Print this pageMaking Sustainability Work
Jim Newton, P.E., DEE
Course Outline
This eight hour course provides valuable information for those individuals who participate in the operations and management of businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGO’s), governmental agencies and any other individual with an interest in protecting the planet and being a better world citizen. Completion of this course will provide the student the necessary information and testing to meet the continuing education requirements in order to renew their licenses. It was designed by an instructor who has developed and implemented numerous similar training courses.
This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to
enhance the understanding of the course materials.
Learning Objective
At the conclusion of this course, the student will be able to understand:
- why sustainability is important;
- the corporate sustainability model;
- how to make sustainability work;
- what is sustainability;
- how to identify stakeholders;
- how to be accountable;
- how important CEO and Board commitment is;
- how the role of the corporate mission statement;
- how to work with the regulators;
- how to organize for global sustainability;
- the capital investment decision process;
- capital budgeting;
- costs in the decision making process;
- the importance of the performance evaluation system;
- how to use incentives and rewards;
- strategic performance measurement systems;
- the concept of value;
- how to measure social and environmental impacts;
- how to measure social and environmental risks;
- sustainability performance metrics;
- how to measure reputation, risk and social and environmental impacts;
- how to improve corporate processes, products and projects for sustainability;
- the Global Reporting Initiative;
- how to verify sustainability performance and reporting;
- internal and external sustainability audits, and
- the benefits of sustainability.
Intended Audience
The intended audience for this course is any professional who is involved in the operation and management of businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGO’s), governmental agencies and any other individual with an interest in protecting the planet and being a better world citizen.
Benefit to Attendees
Attendees of this course will under stand the basic concepts of sustainability and how to implement these.
Course Introduction
In recent years sustainability has gained significant momentum. Many large corporations such as Nike, Wal-Mart, and McDonald’s are embracing the concepts of sustainability. Both large corporations and small non profits all are seeing benefits to incorporating sustainability concerns into their business models. Many businesses have become sensitive to social and stakeholder issues. Sustainability can be thought of as a three legged stool and represented as the three e’s (economics, ethics and the environment) or the three p’s, (profit, planet and people).
There are four main reasons for implementing a sustainability program. These include:
- In response to regulatory initiatives;
- Trying to improve community relations;
- The need for cost and revenue imperatives; and
- Societal and moral obligations.
This course is designed to provide engineering professionals with an understanding of sustainability concepts and a means of implementing these concepts into their business models.
Course Content
This course is based upon the following book:
Making Sustainability Work by Marc J. Epstein, which is available in your local library or from Amazon.com, Borders, or Barnes and Nobles. You may be able to find an electronic version from e-bookstores on the Internet if time is of essence (enter search phrase "Making Sustainability Work PDF" in Google) or as a Kindle version from Amazon.
Course Summary
This course discusses basic sustainability concepts and models and how to implement them.
Related Links
Some of these links offer reviews of the text:
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
