Package Description

What You Will Learn

• Understand the evolving definition of “sustainability” and its implications across key historical moments and sectors
• Lenses for understanding sustainability concepts, including planetary boundaries, natural capital, ecological footprint, Natural Step, Gaia Theory and more
• Explore the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Meet inspiring figures from the sustainability movement
• Put systems-thinking to work bringing about change to solve the world’s toughest challenges

Who is This Course For?

• Prospective sustainability professionals
• Mid-career professionals making the transition to sustainability
• Those building the green workforce
• Learners new to sustainability concepts
• Anyone interested in contributing to a world that can sustain healthy, livable societies

Course Description

At their core, sustainability concepts are about understanding and fostering systems — economic, social, and environmental — that can operate in perpetuity. Here is your invitation to take a tour with ISSP, the leading global network of sustainability professionals, as we present a foundations-level course to ready prospective sustainability practitioners of all backgrounds to be agents of positive change in their communities, companies, and the green workforce.

Across four self-paced modules, you’ll visit key moments, concepts, and figures throughout sustainability’s history, from first Earth Day and the groundbreaking environmental policies it inspired to the adoption of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. You will also introduced to the body of knowledge that has contributed to sustainability becoming one of the fastest-growing industries today, including flyover lessons on: Triple Bottom Line, Fritjof Capra's Principles of Ecology, Gaia Theory, James Lovelock’s Bioservices, natural capital, ESG, CSR, Corporate governance, principles of good governance, CERES Principles, Transparency, Bcorps, Global Initiative for Sustainability Reporting.

The course is presented in four, 1-hour modules: 

Module 1: Defining sustainability
Module 2: Key issues of sustainability
Module 3: Core concepts of sustainability
Module 4: Levers used to bring about change

Course participants will take one quiz at the end of the course.

Certificate

Following the successful completion of the course, students will receive a Certificate of Completion, indicating they understand the basics of sustainability concepts, frameworks used by practitioners, and the leading initiatives advancing sustainability around the world.

Disclaimer

Upgrades to the ISSP course technology will occur Summer 2024. Please note this transition will result in the loss of any progress you make in completion of this course. All course users will be provided a minimum of 30-day notice prior to platform transition to complete course. Access will be granted automatically on the upgraded platform for future course use.