A Call to Join Sustainable Business Institute’s “Sustainable Revolution

A Call to Join Sustainable Business Institute’s “Sustainable Revolution”

We have had our agriculture and industrial revolution now its time for something new!
The Sustainable Business Institute (SBI) calls on you to join in a revolution unique in history—a “Sustainable Revolution”--where all commit to meet economic, environ-mental, and social needs without using up the earth’s resources that future generations and all of life on the planet need to meet theirs as well. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth” underscores the urgent need for action. This October the non-profit Sustainable Business Institute will launch its Seal of Sustainability (SOS), started in 2000, a unique assessment process which publicly recognizes companies with business practices that contribute to saving or restoring resources this planet so badly needs. We are looking for 100 volunteers to help us launch the Seal in October. We invite you to be a volunteer!

I heard Bill McKibben, a scholar in residence in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, speak at a recent CERES Conference. Bill is a world renowned environmental author of the 1990’s book The End of Nature--a classic work on the environmental crisis, the greenhouse effect, and the depletion of the ozone layer. At the conference, he talked about a subject Gore and others have raised about CO2 concentrations reaching a “tipping point,” in which Earth’s natural ecosystems will begin to collapse and degrade faster than the rate of restoration.

The unsubtle conclusion to all this is that we are now tampering with the earth’s natural systems, possibly making degradation permanent, in effect threatening all life on our planet. It hit me that up till now, we have lost species that will not exist again. As horrible as this is, an even worse situation has arisen. McKibben said that reports from leading scientists now indicate that the “tipping point” will likely be reached much sooner than Gore’s suggested 10-15 year timeline…perhaps in even 2-4 years unless, that is, something halts or slows it down. Check out McKibben’s website: www.billmckibben.com. Again, the point: If CO2 emissions continue to increase at the current pace, our natural systems will be permanently damaged. There will be “no going back.” Losses can never be restored.

SBI, our partners, youth leaders, and volunteers invite you to spend time and energy to pull together your contacts and resources and devote serious effort to address this global emergency. Everyone is busy. Not trying is simply not an option. Companies use most of the world’s resources. SBI’s Seal of Sustainability is one means by which they can engage in sustainable business practices and lighten their footprint on our planet. SBI will launch its SOS in October in Silicon Valley. Below are action steps you can take to help us do it successfully. Join with us in this vision to sustain a quality of life for all our planet. We urgently need your involvement.

Sincerely, ACTION STEPS:

1) Contact SBI:jhfullmer@sustainablebusiness.org

2) Identify at least 5 companies* you believe have sustainable business practices:

Jessica Fullmer a) Identify appropriate company executive

Founder and Chairperson b) Request SOS Application Package

Sustainable Business Institute

www.sustainable business.org c) Follow up to urge submission of application

3) If possible, attend October launch of SOS

*any size, any type, any country

4) Contact us to volunteer in one of the committees

5) Attend the Sustainable Business User Group (SBUG) if you are a business person July 11 at 11:00 am. (See website)