•• The course set for May 9-10 has been cancelled - please contact me for more info ••
"Building the Sustainability Pyramid"
- an ISIS Accelerator course
- facilitated by Roberta Fernandez, Senior Associate, The AtKisson Group (USA)
Montgomery's Inn, Toronto, Ontario
Please send a notice of your interest to
Douglas Worts
Sustainability Pyramids from the around the world bring people together with a common vision for the future.
Have you been looking for a framework and process for sustainability problem solving?
Do you want to reinvent yourself or your organization as a sustainability change agent?
... wanting to contribute to the transformation of society so that current and future generations can thrive?
Then this course is for you.
"Building the Sustainability Pyramid" is one of the core courses that make up the
ISIS Academy’s Professional Certification in Strategic Sustainability.
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Praise from two sustainability champions for this course...
"Building the ISIS Pyramid together is a powerful way to galvanize diverse stakeholders toward a common end. It seamlessly imbeds systems thinking & clarifying metrics as it builds to an exciting action plan. And it’s fun!"
Bob Willard, Author and Speaker, Sustainability Advantage
“The Sustainability Pyramid Program was amazing. It enabled participants to look at sustainability opportunities and problems through a systems perspective. I can see how this tool would be valuable for sustainability strategy development, problem solving and defining new sustainable products, processes and services."
Kathryn Cooper, President and Chief Learning Officer, Sustainability Learning Centre
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Scroll Down for the Following Topics:
- General Description of the Course
- Dates/Times, Location, Cost
- About the Instructor - Roberta Fernandez
- Registration and Payment
- Some Background on Alan AtKisson and the ISIS Academy
- More Questions?
- Some Useful Resources
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General Description of the Course
Improve quality, processes, and performance excellence in your organization through the lens of sustainability
If you are only going to one training class this Spring, make it this one.
This two-day sustainability planning immersion event is highly interactive. You’ll be learning and using powerful tools in which to:
- Facilitate rapid and effective group learning
- Improve decision-making in a highly inter-disciplinary context
- Acquire new skills for visioning, training, team building, problem solving, and strategic planning
- Learn a new process for engaging diverse stakeholders, within or outside of your organization
- Gain insights into promoting an organizational cultural of change
This highly interactive two-day workshop introduces you to all of the elements of the ISIS Method - Indicators, Systems, Innovation and Strategy - a process that will help you:
- Assess the health of your organization or situation
- Identify key leverage points for change
- Successfully implement innovations that are aligned with your goals
- Improve efficiency and productivity
- Enhance employee and customer satisfaction
- Manage risk and minimize unintended consequences
- Use the lens of sustainability to maximize results
Over the course of the two days, participants will learn how to use the Compass of Sustainability as a framework for buildingNature, Economy, Society and Wellbeing. Through a combination of presentations, information sharing and small group work, participants will also learn and apply the 4 basic stages of building an ISIS pyramid:
- Indicators - identifying 'what is' - learning how to describe the critical aspects of the world you are attempting to change
- Systems - identifying the forces that are shaping the 'what is' so that you can pinpoint leverage points to create change
- Innovation - creating the interventions that will achieve your goals, within the systems environment you are working
- Strategies - devising plans to implement the innovations you have selected to bring about the change you desire.
By the end of the second day, you will create a physical pyramid - one that takes into account all four elements of the Compas of Sustainability. The pyramid will also include the building blocks for your project. You will also have had fun.
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Roberta Fernandez provides an introduction to the ISIS Method
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Date/Time, Location, Costs:
Date/Time: The course set for May 9-10, 2013 has been cancelled - please contact me for more info
Location:
Costs:
- - Regular Rate - $595 + HST
- - Early Bird Rate - $550 + HST
- - Group Rate - for 2 or more people from the same organization - $525 + HST (each)
Scroll further down to Register and Pay
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About the Instructor - Roberta Fernandez
Roberta Fernandez is the Senior Associate for the AtKisson Group’s U.S. division. As a public speaker and trainer, she assists companies, businesses and governments to become more socially responsible in conducting business operations. Her expertise has been instrumental in helping companies develop plans to go green, support organizational change, and achieve long-term goals within a climate of competing interests.
Roberta has more than 25 years of experience in finance, education, and management, across corporate and private sectors. Her background allows her to effectively create positive change not only in policy and decision-making, but also in workforce processes, quality improvements and human resources.
