Social Change

According to a 2011 index sponsored by Siemens, Vancouver is the greenest city in Canada and Montreal is the least green. The index measured and rated the environmental performance of 27 cities in the US and Canada in nine categories: CO2, energy, land use, buildings, transport, water, waste, air and environmental governance. The index was a project run by the Economist Intelligence Unit, an in-house research unit of the British magazine The Economist. Cities were selected independently rather than through requests from city governments to be included. A panel of global experts in urban environmental sustainability advised the unit in...

The large scale movement of people from one place to another is a profound human tragedy but it is also profoundly environmentally destructive. Existing environmental problems are exaggerated when large numbers of people are forced to move from one place to another. The United Nations' (UN) World Refugee Day is observed on June 20 each year. According the the UN there are more than 30 million refugees and other persons of concern to UNHCR. UNHCR and other organizations try to help confine the impact of refugees with rehabilitation and clean-up operations.The spontaneous movement and displacement of large numbers of people...

Game Change Rio is a great way to understand the interconnected complexities facing our planet today. Based on a huge array of real-life data, players can explore the countless ways we can ruin our world or save the planet. Once more of us begin to understand the issues involved, we have a better chance of changing thegame. Game Change Rio gives you access to real-life data that so far has only been available to experts and policy makers. Based on the Millennium Institute’s Green Economy Model, which was commissioned by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the game includes all...

On Monday June 18, climate change activists used Twitter to send a message to end fossil fuel subsidies that has echoed around the world. People all over the planet understand that it's simply wrong to be spending tax dollars off to the richest industry in the world, an industry that's wrecking the atmosphere and endangering our shared future. The 24-hour "Twitter storm" garnered the support of hundreds of thousands of people and was the top ranked tweet of the day. According to the Guardian this was the top trending topic in the  US and second place globally while Topsy.com reported...

According to a large number of studies, women are greener than men in both their attitudes and their actions. One study shows that women have a greater stake in managing climate change as they are "more likely to lose their lives and otherwise fare worse than men in extreme events from heat waves to hurricanes and tsunamis." According to an international survey by Synovate, women are greener than men. A study published by France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economics shows that women emit less carbon than men. Men emit an average of 39.3 kilograms of carbon per day, women...

As the nation’s leading green educator, Everblue Training Institute has the primary goal of helping people to succeed in the green economy. Whether to earn professional certification or for personal edification, at Everblue people can learn everything they need to know about sustainable, green building principles and practices. Everblue’s mission is to build the earth’s sustainable workforce. Their efforts are premised on the belief that education for a clean energy economy promotes energy security, increases prosperity, and safeguards the health of the environment. Everblue believes that everyone wins with sustainability. Owners benefit with comfort, health, and savings. The environment benefits...

The Billion Dollar Green Challenge invites colleges, universities and other nonprofits to invest a total of one billion dollars in self-managed green revolving funds that finance energy efficiency upgrades. The goal is to save energy, and grow money. The Challenge is inspired by the exceptional performance of existing green revolving funds, which have a median annual return on investment of 32%, as documented by Greening The Bottom Line, a report published by the Sustainable Endowments Institute. This is an extraordinary rate of return in an otherwise bleak economy. These investment transform energy efficiency upgrades from perceived expenses to high-return investment...

World Environment Day (WED) is an annual event for positive environmental action. WED activities take place all year round but climax on 5 June every year, involving everyone from everywhere. This year’s commemorations are expected to be the largest and most widely celebrated globally.WED celebration began in 1972 and has grown to become the one of the main vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action.Through WED, the UN Environment Programme is able to personalize environmental issues and enable everyone to realize not only their responsibility, but also their power to...

The Green Market has been recognized as one of the Web's top blogs to educate green business students. The green and sustainable mega-trend is increasingly ubiquitous and blogs offer green business students a wealth of information related to this rapidly growing field. As selected by BSchool.com here are the top 50 blogs for business students.News and ViewsVisit these blogs to learn the latest in green and sustainable business news as well as finding some great commentary from bloggers.Green Biz: This site is an excellent source of all the latest green business news on everything from energy to marketing. Recommended Post:...

For more than five years, the UN has been behind efforts to broaden sustainable development education initiatives around the world.Sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising those of future generations. This simple definition encompasses a complex dynamic that implicates values and value systems as well as interdisciplinary knowledge and experience, and stresses the interdependence of the environment, society and the economy.In December 2002, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 57/254 to put in place the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), spanning the years 2005 to 2014. UNESCO was designated...