UW Sustainability Courses

PROGRESSIVE ORGANIZATIONS AND VOICES

Sustain Dane is a non-profit organization promoting sustainability in the Madison/Dane County area of Wisconsin. There programs and initiatives include organizing sustainability discussion courses, providing weekly updates of local sustainability news, publishing an annual directory of Madison/Dane County area sustainability organizations, publishing a list of books related to sustainability topics in the South-Central Library system, sponsoring various sustainability related lectures and workshops and hosting a website and listserv that serves as a clearinghouse of information including examples and indicators, event announcements, employment opportunities and recently released reports.

http://www.sustaindane.org

Wisconsin Partners for Sustainability

Wisconsin Partners for Sustainability is committed to applying principles of sustainability to our work and leisure activities. They are committed to the following:

Creating a physical environment that supports and enhances individual health and well-being.
Eliminating or reducing material waste by using only materials that are absolutely necessary, are produced in an environmentally friendly manner and can be disposed of by reusing or recycling.
Finding new ways of delivering goods and services that have either no impact or a neutral impact on the environment.
Seeking to partner and collaborate with others.
Acting in ways that enhance the economic viability of the community.
Continually looking at the potential social, economic, and environmental impact of today's actions and decisions on the future. and
Seeking out partners, suppliers and vendors that follow these same principles.

http://www.wiscpsa.org/modules/tinycontent/index.php?id=1

Dane County Buy Local Initiative

The Dane County Buy Local Initiative is a coalition of local independent businesses, social impact groups and citizens working together to support a healthy community economy. They seek to mobilize resources in Madison and the surrounding area, engage the total community in the process of economic renewal, and inspire each other to take action. Their goals are to:

Obtain for local businesses some of the economic advantages enjoyed by regional and national enterprises.
Shape local policies and practices which take into account the social, economic and environmental impacts of consumer decisions.
Create linkages between all local stakeholders to encourage the creation, expansion and retension of locally owned companies.
Preserve the quality of our natural environment by reducing waste and using fuel wisely.
Build social capital by engaging local skills and assets.

http://www.danebuylocal.com/article/1

Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a not-for-profit environmental research organization that uses the power of information to improve public health and protect the environment by reducing pollution in air, water and food. Based in Washington, D.C., and with an office in Oakland, California, EWG conducts groundbreaking, computer-assisted research on a variety of environmental issues. Recent EWG research topics have included pesticides in foods, air, and water; the cutback in energy conservation programs by California utilities; and toxic substances in beauty products.

http://www.ewg.org

Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, journalist, and best-selling author. Ecology of Commerce (1987) was considered the most important book on business and the environment. He also has started many sustainable companies ranging from graphic arts to garden supplies.

http://www.paulhawken.com

Hazel Henderson "is a futurist, evolutionary economist, a worldwide syndicated columnist, consultant on sustainable development, and author of Beyond Globalization.” Henderson’s greatest contribution to the sustainability movement has been to make the public aware. She has touched all aspects of the media from the most prestigious newspapers and journals around the world to now a new television show “Ethical Marketplace.”

http://www.hazelhenderson.com

Jim Hightower is a Texas author/commentator and is one of the nation's leading progressive critics of the current administration. He frequently pokes fun at decisions and actions of the Bush administration for their failure to think beyond the immediate impact. This site is both informative and witty.

http://www.jimhightower.com

Paul Krugman is an economist and a columnist for the New York times. He is frequently critical of the administration for their failure to consider the long term consequences of their actions. These sites together provide access to much of what he has written and provide food for thought.

http://www.pkarchive.org/
http://www.princeton.edu/~pkrugman/

Bob LaFollette was one of this country's first progressives. His legacy is carried on by Ed Garvey through this website. Find articles written by many Wisconsin progressives, and others critical of the current state administration. This is the only site that is directed at what is happening in our state.

http://www.fightingbob.com

Paul Wellstone was a progressive senator from Minnesota who was killed in an airplane crash in 2002. This site continues many of the progressive traditions that Wellstone was committed to.

http://www.wellstone.org

More Resources:

The New Rules Project, www.newrules.org - “A comprehensive resource for policymakers, organizations and activists looking for innovative public policies enacted around the world that can be used to make communities vibrant and strong!” The site, run by The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), proposes a “new set of rules” which supports humanly scaled politics and economics. Some of these rules call for, “Decisions made by those who will feel the impact of those decisions,” and increasing “communities’ productive capacities to generate wealth.” The principles of “new localism” are presented through case studies, instances of “new rules” already put in place by communities around the country, and articles on the principles behind these rules.

World Business Academy, www.worldbusiness.org - “An Academy of Business Executives & Entrepreneurs Dedicated to Building a Better World,” who are promoting the notion that “business must adopt a new tradition of responsibility for the whole.” The “Academy” works on researching sustainable business strategies, and provides a collaborative network for progressive business leaders.

Wisdom Leadership, www.wisdomleadership.org - “The Wisdom Leadership Initiative exists to explore and support the wisdom of women in leadership.” Addresses the “intuitive”, feminine side of sustainable practices, and promotes inquiry into what it means to be a wise leader – as a woman or man. Offers coaching, speakers, publications, and other resources to members.

Wisdom Business Network, www.wisdombusinessnetwork.org - “delivers global learning, networking and support to business people who value work that is deeply meaningful, creative, profitable and fun.” Offering services & directories, teleconferences & events, and community connections. Membership-based, with some features available only to business members.

Natural Logic / Gil Friend, www.natlogic.com - “Helping companies and communities prosper by embedding the laws of nature at the heart of enterprise.” Offers advisory services to clients by applying the “Ecological Lens” – the wisdom available to us from the efficient, adaptive, resilient, and sustainable systems of nature. The “logic” is to create value by eliminating waste and increasing product, and to embrace environmental responsibility as “an ally of the bottom line”.