On a hot summer’s day (almost 110°F...) a few weeks back, after a fuse blew in our 1940’s-era apartment making use of the AC impossible....my wife and I went to the movies. Specifically, we went to a matinee of the new “photorealistic” computer animated remake of Disney’s The Lion King. The original was released in 1994 when I was six years old and was one of my favorite movies growing up. To this day, whenever I hear a Lion King theme song (and especially, the Circle of Life ) I am filled with nostalgia and wonderment.

As an adult watching the new remake nearly 25 years later, I was equally captivated.

As most who have seen the original Lion King can attest, it is chock full of invaluable life lessons. It effectively illustrates examples of leadership, courage, forgiveness, justice, faith and purpose, to name just a few. Like the original film from 1994, the remake did an excellent job of capturing and illustrating all of these lessons. This time around, one lesson that really stuck out to me, which I hadn’t caught in years past, was that of sustainability.

As a 31 year old who has dedicated my entire professional career to sustainability, I am constantly on the lookout for little gems of sustainability wisdom. Whether or not I intend to, I view just about everything through that lens…including Disney remakes of old classics. In this new version of The Lion King, I found one of these gems that I am always looking for. As a quick aside, if you have not seen the Lion King (original or remake), some of what lies ahead could spoil some of the movie for you. If you fall into that category, proceed with caution.

While in the movie theater, I didn’t have a pen and paper with me, and the lights weren’t on...so I was unable to take any notes or write down any quotes related to the gems of sustainability wisdom I witnessed. Since I was still thinking about the movie weeks later, I decided to go back and watch the original movie at home, so that I could take notes, pause and rewind as needed, and see if my observations about this classic movie truly held their own.

This month’s blog article takes a look at the supply chain and the role sustainability plays within that system. The conversation is guided by 8 specific questions and is presented in a simple Q & A format. The questions were provided by my colleague, Brody, at Performance Operations.

Earlier this month I completed an 80-hour wilderness medicine training course. It was filled with dozens of lectures, quarts of fake blood and no shortage of hands-on practice - both as a rescuer and a victim. There were approximately 22 students and two seasoned instructors. My classmates came from many different backgrounds, and included backcountry trip leaders and guides, search and rescue volunteers, nursing students, park rangers, and even one sustainability manager & consultant (guess who that was?). The 80 hour course was split evenly between in-class lecture and hands-on practice.

This article will give you a basic understanding of what a Certified B Corporation is and how it developed into what it is today.

In the previous blog articles, we discussed what sustainability is , why it is important for your business , and how to get started. What we have not yet covered is who should be responsible for spearheading the sustainability program at your organization. The purpose of this article is to provide clarity on who that person is, why they are important and what skills they should possess.