The primary purposes of Sustainability Matters are to improve the performance of New Zealand organisations from a sustainability, or "triple bottom" line perspective, and to advocate sustainability thinking and action.
Frequently this requires a change from "business as usual" to a different approach which not only reduces costs and improves financial performance but also results in much needed improved outcomes for people and our planet. We owe this to our children and to at least the next six generations i.e. seven generations.
The traditional measure of organisation success - financial outcomes - is an incomplete method of measurement and excludes key elements. These exclusions result in an "unbalanced scorecard".
Is this thinking new? No, far from it. Rachel Carson via her 1962 book "Silent Spring" was perhaps the person who more than any other alerted us to the need for changed thinking.
The thinking can be applied to entities of any size, in any sector, located anywhere.
Newsletters
As part of what we do a newsletter is published (usually) once very two weeks. It is four pages and is intended especially for chartered accountants** and those who use their services. It is distributed to subscribers by opt-in eMail. There is no ($) charge; donations are always welcome! By coincidence the newsletter is called Sustainability Matters.
** Because they have immense potential to influence others and to make huge positive differences to our world.
Sustainability Matters 1st September 2022
In this edition of Sustainability Matters you can read about;
• Time for NZ to Act on ‘Forever Chemicals’
• Holy Sh*t, Overshoot! Don’t Dither; Do
• Australian Research Reveals Value of its Circular Economy Now $62 billion
• The Circular Revolution: Turning the Wheels of Our Financial Systems Towards a Sustainable Future
• Global Ocean Protection Treaty Fails to Pass
• California Bans Sales of New Gas Powered Vehicles by 2035 in Milestone Step
• Leaps in Learning
• Are Greener Homes Our Future? Not While Building Standards are Stuck in the Past
• Singapore a Major Contributor to Air and Water Pollution via Marine Fuel Sales
• Christchurch to Host Country’s Largest Display of Battery Electric Vehicles
• In Indonesian Mining Region, the EV Boom Takes a Heavy Toll
• Inventor Wants to Slow Climate Change with Modern Steam Engine
• An Epic History of Oil from Ancient Times to the First World War
• Are Your Funds Caring for People and the Earth?
• ‘No Exit’: Signs are Pointing to ‘a Civilisation in Terminal Decline’
• Pest Riddance Building Social Capital
• Net Zero: Obstacles and Catalysts for Business Climate Action
• Boutique Brewery Says ‘Hello’ to Low-Carbon Beer.
To see the newsletter click here.
Sustainability Matters 18th August 2022
In this edition of Sustainability Matters you can read about;
• Warren Snow – A Remarkable Man
• UN General Assembly Votes Recognises Rights to a Healthy Environment
• Sustainability Tech Pitch Night
• Days of Rage
• Blueprint for More Resilient Communities
• Petition to Reduce Emissions in a Fair Way Using Carbon Quotas
• How to Make ESG Real
• Passive House Hui 2022
• River Cleanups Move to the Next Level Using Grasses and Oysters
• Is the Climate Crisis a Population Problem or a Poverty Problem?
• Operational Waste Reduction Strategies Through Design and Implementation
• From Climate Denial to Greenwashing
• Empowering Employees on Your Sustainability Journey
• Community-led solar in Two Italian Towns
• Water Resource Sheet
• From Crisis to Sustainable Development: The Sustainable Development Goals as Roadmap to 2030 and Beyond
• ESG Should be Boiled Down to One Simple Measure: Emissions
• Has the UK’s TCFD Mandate Improved Corporate Climate Reporting?
• Kai & Kōrero with Businesses Leading the Circular Economy.
To see the newsletter click here.
Sustainability Matters 4th August 2022
This unexpected edition of Sustainability Matters arises because at the 12th hour, as I was about to embark upon several weeks of travel, I was declared unfit to do so. Hence this unexpected edition in which you can read about;
• Climate-related Disclosures Final Consultation
• Hauling with a Capital “H”
• Zero Emission Battery Electric Trucks Get to Work in Christchurch
• More Energy on Less Land: The Drive to Shrink Solar’s Footprint
• Your Yard Could Be a Wildlife Sanctuary
• Housing Summit 2022
• Four Key Messages for Your Next Sustainability Report
• Climate Change and Business Conference Next Generation Scholarships
• Back From the Brink of Extinction: The Best Conservation Success Stories
• Chinese Court Rules Bitcoin Mining Harms the Climate
• New Report: Beyond ESG: Streamlining Financial Decision-Making with a Shared Understanding of Value
• Consumer ESG Brand Tracker Launches in the US & UK
• Study Ties ‘Forever Chemicals’ Exposure to Billions in US Health Costs
• How Preventing Unwanted Pregnancies Can Help in Climate Fight
• Data Centre Electricity Demands Making it Harder to Build New Homes in London
• Financial Regulator’s ‘Frightening’ Failure to Define Ethical Investments
• Massachusetts Set to Enable Citizens to Give Climate Finance to Vulnerable Nations
• 59 Best Quotes About Making a Difference In the World
• UK High Court Deems Government’s Net-Zero Strategy Unlawful.
To see the newsletter click here.
