Trendwatch

Corporate Disclosure: the Truth Will Come Out

10 trends that are driving transparency in 2012

Transparency vs. Privacy

The tug-of-war over public profiles and consumers’ rights to privacy

The Rise of the Global Middle Class

The rise of the middle class in emerging economies poses opportunities and challenges in 2012

Legitimization of the Access Economy

“Sharing is caring,” or at least that is what they teach you in kindergarten. Will the access economy take it to the next level?

Water: Supply Chain and Demand

Corporate awareness of water scarcity will rise in 2012

LEEDing the Recovery?

How green buildings can pave the way to economic recovery

Electricity Democratization and Decentralization

Energy supply is slowly moving from centralized to small distributed renewable sources

From Confrontation to Collaboration

NGOs and businesses join forces

Welcome to TrendWatch 2012

This year came in like a tortoise, at least as far as the economy is concerned.

But everywhere we look we see signs of recovery, and just as sustainability advocates have been predicting for years, many of the sources of economic development are sustainability initiatives like green building and small scale renewable energy production where high margins allow patient investors to make returns on sustainable projects.

All of these issues will come to the forefront in 2012, and you can read all about them in the slideshow above. If you're an auditory learner, we hope you'll join us for a free webinar exploring economic recovery through sustainability on February 29th.

Sponsor Commentary

Go Long on Waste to Energy: Greg Worden, adjunct professor of sustainable business, Marylhurst University Sponsored Content; Where do you put your real or hypothetical investment dollar in the renewable and alternative energy space? Certainly wind and solar are good bets but if you’re tired of hearing about them at cocktail parties and you want to differentiate yourself from the run-of-the-mill investor crowd try waste to energy. Think about it this way: [...]
SJF Institute 2011 Green Jobs Award: SJF Institute Sponsored Content; The Green Jobs Award honors private businesses that contribute to both the economy and the environment. Applicants are judged on their contribution to environmental quality, the quality of their jobs and benefits, the diversity of employment opportunities, and their level of community engagement.
Lessons From SJF Institute 2010 Green Jobs Awardees: SJF Institute Sponsored Content; Our award-winning companies provided their employees with great benefits, as well as allocating money for training, development and education programs for their employees. All of the companies recognized their employees