Routledge The Seven Competences of the Sustainable Professional: Developing Best Practice in a Work Setting

Product Description The Seven Competences of the Sustainable Professional shows how every professional can contribute to sustainable development. Through real-life stories told by a range of professionals, each illustrating a sustainability competence, this book provides a practical guide to help professionals realize their sustainability potential. Together, these competences form an accessible framework that is explained in practical terms. Readers are able to check their own sustainability competence level and make plans for personal development at each stage of the book. There are dozens of books explaining how companies and organizations should work decently, dealing with topics like corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainable entrepreneurship, and corporate governance. There is an equally large number of books that describe how individuals should behave in their private lives, for instance, by buying healthy food, using energy-saving equipment, showering with less water, and switching off lights in empty rooms. However, this is the first book to provide individual professionals with a clear framework to enable them to act in a sustainable way in their workplace, be they the CEO, CFO, manager, or office worker. Review If sustainability is to become part of the fabric of 21st-century business, we’ll need to develop a new generation of leaders who can navigate a range of complex business topics. Roorda and Rachelson provide a detailed roadmap, a clear, concise and compelling guide to what it takes to have an impact in today’s business world. It goes beyond the theoretical and dives into the trenches, with real stories about real professionals, punctuated by hands-on insights. This is required reading for anyone seeking to be a change-maker in business. Joel Makower, Chairman and Executive Editor, GreenBiz Group A must-read for every member of the human race. Why? Unlike any other book on sustainability I have ever read, it is approachable, entertaining, smart, and thought-provoking. It argues compellingly that sustainable professionalism is the responsibility of us all and unpacks the basicbuilding blocks of humanity. Coro Strandberg, CSR Consultant, Strandberg Consulting, Canada Reading Roorda can be complicated -- but it is always worthwhile! This manuscript lives up to the brilliant level of thought we expect of him. The internationalization of this addition by Rachelson is highly successful. There are inspiring stories here and key insights into becoming an effective sustainability professional -- may this small book make a big difference in your practice. Peter Blaze Corcoran, Peter Blaze Corcoran, Research Fellow, Earth Charter Center for Education for Sustainable Development, University for Peace, Costa Rica This timely book astutely integrates the best insights from predecessors including Steven Covey, David Brooks, and Jeffrey Sachs. The authors provide a set of self-directed stepping stones for those who aspire to not only "be the change they seek in others" but to dynamically institutionalize change to serve humankind within a nurtured and nurturing Planet Earth. Michael J. Lenaghan, Professor, Miami Dade College and Board Chair, Service for Peace, USA The inspiring stories from the professionals that Roorda and Rachelson have brought to life in this fascinating new book create an important antidote for uneasy times and an effective guidebook for sustainability professionals, aspiring millennials, and any reader yearning for smarter uses of precious planetary resources. It just might help us accomplish a soft landing for civilization, before it’s too late. Joel Solomon, Chairman of Renewal Funds, Canada About the Author Niko Roorda is a leading consultant and author in Sustainable Development and CSR. He has coached more than 50 universities and other organizations in the development and implementation of sustainability-related strategies and policies. Anouchka Rachelson is