On November 9^th, I attended Bob Willard’s book launch of The Sustainability Champion’s Guidebook: How to Transform Your Company (New Society Publishers, 2009). Prior to the launch, I had never heard of this author’s work, but, Willard’s presentation couldn’t have been more relevant to my life and what I am currently learning in school. Coming from a business background and listening to the importance of sustainability was somewhat predictable. However, what truly caught my attention was the “how to” get prominent business leaders to listen to and implement changes that positively affect the environment. Bob Willard’s solution to getting business leaders (CEO’s) to listen and implement sustainable practices in their companies is to use business terminology. As simple as that may sound, it works! Think about it…business-minded individuals are primarily concerned about one thing, and one thing only, money. Thus, talking to them in terms of profit is the ideal solution.

Image from ThoughtBubble.org

Last month, Stephen Harper annihilated the Climate Change Accountability Act (Bill C-311) even though it was defeated in Parliament 43-32, without a debate. This has not happened in eighty years. This blatant, insulting attack on democracy is, to say the least, concerning.

A link on the IRIS facebook page lead to me to the David Suzuki Foundation’s website, where I was able to send an e-mail to Mr. Harper about eliminating the bill right before UN Climate negotiations began.

I wish I could say that I was surprised by Stephen Harper responding and apologizing for his undemocratic hissy-fit. Instead, I was surprised by responses from politicians who were cc’d. I received an e-mail from Elizabeth May touting green party rhetoric, reminding me that she has been a supporter of the bill since its inception.  I also received an e-mail from Mr. Ignatieff, which summarized the issue as well as had a similar underlying message.

Last month IRIS released a report from the 2009 Ecojustice Conference which stated that the Global South is disproportionately affected by climate change. Although Northern countries are the main causes of climate change, it is our Southern counterparts that are dealing with the consequences. Climate change is resulting in droughts, floods, atypical weather events as well as other natural repercussions that are creating mass migrations that are certainly not by choice. This being said, these disasters are never solely natural; they are a combination of political, cultural and social interactions that affect communities like the South Pacific island of Tuvalu which will soon be under water.

The international community has not adequately prepared for the consequences of climate change. What will happen to the people of Tuvalu when they are forced to migrate? Currently the term climate refugees is contested.

Last week, here at the Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS), we were very fortunate to be able to host a talk by Dr. Bob Willard and to launch his latest book, The Sustainability Champion’s Guidebook. This book succinctly explains the case for why a sustainable business is a smart business. What personally struck me was the fact that, being a Human Resources management student, I have been taught that change has to be top down in order for it to be effective. We learn in our course, that it is top management’s responsibility to create a vision and ensure that the whole organization shares that vision. Top management has to “walk the walk and talk the talk” to show commitment to any significant change. However, this perspective does not allow us to take account of how change can be initiated at any level of the organization. Dr.