We're live! Slack access granted to The Sustainability Network

Happy launch day everyone and welcome to The Sustainability Network!

Here is our Join Link to Slack in case the emails take a bit to come through - Slack has limits on 100 people at a time so it’s a staggered import.

You should also soon receive an email from Slack with the title, “Max Frank has invited you to work with them in Slack” with a link enclosed to join The Sustainability Network.

Slack is best used via the free desktop app - I recommend downloading it when prompted or finding it in the app store if you don’t have it, and then connecting your TSN workspace. If this isn’t an option, Slack can also be used via web version.

How it works:

You’ll see a handful of channels on your sidebar on the left, each related to a different area of ESG. These channels aren’t exhaustive and that’s for a reason - we didn’t want to inundate you with content as we get started. Rest assured - as we get more and more conversations going, we will begin adding additional channels as needed.

In each sustainability channel in your sidebar - Circularity for instance - you will find a canvas on the right-hand side. If you don’t see it, click the “Canvas” button in the top right and it will load. This canvas contains thought provoking media and questions, as well as some possible topics of interest in each area. 

While these resources can provide a foundation for collaboration, this is where you come in! Please begin chat discussions around your own unique challenges, questions, interesting findings, etc., and post relevant content in the chat. This why we’re here - to help and learn from one another and to spur conversation.

The channel #general will be used (for the time being) to relay information regarding: 

• Our guest speakers - the first of which will be taking place on Wednesday, August 14th, from 11am-12pm EDT - that’s 5pm CEST and 8:30pm IST. We’re doing our best to accommodate all time zones and can work on this as we go. We are aiming to host another speaker later in August as well. Mark your calendars and more info to follow soon.

• General announcements - the first of which is that we will be holding a welcome session hosted by our founder, Max Frank, next Wednesday, July 31st, at 11am EDT. Max will give a quick overview of TSN and where we hope to go with it, followed by some Q&A. More info to follow soon.

• Book Club - this will begin on August 1st and we will read a new sustainability-centric publication each month, sharing thoughts as we go and holding a virtual discussion at the end of each month. Selecting our book will be a democratic process but to kick us off smoothly for book #1, here are our two choices:

  • Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet, by Hannah Ritchie

  • Best Things First: The 12 most efficient solutions for the world’s poorest and our global SDG promises, by Bjorn Lomborg

Finally, our RULES of membership - the TSN Charter:

1. Be kind

   We have zero tolerance for bigotry, discrimination, hate speech, or verbally attacking in any form. Conducting yourself in such a way will result in permanent ejection from the platform. Notify me directly to report violations.

2. Be empathetic

   We are a community from all across the globe, with different backgrounds and perspectives. As long as they do not violate rule #1, each of us are entitled to our own beliefs and ways of doing things. If you disagree with someone, do so in a polite and debate-like manner so that we may facilitate thoughtful discussion. Respect others and listen to them - you’d be surprised how much you can learn from people you don’t relate to initially.

3. No politics

   These are charged times. Many of us will be struggling to grapple with the latest developments or stressors and looking for an outlet. We understand the world has been weird lately. But please keep subjective political discussion and opinions off of TSN. Those engaging in such behavior will be issued one warning and then suspended from the platform. Let’s focus on solutions!

4. Build together

   Help us improve TSN! Please share your ideas and feedback of the platform with me directly. This platform will evolve and grow as we go so we would love to hear fresh perspectives on how we can make it better.

As a reminder, TSN will be free through August 31st, at which point we will begin our membership program. The discounted Founder’s Rate will still be honored and we will offer this at the end of August for a limited time.

Thank you again for your patience and support as we got this off the ground. Looking forward to networking with you all!

Best,

Max Frank

Founder