Tech for Tomorrow: How to Win the Sustainable Innovation Race

Overview

We all know Ghandi once said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Many of us are pretty good at practicing that principle in our personal lives, but what about at work? The goal of this one day workshop is to motivate and educate potential “change agents” in the high tech and IT industries on how to use the scientifically-based framework of The Natural Step (TNS) in launching successful sustainability initiatives in their organization. You can then apply this framework and the new ways of thinking presented in this course to make you and your organization more innovative, more competitive and ultimately more sustainable.

This project is funded in whole or part with funds from Employer Workforce Training Funds administered by the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development and Worksystems, Inc.

Course Outline

From green buildings to global warming, the environment is hot (no pun intended). You can’t pick up a newspaper, watch the TV news or even read a national magazine without hearing about how concern for sustainability is shaping present-day thought about the cars we drive to the compost we keep and the high-tech products and services we create. Yes, in the last several years, government, consumers, industry evangelists, investors and others have all begun to ponder the practice of sustainability in the high-tech industry because of its effects on energy and raw materials as well as the eventual disposal of high-tech equipment. This class will help guide you and your organization as you strive to balance environmental, social and economic considerations as part of everyday business practices.

Training Objectives: What You Will Learn

• A whole systems perspective for considering sustainability
• The Natural Step framework, including the four system conditions
• The basic science underlying The Natural Step Framework
• How the framework is used for decision making and strategic planning
• Suggested ideas for applying the TNS framework in technology organizations
• Resources for fresh ideas and assistance when you wonder what to do next
• Through case studies, how organizations have benefited from implementing the framework

Agenda:

MORNING SESSION (8:30 am – 12:00 noon):

Fundamentals of the Natural Step framework

• What is sustainability and how does it apply to technology companies
• Basic science underlying the Natural Step framework
• Four principles of the Natural Step framework and their application
• Case studies of organizations using the Natural Step framework
• Small group exercise: designing a sustainable product or service

AFTERNOON SESSION (1:00 pm – 5:00 pm):

Applying the Framework in a High Technology organization

• Analyzing your organization for violations of sustainability principles
• Redesigning your organization’s practices to make them sustainable
• Choosing an implementation strategy that best suits your organization
• How to take these concepts back into your organization