Roberta’s background includes leading training and development for organizations such as JP Morgan Chase, Starwood VO, Sam’s Club, the City of Tampa and others. She has worked with organizations of all sizes, including Fortune 500 companies, regional government bodies, universities and not-for-profits. Roberta is experienced working with individuals at all levels within an organization, from C-suite executives to front-line employees, helping train, implement, and educate to achieve her clients’ objectives.
Whether working with an entire company, to bring it up to speed on critical sustainability topics, or just polishing the skills of individual employees, Roberta shares her invaluable knowledge to help tackle the most complex challenges inherent in organizations today. She’s available for consulting and to lead training and development workshops. Organizations also call on her to custom design courses for their unique needs on Indicators and Assessment, Systems Thinking, Change Agent Skills, Sustainability Process Design, Communicating Sustainability, Planning and Evaluation and more.
Roberta resides in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. She holds a Sustainability Certification from the International Society of Sustainability Professionals, is a Certified Score and Spark Assessor, a Graduate of the ISIS Academy Master Class and a Sustainable Florida-Collins Center Associate.
Roberta has more than 25 years of experience in finance, education, and management, across corporate and private sectors. Her background allows her to effectively create positive change not only in policy and decision-making, but also in workforce processes, quality improvements and human resources.
Roberta’s background includes leading training and development for organizations such as JP Morgan Chase, Starwood VO, Sam’s Club, the City of Tampa and others. She has worked with organizations of all sizes, including Fortune 500 companies, regional government bodies, universities and not-for-profits. Roberta is experienced working with individuals at all levels within an organization, from C-suite executives to front-line employees, helping train, implement, and educate to achieve her clients’ objectives.
Whether working with an entire company, to bring it up to speed on critical sustainability topics, or just polishing the skills of individual employees, Roberta shares her invaluable knowledge to help tackle the most complex challenges inherent in organizations today. She’s available for consulting and to lead training and development workshops. Organizations also call on her to custom design courses for their unique needs on Indicators and Assessment, Systems Thinking, Change Agent Skills, Sustainability Process Design, Communicating Sustainability, Planning and Evaluation and more.
Roberta resides in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. She holds a Sustainability Certification from the International Society of Sustainability Professionals, is a Certified Score and Spark Assessor, a Graduate of the ISIS Academy Master Class and a Sustainable Florida-Collins Center Associate.
Praise for Roberta Fernandez
“Roberta provided a flexible framework, along with tools, to problem solve and generate better solutions. It was a process and it also took into account the people factors that impact and influence true creative problem solving.”
“Roberta clearly explained a theory of sustainability in a way that allowed me to grasp the concept and envision practical applications that I will use immediately.”
“ISIS transforms people’s approach to planning and decision-making. It opened our eyes to see how we can do our jobs more effectively.”
“Roberta brought new concepts to the table that technical/analytical thinkers like myself wouldn’t normally identify or utilize, but conveyed them in a way that resonated with me so that I am inspired to use these concepts in the future.”
“Roberta listened to what everyone did and thought and created a space for them to connect with each other about the world of sustainability and how to link it back to my work.”
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Some background on Alan AtKisson and the ISIS Academy
Alan AtKisson, co-founder of the ISIS-Academy GmbH, is a senior strategic consultant, professional trainer, and author in the field of sustainable development. He has been working in the field since 1988, and helped to develop the field as a profession. He introduced the term “sustainability change agent“ and is considered one of the pioneers in sustainability consulting: tools and methods developed by him and his colleagues have been adopted for professional use in over twenty countries.
He is the author of two books, Believing Cassandra: How to be an optimist in a pessimist’s world and The Sustainability Transformation: How to accelerate positive change in challenging times. Both books were re-released in new editions (Earthscan) in late 2010.
His books have been adopted by university courses and professional training programs in several countries.
Alan leads the AtKisson Group, an international consultancy with Affiliate offices in Asia, Europe and the United States. Alan and his team have worked with over 150 organizations around the world, ranging from United Nations offices and global companies, to regional planning programs and international commissions, to cities and educational institutions. A dual citizen of Sweden and the United States, he lives in Stockholm with his wife Kristina (who also works in the field of sustainable development) and their two children.
