The Fresh Outlook Foundation is hosting its 6th Building SustainAble Communities conference November 25th to 28th in Kelowna. Please save room in your calendar and your budget for this highly acclaimed and hugely popular event that last year drew 600 delegates from 80 communities!

In keeping with our commitment to make every conference a unique encounter, we've partnered with global performance improvement organization FranklinCovey to provide an informative and inspirational conference/training experience designed to accelerate your move toward sustainability.

CCEDNet is supporting the economic stream of the conference with a keynote contribution from Mike Lewis drawing on his recent book The Resilience Imperative, and sessions by Executive Director Mike Toye. 

The program will include success stories from the public, private, non-profit, and academic sectors in the following topics: 

• Organizational or community leadership
• Community planning
• Environmental preservation
• Green economic development
• Social sustainability
• Sustainable arts/culture
• Sustainable infrastructure
• Green building design/construction
• First Nation's sustainability sucesses

Issue experts will help generate meaningful and productive dialogue about:

• Community climate action (day one)
• Healthy communities initiatives (day one)
• Food systems/food security (day two)

For more information >>

Despite the increasing growth and attention to farmers markets, CSAs, local food box programmes, etc., alternative food initiatives geared towards local production and consumption, many of which emerge from the social economy, remain minor players when contrasted with the conventional food system. A key challenge is how to scale-up alternative food initiatives so that they have a greater transformational impact in the larger agri-food system and also serve as a catalyst for broader societal change towards a sustainable and strong social economy.

The case studies examined in this webinar highlight the opportunities and challenges in scaling-up food relocalization without sacrificing commitment to social, economic and environmental values and goals. We suggest the need to focus attention equally on building physical infrastructure and capacity (production, storage, distribution, retail) whilst also investing in social infrastructure and capacity (coalition-building, partnerships, clustering) required for a robust and resilient local food movement. 

We hope to initiate a discussion about the challenges and tensions between pragmatic and transformational approaches to issues of food security, food sovereignty, food justice and sustainability.

Discussion highlights will include:

• How to scale-up alternative food initiatives so that they have a greater transformational impact in the larger agri-food system
• How can alternative food systems serve as a catalyst for broader societal change towards a sustainable and strong economy?
• Challenges and tensions between pragmatic and transformational approaches to issues of food security, food sovereignty, food justice and sustainability

Register Now and you will receive information about joinind the presentation once you register!

Where: this is an online envent You can check when this webinar is offered in your time-zone here

If you think you can't make it, click here

This year’s ACE Institute will feature speakers discussing innovation in cooperative research, education and development from not just North America, but Latin America as well.  You can find a preliminary agenda listing speakers and topics here. Click on “REGISTER NOW!” to register for the Institute.

The 2013 ACE Institute will be held at the Verdanza Hotel in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. Hotel reservations will need to made separate from Institute registration.  You can make hotel reservations here.  Make sure you enter 'ACE' in the promotion ‘Group Code’ to receive the $115 ACE discounted room rate.

Who innovative cooperative researchers, educators and developers?  Nominate these influential ACE members for an ACE award!  You can find award categories and a nomination form here.

To register, click here.

Upwards of 80 people will come to Social Change Institute at Hollyhock which takes place on Cortes Island June 5 - 9. Participants include passionate professionals from nonprofits and public agencies, social innovators, social entrepreneurs, consultants, and aspiring social impact leaders. Together, they focus on tools, connections and leadership in the social change space.

Social Change Institute is an invite-only gathering. If you haven’t attended before, fill in the application form.

Attend SCI 2013 if you are:
* A passionate professional at a nonprofit/NGO, public agency or other organization
* A social innovator, social entrepreneur, organizational/leadership trainer or
* An aspiring social impact leader.

Event Dates: June 5-9, 2013. Plan to arrive by about 5:30pm on Wednesday, June 5th and to depart after lunch which is served at 12:00 pm on Sunday, June 9th.