas and oceans, and our health all over the world.

Global sustainability is about more than climate change.

The world is made-up of connected ecosystems and, more than ever, we are part of those systems.

At Ecosphere Net we are looking to connect all people across the world as global citizens in collaborative action networks toward a sustainable future for this generation and the next.

Stay-tuned to this blog for some exciting reports on our social science research that will help us move toward that global future.

EJ Wensing

USVI

ejwensing@ecosphere.net