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Thursday February 25, 2010

Release Date: 02.25.10 | Location: All Metro Atlanta | Organization: Sustainability Leadership

Apply Now for Sustainability Leadership Series by GreenBusiness WORKS and Strategic Imperatives

Inaugural 2010 series promotes sustainability awareness and leadership development

"There's no alternative to sustainable development," stated a Harvard Business Review article in the September 2009 issue dedicated to How Green Will Save Us. Smart organizations are finding ways to save money, make money, create new products and services and enhance their image by integrating sustainability into their strategy and practices. Early adopters of sustainable development are changing the rules of the game. Sustainability is redefining business, education and communities.

Two Atlanta-based organizations, GreenBusiness WORKS and Strategic Imperatives, are joining forces to create a unique program designed to foster leadership development and understanding of sustainability practices and opportunities. The series is for leaders, managers, entrepreneurs and advocates who want to be educated, inspired, engaged and equipped to begin or continue a journey of sustainable innovation and prosperity.

"Sustainability is not about a project or two. Sustainability provides unprecedented opportunities when it is integrated into the strategy and the culture of an organization." said Diana Rivenburgh, President of Strategic Imperatives.

"The hands-on format sets the stage for participants to apply what they are learning directly to sustainability issues in their organizations. The series will take them to the next level, whether they are just starting out or well on the path to sustainable prosperity." said Stephanie Armistead, General Manager of GreenBusiness WORKS.

Structured similarly to various community leadership programs, the eight-session series runs from April through November. Participants will come together for seven full-day sessions about a month apart to learn from subject matter experts, case studies and interactive activities and will attend the Oct. 12-13 GreenBusiness Works EXPO as part of the course curriculum. Some sessions will include field trips to see sustainability in action. Series information, including early bird discounts and sponsorship packages, can be found on the Sustainability Leadership section of theGreenBusinessWORKS website.

"The path to sustainability requires behavior change resulting from actions in four key areas: building awareness of environmental aspects and impacts, making commitments through planning to reduce those impacts, implementing sustainable practices to improve performance and adopting a culture of conservation and stewardship." said Marlin R. Gottschalk, PhD, Director of the Sustainability Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. As an alliance partner, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources is a valued contributor to the Sustainability Leadership Series.

TOTAL: Technical, Organizational, Tools, Action, Leadership

Sustainability Leadership will use a TOTAL approach for understanding issues and building leadership and organizational capabilities to turn strategy into reality for long-term benefits.

Rivenburgh described the TOTAL approach as "an integrated, action-learning format that not only promotes understanding of the technical aspects of sustainability, but also builds leadership and organizational capabilities that bring long-term benefits to business, education and communities."

The inaugural Sustainability Leadership class will set goals for sustainability and leadership development and extend learning between sessions with support from peers, facilitators and subject-matter experts. "Program graduates will find themselves positioned to bring sustainable success to a wide variety of organizations including businesses, educational institutions, communities and non-profits." said Armistead.

Visit the GreenBusinessWORKS site for the course outline and schedule and to register. Discounts are available for Early Bird registration, multiple participants from the same organization, sponsors and alliance organizations. Organizations interested in promoting their commitment to sustainability can do so by hosting a session or becoming a sponsor.

For more information on Sustainability Leadership, contact Stephanie Armistead, 404-668-3616, Stephanie@GreenBusinessWORKS.net or Diana Rivenburgh, 770-667-2660, DRivenburgh@Strategic-Imperatives.com.