It’s not as easy to find sustainable fish as WWF would like, Deb told me. “The Marine Stewardship Council is the organization that we think has by far the most credibly certified seafood in the world.” And the program has and continues to expand. “Ten years ago it was next to impossible to find credibly certified seafood and responsibly managed fisheries in many cases. And that has changed dramatically over the years, especially in the last 5 years.”

WWF Canada works closely with Loblaw, and the retailer is “completely transforming their purchasing operations so one day in the not too distant future consumers will be able to come in and know that all the seafood they purchase is sustainably certified. They want to take the guesswork out of it” so when consumers purchase seafood they can trust that Loblaw will supply them with responsibly managed and fished seafood.

When consumers can enter a store and know that when they’re shopping they’re doing the right thing, and don’t have to question the label, it “will make a big difference for shoppers, and other retailers will take note,” Deb continued.

WWF has been “instrumental in establishing the Marine Stewardship Council”, the “International Seafood Sustainability Foundation for canned tuna” and “for the aquaculture side, the Aquaculture Dialogues and Aquaculture Stewardship Council. Each of these three organizations is really founded on the concept of sustainable, of credible certification. So there’s independent third party verification according to rigorous standards.”

“Each of these organizations are part of WWF’s big umbrella plan to really bring back fisheries and oceans and […] to minimize the footprint of aquaculture.” WWF Canada looks at sustainable seafood broadly, with the certifications being responsible management. They think that “all certified fisheries should contribute to reversing the decline of fish stocks. So the stocks they fish from should be healthy. That they deliver improvement to the marine ecosystem. […] WWF Canada’s goal is healthy oceans.”

Rupert begins by suggesting that while the philosophy of sustainable development is intensively discussed in politics and industries, it is rarely transferred to the reality of business activities. One reason is that corporate sustainability initiatives often underestimate the influence of corporate culture. Organizational culture is an important factor in business organizations as it frames behaviors of individual members of the organization through shared norms, values and beliefs. Thus, corporate sustainability activities and strategies have to be embedded in the organizational culture in order to be successful.

If the leaders and members of an organization don’t have a sustainable development mindset, corporate sustainability initiatives will not affect the core business and are more likely to fail.

Two factors in an organization are key to the success of sustainability initiatives. They are management’s conceptual understanding of sustainable development, and the level of concrete and practical actions and measures. This will help manage the corporate decisions that influence corporate culture and sustainability initiatives and lead to a greater level of success than would otherwise exist.

Some corporations engage directly in sustainability related activities, while others will need regulations and incentives to comply. Regardless of its motivation, a corporation has to organize, structure and embed sustainability related actions into its activities, strategies and routines for a successful sustainability management program to work. Integrating externalities, avoiding or reducing negative social and environmental impacts and identifying opportunities based on a (more) sustainable behavior are central aspects for sustainability management. These aspects have to be included in any sustainability oriented business training.

Beyond the business world, corporations have cognitive resources, technologies and skills which can be used to contribute positively to a sustainable transition of our societies, Rupert suggests.

Under the proposal, landlords will face minimum energy efficiency standards. Starting in April 2016, landlords will have to fulfill any ‘reasonable’ requests for energy efficiency improvements to their properties.

And from April 2018, landlords will no longer be allowed to rent out homes or business premises with less than an ‘E’ energy efficiency rating.

This new legislation is significant, and will protect thousands of vulnerable families from fuel poverty and high energy bills in the future.

According to Friends of the Earth, the Green Deal will enable householders and businesses to take out loans to improve their property’s energy efficiency – with repayments made from the money they save on energy bills.

Almost 40 organisations were involved in calling for the Energy Bill to establish a minimum legal level of energy efficiency for homes rented from a landlord or lettings agency. That’s how important energy efficiency and conservation is, and how this new announcement is good news for the UK and for our planet.

The poll also found support from two-thirds (66%) of people for reform of the controversial Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in order to ensure the recovery of fish stocks and also allow future generations to make a living from the sea, WWF writes.

If the politicians listen to the polled people, they might implement longer viewed fishing policies than what has existed up till now. And all fish will be caught sustainably, not just that which gets the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) logo.

WWF is calling for a meaningful reform of the European Common Fisheries Policy including sustainable management, long term planning, regional management, ecosystem health, and improved quality. And the new policy would apply to all European fisheries and fishing boats anywhere in the world.

The poll states that the UK people are ready for the change. Hopefully the politicians will listen and act accordingly.

Called Ecotopia, the game starts by placing players in a dirty city which is overwhelmed by urban decay. Players then use resources to develop sustainable initiatives that reverse the environmental damage and ultimately create a customized utopia.

Players will be able to connect with their Facebook friends, send gifts to each other and visit neighborhood maps to perform eco-friendly actions. In a feature new to social gaming, players will also be rewarded with extra points for performing real-world environmental actions and incorporating them into their Ecotopia gaming experience.

While participating in the game, players will also learn more about Conservation International and its initiatives to improve the sustainability of our global environment. As well, some environmental villains will be introduced in the game, starting with one every month.

