News & Events

On Monday, 24 May, the Egyptian National Competitiveness Council (ENCC) held a high-level conference in connection with the release of the 7th Annual Competitiveness Report. Alan AtKisson, President and CEO of AtKisson Group, was invited to Cairo to speak on one of the report’s main themes: a “green” transformation of the Egyptian economy.

The ENCC has in recent years begun to explore sustainability themes with great seriousness. Two years ago, responding to climate change was a major focus, and last year’s theme was responsible enterprises. Now, in 2010, the ENCC has embraced the concept of a “Green Transformation” in the Egyptian economy, and the report reflects the formal support of government ministers for moving in this direction.

Alan AtKisson’s speech placed the Egyptian initiative in a global perspective, and provided ample proof that Egypt is far from alone in identifying this moment of strategic opportunity. “Egypt may not be the first country to the starting line,” he noted, “but it has the potential to make a giant leap ahead.”

The Chair of the ENCC, Mr. Helmy Abouleish, is also the CEO of the Sekem companies, a family of sustainable enterprises founded his father, Right Livelihood Award-winner Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish. Sustainability principles already have a strong presence in Egyptian business community.

Alan AtKisson has been retained to assist the ENCC in developing its national strategy on green transformation, and we will keep reporting on this important effort over time.

The AtKisson Group is growing! We are pleased to welcome the following  new Affiliates to our international network of leading sustainability service providers. All of our Affiliates are fully authorized to provide AtKisson-branded services, and to provide training and licensing in the use of the ISIS Accelerator suite of sustainability tools.

Australia - FWR Group
Led by Mike Duggan and Michael O’Brien, FWR Group calls itself “the guiding hand through the green maze,” and provides a variety of consulting, planning, and education services in sustainability. Michael O’Brien (”MOB” to his friends) is a recent graduate of the ISIS Academy Master Class as well.

Poland - Fundacja Sendzimira (The Sendzimir Foundation)
Created to “help Polish society in finding solutions to complex environmental, economic and social problems,” the Foundation is leader in education, training, and research.  Several key leaders in the Foundation have received advanced training on the ISIS method and tools. More …

Poland - Center for System Solutions
The Center, led by AtKisson Senior Associate Piotr Magnuszewski, is an independent and innovative source of expert-level systems modeling, simulation, and game-design expertise. Piotr also serves as senior faculty with the ISIS Academy.

U.S.A. - Planet Partnership
Led by Roberta Fernandez - one of the first 100 people trained to deliver Al Gore’s famous slide presentation on climate change - Planet Partnership provides highly creative training and consulting services throughout the U.S. from its base in Tampa, Florida. Roberta and colleague Leslie Laney are ISIS Academy Master Class graduates as well.

More Affiliates will be joining us in coming months … click here to learn more about about our global network of Affiliates and our team of Associates, in over a dozen countries.

Join renowned climate scientist James Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and Alan AtKisson, President of the AtKisson Group, for a one-hour discussion of what happened at CoP-15 (the Copenhagen Climate Summit), what didn’t, and what to do now.

This special one-hour webinar is jointly sponsored by the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) and the ISIS Academy (the AtKisson Group’s sustainability learning and training division).

Date: Thursday, February 4, 2010

Time: 3 PM EST (US East Coast), 9 PM CET (Europe)

Registration: $25, or free to members of the ISSP

Link to register:

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/545902810

Hope to see you there!

Cassandra

Cassandra Troy
Virtual Marketing Manager and Customer Service Avatar
The AtKisson Group

We are pleased to share with you the Climate Interactive Scoreboard, a live widget that shows the current status of the global deal on climate change.  The display shows what the likely temperature increase will be, by 2100, if the current commitments made by the countries were all implemented. The display is live and is updated in real time as new commitments are made or as commitments are changed. Produced by our good friends at Sustainability Institute.

From the Sustainable Silicon Valley Website …

To go directly to registration for this two-day workshop, go to:  http://changeagent.eventbrite.com/

Sustainable Silicon Valley, a consortium of companies and other organizations in the south San Francisco Bay area, is sponsoring this in-depth, hands-on training for sustainability change agents with Alan AtKisson, internationally renowned author, strategic consultant and change agent. This course will deepen your understanding of sustainability and provide you with the tools necessary to facilitate real change. In this workshop, you will learn a suite of tools aimed at breaking sustainability down into its essential elements in order to identify levers for effecting change, bringing to life the method described in his new book, The ISIS Agreement: How Sustainability Can Improve Organizational Performance and Transform the World.