The following two videos provide a glimpse into Alan AtKisson's approach to the challenges of sustainability:
1. The 7 Principles of Sustainability
2. Happiness as a New Measure of Societal Wellbeing
He is the author of two books, Believing Cassandra: How to be an optimist in a pessimist’s world and The Sustainability Transformation: How to accelerate positive change in challenging times. Both books were re-released in new editions (Earthscan) in late 2010.
His books have been adopted by university courses and professional training programs in several countries.
Alan leads the AtKisson Group, an international consultancy with Affiliate offices in Asia, Europe and the United States. Alan and his team have worked with over 150 organizations around the world, ranging from United Nations offices and global companies, to regional planning programs and international commissions, to cities and educational institutions. A dual citizen of Sweden and the United States, he lives in Stockholm with his wife Kristina (who also works in the field of sustainable development) and their two children.
The following two videos provide a glimpse into Alan AtKisson's approach to the challenges of sustainability:
1. The 7 Principles of Sustainability
2. Happiness as a New Measure of Societal Wellbeing
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Still have questions? Please send an email to Douglas Worts.
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Some Useful Resources:
"Believing Cassandra: How to be an Optimist in a Pessimist's World",
by Alan AtKisson
A bestseller on Amazon.com within months of its first release, Alan AtKisson's debut book quickly became a modern classic of sustainability literature. Global companies, grassroots groups, university courses, government agencies, and even the US Army ordered it by the box. Now fully revised and updated, Believing Cassandra: How to be an Optimist in a Pessimist's World is even more relevant, fresh, and motivating than when it first appeared in 1999. In a style that's refreshingly candid and vivid, with unforgettable personal anecdotes, AtKisson provides us with a bridge over the sea of despair, and shows us how to catch the wave to an enticing, sustainable future. He empowers the reader to join the pioneers who created the ideas, techniques and practices of sustainable living - the people who prove Cassandra's warnings wrong, by believing in them, and taking strategic action.
"The Sustainability Transformation:
How to Accelerate Positive Change in Challenging Times",
by Alan AtKisson
The Sustainability Transformation is a must-read for anyone trying to make sense of what is happening to our world - and wanting to change it for the better. Renowned consultant and communicator Alan AtKisson, author of the sustainability classic Believing Cassandra, cuts through the jargon and illuminates the essentials in this highly readable and motivational work. The Sustainability Transformation covers theory and practice, tools and strategies, the opportunities and the obstacles, illustrated with in-depth case studies and poignant personal anecdotes. AtKisson's aim is to empower the reader and to help grow a global 'army of change agents,' working effectively to overcome the great challenges of our times. At the heart of the book is AtKisson's potent ISIS Method, used by business, governments, and organizations around the world. ISIS - Indicators, Systems, Innovation, Strategy - helps professionals, students, and amateurs alike to put sustainability to work and accelerate change, even when facing difficult circumstances. AtKisson also introduces the reader to many inspiring people, unsung heroes whose success stories provide a solid foundation for hope. Previously published in hardcover as The ISIS Agreement.
How to Accelerate Positive Change in Challenging Times",
by Alan AtKisson
The Sustainability Transformation is a must-read for anyone trying to make sense of what is happening to our world - and wanting to change it for the better. Renowned consultant and communicator Alan AtKisson, author of the sustainability classic Believing Cassandra, cuts through the jargon and illuminates the essentials in this highly readable and motivational work. The Sustainability Transformation covers theory and practice, tools and strategies, the opportunities and the obstacles, illustrated with in-depth case studies and poignant personal anecdotes. AtKisson's aim is to empower the reader and to help grow a global 'army of change agents,' working effectively to overcome the great challenges of our times. At the heart of the book is AtKisson's potent ISIS Method, used by business, governments, and organizations around the world. ISIS - Indicators, Systems, Innovation, Strategy - helps professionals, students, and amateurs alike to put sustainability to work and accelerate change, even when facing difficult circumstances. AtKisson also introduces the reader to many inspiring people, unsung heroes whose success stories provide a solid foundation for hope. Previously published in hardcover as The ISIS Agreement.
"Sustainability is Dead - Long Live Sustainability"
by Alan AtKisson, 1999
Click to download a free copy.
Following are some excerpts from this publication...