Sustainability Matters 21st July 2022
Following this 5 page edition of Sustainability Matters there could be a gap of up to 6 weeks until the next edition. During those 6 weeks my focus will be more on my family while we experience new experiences. Meanwhile you can read about;
• World-first: Brazil Court Rules Paris Agreement is a Human Rights Treaty
• Entries Open for 2022 Sustainable Business Awards
• How to Avoid Greenwashing when Offering or Promoting Sustainability-related Products
• New Zealand’s Only Local Cloud Provider Now Carbon-zero
• Living Within Biophysical Limits: Green Growth Versus Degrowth
• Inaugural Aotearoa Housing Survey Reveals Stark Reality of NZ Living Conditions
• Why The Warehouse Will Have to Reveal its Climate Position but Farmers Won’t
• The Greatest Debt of All Time
• Pacific Nations Form Alliance to Oppose Deep-sea Mining
• Dutch Courage for New Zealand?
• An Insight Into Our Gasses
• ‘Sand Batteries’ Could Solve the Energy Storage Challenge
• Public Hugely Underestimate Scientific Consensus on Climate Change
• Mitigating Health Impacts from Climate Change Through Managed Retreat
• High and Dry
• Teachers Maybe the Drivers
• Compostable Ovenable Paper Tray for Packaging of Ready-to-eat meals
• Air Pollution from Cars Killing Thousands of New Zealanders Yearly
• New Tool Helps Businesses Calculate Carbon Footprint and Take Action
• Short-sighted Economics Hurts Nature
• Canberra Avoids Global Energy Crisis
• Best 2022 B Corps Announced.
To see the newsletter click here.
Sustainability Matters 7th July 2022
In this edition of Sustainability Matters you can read about;
• Championing and Integrated Mindset: Driving Sustainability and Value Creation
• High and Dry: How Water Issues Are Stranding Assets
• A4S Sustainability Reporting Insights
• Wet Wipes Create Islands on the Thames River
• Enough – A Review of Corporate Sustainability, in a World Running Out of Time
• Regenerating Our Landscape with Native Forest
• Competition for NZ Carbon? Redwood vs Pinus Radiata
• IFRS Foundation and VRF Consolidate 1st July
• A-CSEAR Conference 2022 – Call for Papers
• The Property Industry Has a Huge Carbon Footprint. Here’s How to Reduce It
• Will a Nile Canal Project Dry Up Africa’s Largest Wetland?
• These Farms Are Living a Double Life
• Dutch Government Issues World-first Cap on Flights from European Hub
• Public Hugely Underestimate Scientific Consensus on Climate Change
• India’s Electronics Industry Bets on Circular Economy to Curb Rising e-waste Mountain
• Celebrating Leaders in The Transition Towards Ethical Investment
• NZTE Releases First Sustainability Report
• Anatomy of a Wave: A Triptych
To see the newsletter click here.
Sustainability Matters 23rd June 2022
In this edition of Sustainability Matters you can read about;
• 50 years of UN Environmental Diplomacy: What’s Worked and the Trends Ahead
• 20th Sustainable Business Awards
• Climate Change & Business Conference:Now to Net Zero
• Chillin’ and Killin’: How Air Conditioning Has Altered Human Behaviour and the Environment
• Offsite Innovation Construction Conference
• Climate Summit Ends in ‘Unconscionable’ Failure as Rich Nations Turn Backs on Poorest
• Is Less Plastic Always Better for the Environment?
• saveBOARD Packaging Waste to Construction Board Plant Officially Opens
• Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths about Our Air-Conditioned World (and Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer)
• New Efforts to Counter Illegal Timber Trade
• CarbonEES Rounds-up More Excellent Material
• New Zealand Electro Mobility Summit
• The Age of Acceleration
• Shareholder Community
• The Case of the Vanishing Cafeteria Tray
• Sustainable Business Management
• World’s First e-tug Welcomed at Ports of Auckland
• The Age of Stolen Salt
• The Evolution of Sustainability Disclosure: Comparing the 2022 SEC, ESRS, and ISSB Proposals
• Pollen and Heat: A Looming Challenge for Global Agriculture.
To see the newsletter click here.
Sustainability Matters 9th June 2022
In this edition of Sustainability Matters you can read about;
• Disclosures – Scenario Analysis: Getting Started at the Sector Level
• Climate Risk Governance for Non-executive Directors
• Aotearoa New Zealand Climate-related Disclosures: Director Preparation Guide
• Glossary of Sustainability
• Pacific Climate Warrior Wins 2022 Global Citizen Award
• Sustainability for Accountants
• Global Values Commission Created
• Have Your Say on Final Draft of Standard for Smart Home Guidelines
• Climate and Councils Podcast
• Malcolm Rands: Why We Ignore Climate Change
• Wetland Construction Guide Published
• Auckland’s Future, Now – 3rd Event
• Finish City on Path to Achieve Net Zero
• Doc Edge Festival 2022
• Get Sustainable Online
• Economics is on the Side of a Low-emissions Future
• The Dirt on Soil
• Retailers Blasted Over ‘Deceitful’ Plastic Phase-out Claims.
To see the newsletter click here.