Free sustainability learning + sweatpants = awesome. Home for the holidays? Check out our list of online learning from USGBC, Acumen Fund, EDF, WRI and more.
If you’ve got some time on your hands this winter break, why not check out some of these (mostly) free online learning resources that can help you speak intelligently about this year’s biggest sustainability trends?
- More companies are incorporating the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their sustainability strategies
- Organizations are going beyond setting GHG reduction targets they know they can easily achieve to setting science-based targets
- Corporations around the world are increasingly incorporating ESG data into their traditional reporting
The list below is a great start to getting smart on SDGs, SBTs, and ESG but if GHGs, supply chain, energy efficiency, social impact, the circular economy, or other areas of sustainability are more your thing, checkout our extensive list of sustainability training resources on our Education page from USGBC, Acumen Fund, WRI and more.
More interested in just listening to a podcast, reading a book, or perusing the latest news? Visit our Recommended Resources page for links to other great sustainability knowledge resources.
Take a deeper dive into the UN’S Sustainable Development Goals
This free online web page “course” from the people at the Worlds Largest Lesson in partnership with UNICEF is ostensibly designed to teach educators so that they can in turn teach others about the SDGs, but it’s such great content that I recommend it for anyone who wants to have a solid foundational understanding of the SDGs: SDG Overview Site
Once you know the basics of the SDGs, it’s time to learn how businesses can incorporate them into their sustainability strategies. GRI, the UN Global Compact, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) developed a free guide called the SDG Compass that’s worth a read. If you don’t have time to read it all, you can download just the executive summary: SDG Compass Site
If you’re more of a webinar-recording-watcher type, Responsible Investor offers a free recording of their four-part webinar series that drills down into some of the key issues and highlights the main points for investment decisions and corporate behavior. The recordings are free to watch if you register with your name and contact information: Responsible Investor SDG webinar series
Learn more about what science-based targets are and how to set them
The Science Based Targets initiative is a partnership among CDP, the UN Global Compact, WRI, and WWF. Their website has a free outline of the process involved in setting a science-based target: SBT Step-by-Step Guide
If I’m being honest, the SBT website is a little dense and the references are somewhat circular. If you want a format that’s a bit easier to digest, check out one of the free webinars listed below.
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) hosted a webinar in 2017 with experts from WWF who provided a fantastic overview. You have to provide your name and email address to register, but then the free video plays right away: EDF & WWF 2017 SBT Webinar
EDF hosted a second webinar in 2018 with Kealy Herman from WSP who provided a more updated overview (also free): EDF & WSP 2018 SBT Webinar
Get to Know the Global Reporting Initiative Standards & ESG Trends
This Forbes article from July gives a great overview of the rise of ESG reporting and current trends. According to Forbes, 80% the world’s largest corporations use the GRI standards for their ESG reporting. Unfortunately, you can’t become certified in the GRI standards in your PJs – you’ll have to invest in two days of training with a local partner to take the GRI Certified Standards Training Course. Prices vary by training partner: GRI Training and Workshops page
Coming in April 2019 is a new short course at NYU Stern for executives called Sustainable Finance and ESG Investing taught by NYU’s Tensie Whelan. It also requires an investment of time and money (and wearing pants) but she’s an incredible sustainability educator whose classes have been breaking enrollment records, so I think it’s worth it: NYU Stern Sustainable Finance and Investing Course
If getting officially GRI certified or executive education isn’t in your budget, you can also check out GRI’s podcasts for free: GRI Podcasts
The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) also has a wealth of free reports and tools if you really want to nerd out on sustainability reporting standards: SASB Report Library
Ceres published a free 2018 report titled “Disclose What Matters– Bridging the Gap Between Investor Needs and Company Disclosures” that evaluates how some of the largest companies in our economy are performing from an ESG reporting perspective. This report gives a great overview of reporting trends: Ceres Disclose What Matters report
I hope these resources help you have a productive winter break. Remember, there are a ton more webinars, reports, and classes on our Education page, and even more not-to-be-missed gems on the Recommended Resources page.
Happy holidays!
-Trish
The SDG Icons are displayed in accordance with the “UN Guidelines for Use of SDG logo and 17 Icons for use by Non-UN Entities” document dated December 2017