“In dawning days of the Third Millenium, human civilization finds itself in a seeming paradox of gargantuan proportions. On the one hand, industrial and technological growth is destroying much of Nature, endangering outselves and threatening our descendants. On the other hand, we must accelerate our industrial and technological development or the forces we have already unleashed will wreak even greater havoc on the world for generations to come….”
"...The future may be fundamentally unknowable, but certain physical process are predictable, given adequate knowledge about current trends, causal linkages and systemic effects. Prediction based on extrapolation is not just the province of physics: much of our economy is focussed on efforts to accurately predict the future based on past trends... Insurance companies base their entire portfolio of investments and fees on statistical assessments of past disasters and projected trends into the future..."
"...We have the power to fundamentally shape climate, manage ecosystems, design life-forms, and much more. The fact that we are currently doing these things very badly obscures the fact that we are doing them and can therefore learn to do them better... We as a species have the power to create the future we envision... If we cultivate a vision of ourselves as powerful and wise stewards of our planetary home, transformation becomes possible..."
"...'Sustainability', as a word, is dying of misuse, dryness and reduction to a buzzword.... Sustainability is not a substitute word for environmentalism, though it is used as such by proponents and opponents alike. Sustainability is not a substitute word for economic growth, though it gets stretched in that direction far too often..."
"Sustainability is a far more ennobling concept than most current application reflects. Sustainability is a dream, an overarching ideal toward which any human society collectively strives... To be brought back to life, sustainability, as a word, must be reinvented. It must be imbued with all the qualities that our societies need to embrace to make sustainability itself possible. The word "sustainability' should shine with promise and vibrate with creativity. Sustainability should fascinate the hungry mind, satisfy the heart in search of a meaningful life, draw people to it the way athletes are drawn to compete, the way artists are drawn to create, the way lovers are drawn to each other..."
"For this generation, sustainability is about global transformation. Nothing could be more exciting to consider as the project of a generation, except perhaps making the first journey to the stars..."
Alan AtKisson, from “Sustainability is Dead – Long Live Sustainability: A Manifesto Written to Mark the End of the Millennium Two, and the Beginning of the Millenium Three. (1999/2000/2001)
by Alan AtKisson, 1999
Click to download a free copy.
Following are some excerpts from this publication...
“In dawning days of the Third Millenium, human civilization finds itself in a seeming paradox of gargantuan proportions. On the one hand, industrial and technological growth is destroying much of Nature, endangering outselves and threatening our descendants. On the other hand, we must accelerate our industrial and technological development or the forces we have already unleashed will wreak even greater havoc on the world for generations to come….”
"...The future may be fundamentally unknowable, but certain physical process are predictable, given adequate knowledge about current trends, causal linkages and systemic effects. Prediction based on extrapolation is not just the province of physics: much of our economy is focussed on efforts to accurately predict the future based on past trends... Insurance companies base their entire portfolio of investments and fees on statistical assessments of past disasters and projected trends into the future..."
"...We have the power to fundamentally shape climate, manage ecosystems, design life-forms, and much more. The fact that we are currently doing these things very badly obscures the fact that we are doing them and can therefore learn to do them better... We as a species have the power to create the future we envision... If we cultivate a vision of ourselves as powerful and wise stewards of our planetary home, transformation becomes possible..."
"...'Sustainability', as a word, is dying of misuse, dryness and reduction to a buzzword.... Sustainability is not a substitute word for environmentalism, though it is used as such by proponents and opponents alike. Sustainability is not a substitute word for economic growth, though it gets stretched in that direction far too often..."
"Sustainability is a far more ennobling concept than most current application reflects. Sustainability is a dream, an overarching ideal toward which any human society collectively strives... To be brought back to life, sustainability, as a word, must be reinvented. It must be imbued with all the qualities that our societies need to embrace to make sustainability itself possible. The word "sustainability' should shine with promise and vibrate with creativity. Sustainability should fascinate the hungry mind, satisfy the heart in search of a meaningful life, draw people to it the way athletes are drawn to compete, the way artists are drawn to create, the way lovers are drawn to each other..."
"For this generation, sustainability is about global transformation. Nothing could be more exciting to consider as the project of a generation, except perhaps making the first journey to the stars..."
Alan AtKisson, from “Sustainability is Dead – Long Live Sustainability: A Manifesto Written to Mark the End of the Millennium Two, and the Beginning of the Millenium Three. (1999/2000/2001)