Talkie, an independent game studio, developed Ecotopia and plans to launch it on Facebook on April 4th.

Check out Ecotopia’s pre launch page on Facebook.

The new reserve will be almost 1 million hectares, five times as large as the existing National Park around the Cocos Islands. That is, it is larger than Yellowstone Park and second only to the Galapagos National Park among marine protected reserves in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.

Cocos Island itself is relatively small, and is surrounded by waters that are home to an abundance of sharks and over 30 unique, marine endemic species. The new conservation rules will forbid fishing in some zones, while limiting fishing to sustainable levels in the rest of the area.

The new marine protected reserve will conserve an entire marine ecosystem, as well as a group of underwater mountains southwest of Cocos Island.

Both projects fit in with UNEP’s theme “Forests for People, Forests for Green Growth” in support of the 2010-11 International Year of the Forests. Both groups fulfilled a majority of the theme’s criteria, such as:

•  Promoting the conservation and sustainable management of forests;
•  Contributing to a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions caused by deforestation;
•  Maintaining forest ecosystems to improve resilience to climate change;
•  Supporting pro-poor development, especially among forest-dependent communities;
•  Conserving biodiversity and helping secure ecosystem services.

In particular, AFISAP is focused on preserving the forests on a 52,000-hectare concession within the Mayan Biosphere Reserve in the San Andres area which plays a critical role in regional conservation and has the world’s highest concentration of jaguars.

MDI-Nepal has introduced agroforestry to help improve crop productivity and water irrigation systems as well as reduce soil erosion on the forested hills and mountainous areas of their country.

Conservation agriculture has been practiced for decades in nations from Canada to India and is now being adapted to meet the needs of small-scale impoverished farmers in Asia, Africa and South America. While conventional farming practices rely on technology and pesticides, the CA method is based on the principles of minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover and regular crop rotations to achieve sustainable, profitable harvests. In many developing nations machinery is scarce and farmers find it difficult to plant/harvest in an unstable political climate plagued by malnourishment and poverty. Conservation Agriculture forgoes ploughing in favour of more traditional planting mechanisms such as rippers and basins while relying on residue from previous crops to fertilize the soil. CA also protects against the harsh effects of climate change (drought, flooding) by improving water infiltration into soil which leads to healthier, stronger crops.

On average, according to The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), CA yields are 80% higher than those reaped by traditional methods in developing nations. Each of the participating villages in the Zimbabwe study produced an average yield surplus of approximately 78 MT (metric tons) which shows that poor farmers can increase and stabilise crops in marginal lands under this system.

Challenges to adopting CA methods include reluctance to doing away with the perceived ease of plough technology, weed control, and competition for crop residues. However, dire economic and environmental situation in the world requires that struggling farmers be assisted in finding real sustainable solutions for agriculture issues. I believe that Conservation Agriculture is the first step in a long journey towards success.

A single cup of coffee = 140 litres (Enough fresh water to fill to fill your mug 777 times)

One slice of white bread = 40 litres (Enough water to fill a fish tank)

A single egg = 200 litres (Enough fresh water to fill a rain barrel)

Dinner’s worse – A steak dinner = 15,500 litres (Enough fresh water to fill a small swimming pool)

Meanwhile, the BC Sustainable Energy Association states that we must act now to protect our rivers, streams and groundwater, and to balance competing demands for this precious and limited resource.  The BC Legislature is currently considering how to modernize our Water Act, and the BCSEA has an online petition that asks the BC Legislature to prioritize environmental and social needs for water and involve the public in decisions about water.  If you’re in BC, check out the petition.

Each of the one million trees to be planted will be added to Earth Day Network’s Billion Acts of Green program as well as pledged towards the UN Environmental Program Billion Tree Campaign, a worldwide tree planting initiative by the UN Environment Programme.  Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will insert a unique code inside the Avatar Blu-ray/DVD which lets fans adopt one of the one million trees being planted.

Tree Canada will work to reforest almost 2,000 acres of pine forest in southeastern Manitoba that were destroyed by hurricane force winds in 2005.

In the UK, The Woodland Trust will provide free tree packs and online support to communities as part of their More Trees, More Good campaign.  The UK has only 4% native woodland cover, but the Woodland Trust suggests that at least twice as many native trees and woods are needed to maintain healthy populations of wildlife and people, and to combat climate change and improve the environment.  Clive Anderson, Sean Bean, and Barry Davison are among the British celebrities who are supporting this program.

In the United States, the tree planting will be sponsored by three organizations.  MillionTreesNYC in New York focuses on increasing green spaces and the urban health environment for low to middle income neighborhoods.  In San Franciso, Friends of the Urban Forest help citizens plant and care for street trees and sidewalk gardens, particularly in low income areas.  And in Los Angeles, TreePeople improves city life by planting trees, including fruit trees which will provide a free source of fruit to help low-income citizens eat healthier.

For information about the other 12 countries involved in the Avatar Home Tree Initiative, see Earth Day Network’s press release.