The ISIS Method helps you navigate through any process and maximize the impact of your actions.These tools enable groups to explore challenging problems in a systematic way and to generate solutions that take into account complex systems dynamics.

Topics include:

•    Indicators and Assessment
•    Systems Thinking
•    Change Agent Skills
•    Sustainability Process Design
•    Communicating Sustainability
•    Planning and Evaluation

AtKisson’s ISIS Intensive Workshop deepens your understanding of sustainability and raises the bar on your ability to lead and facilitate change.

For two decades, Alan AtKisson and his colleagues have been helping people and organizations to achieve their sustainability objectives … and turn a passion for change into a capacity for making things happen. Join us!

Who Should Attend:

This training is appropriate for anyone who wants to accelerate the adoption of sustainability in their company, organization or community. Executives, managers, sustainability or environmental coordinators/managers, citizens, Green Team Leaders, individual contributors, consultants, educators, elected leaders, students, people in career transition. We encourage you to attend with colleagues, so that you can work together to implement what you learn when you return to your organization.
Continental breakfast will start at 8am. Lunch and snacks will also be served.

Local Hotel Info:

For those coming from out of town, we suggest 3 local hotels.

Residence Inn-Silicon Valley / 
(408) 720-1000
750 / Lakeway Dr, Sunnyvale, CA

The Plaza Suites / 
(408) 748-9800
3100 / Lakeside Dr, Santa Clara, CA

Embassy Suites Hotel - Santa Clara / (408) 496-6400
2885 / Lakeside Dr, Santa Clara, CA

To buy a ticket and register for this two-day workshop, go to:  http://changeagent.eventbrite.com/

For more detailed information about ticket prices, location and logistics, contact Marianna Grossman, Executive Director of Sustainable Silicon Valley, our partner in offering this workshop:
mgrossman (at) sustainablesiliconvalley.org

Now based in Europe, Mr. AtKisson was the co-founder of Sustainable Seattle and has been helping sustainability change agents improve their skills for nearly two decades. Mr. AtKisson consults with large companies, business associations, governmental initiatives, cities, foundations, global NGOs, and the United Nations, helping people to find new and accelerated strategic pathways forward. His previous works include the book  Believing Cassandra: An Optimist Looks at a Pessimist’s World.

The ISIS Academy Master Class graduated its first group of students on 23 August 2009. This notice is still available on our website to provide information about the course, which will be offered again sometime in 2010.  If you are interested participating, you can reserve a spot now by sending us an email:  click here.

Tools, methods, strategies, and the secrets of success in sustainability —  the ISIS Academy Master Class lifts you up to the next level.

Stockholm, 17-23 August 2009.   DOWNLOAD BROCHURE /  REGISTER NOW >>

To those who are both passionate and serious about meeting the challenge of sustainability, learning is essential. But time is short — so time for learning must therefore be intensive, and effective.

The AtKisson Group’s new ISIS Academy Master Class brings years of sustainability learning into laser-like focus, over a fast-paced six-day period. Join us in Sweden from 17-23 August for an unforgettable experience of learning, skill-building, and mutual inspiration. From indicators to innovation, from systems thinking to facilitating change, the Master Class will help you move quickly from wherever you are, toward wherever you want to be — both professionally and personally.

You’ll learn our tools and methods, hands-on and in depth … but you’ll also learn about other methods, from other leading sustainability practitioners. And you’ll have the opportunity to deepen your self-knowledge and motivation as an agent of change for the things you care about most.

Our international faculty of experts will guide you through theory, reflection, and practice, working in teams and individually. You’ll go home refreshed, inspired … and equipped with the tools and insights to make change happen.

The cost of participation is surprisingly reasonable, with options for every budget level. Participants will come from all over the world. We expect the Master Class to fill, so register now to reserve your place! Click here to download the brochure, and visit the registration website: www.regonline.com/atkissonmasterclass2009.

The recent ISIS Academy Bangkok Intensive (13-15 May) was a success, and brought together participants from all over SE Asia (and one from Europe) to learn the ISIS Method and the Accelerator tools. Organizations represented included Trisakti University in Jakarta, Cargill, University of Science Malaysia, Standard Charter, UNESCO, ILO, and a number of regional consultants and NGOs.

Since the financial crisis had caused the cancellation of a previous Intensive in SE Asia, and since the Bangkok Intensive had been marketed in the middle of political turmoil in Thailand (which has since calmed down again), we were especially pleased that the workshop filled with such excellent participants. Things have begun to bounce back for sustainability in SE Asia!

The next ISIS Academy training opportunity is the six-day Master Class in Sweden, 17-23 August 2009 … don’t miss it!