1. Our president/CEO Mark Tercek identifies corporate sustainability officers as “unsung heroes.”  (Huffington Post)
2. Watch out for superweeds!  (Grist)
3. How much more are you willing to pay for clean energy?  (Green)
4. Business is booming for the makers of hybrid vehicles.  (CleanTechnica)
5. Last month’s rainy weather brought respite from the “prolonged airborne particle pollution” that affected the UK earlier this year.  (Guardian)

1. New research shows that our oceans have been heating up for more than 100 years.  (Mongabay)
2. Denmark plans to rely on 100% renewable energy by 2050.  (EcoGeek)
3. Do social networks spur greener behavior?  (GreenBiz)
4. Baby bald eagle cam!  (Treehugger)
5. A new study shows that some corals are more resilient to increased ocean acidification.  (YaleE360)

When you are invited to a closed workshop with the future King of England, future head of the Commonwealth, Dad of William, Father-in-law of the lovely Kate… well, it’s hard to say no. That is called convening power.

Prince Charles has been a champion of environmental issues for many years. The estate he manages (been in the family since 1337) has championed sustainable communities and organic farming and has grown by 80 percent in value in the last six years. His International Sustainability Unit has probably been part of some of the most influential behind-the-scenes work in establishing REDD. But now he has turned his eyes to the sea, and specifically to fishing.

And so I found myself on a glorious mid-winter morning walking along the banks of the River Thames looking across a landscape that is both ancient (Tower of London, begun in 1078) and modern (ever seen the Gherkin building?) to the rather discreet building of the Fishmongers Company (established by Royal Charter in 1272).

Behind the scenes (but in broad consultation, including with several Conservancy staff), the Prince’s staff at the International Sustainability Unit had been working towards this day for nearly two years. They were launching a review, assessment and road-map providing evidence that sustainable fisheries can be economically successful.

His Royal Highness presented examples from  a very uplifting set of 50 case studies — interviews with fishers from around the world, from cases that have bucked the trend and shown how fisheries can be made to work. He also gave a powerful speech, emphasizing three key points:

1. We all want the same thing: sustainable fish stocks. The supermarkets want it, the traders, the fishers, the conservation groups and the public.
2. We can get there: we have the techniques, the tools, the gear, the management approaches and, critically, the examples.
3. Sustainable fish stocks can be a positive economic step. There may be a critical period of reduced returns (and this needs to be planned for) but beyond that everyone, literally everyone, benefits.

This is not really news and there are several other groups already working toward these goals. But here comes the convening power bit: sitting in the room, listening and engaged, were fishers; fishers co-operatives; buyers and traders; major supermarkets; economists; certification organizations; government representatives; development agencies; consultancies. Conservation groups too, but we were a small minority.

Another speaker was Maria Damanaki, the embattled EU Commissioner who, rather single-handedly, is trying to reform the EU Common Fisheries Policy. Here in Europe, where we’re years behind the rest of the world and still managing our fisheries towards oblivion, she has been pushing a radical reform agenda, but her speech rang out just like a deep sigh of thanks. At last, she seemed to be saying, the cavalry!

So, where to next?

I couldn’t help but think that, 700 or so years into its history, something quite revolutionary was being talked about in the Fishermonger’s Company. This curious institution has witnessed tremendous changes — mostly a slow catalogue of losses from European waters—century after century. But a new change is afoot and quite suddenly, new audiences are talking with growing conviction of a need for change.

Artisanal fishers, mega fishing companies, the world’s biggest fish traders, and giant supermarkets are all facing the same problem — where will next year’s supplies come from?

The answer is tied up in stories of solutions and it’s great to know that The Nature Conservancy is part of the vanguard. We are out there on the ground, working with fishers, scientists, economists and traders. Our projects in the Bahamas, in Chile, in New England and in California are all in the Prince’s new publication.

These stories need to be aired and shared, and the Prince’s team has appointed 22 “ambassadors” to support the flow of ideas around the world. Wider talk is needed in policy circles. Economic planning is going to be critical, and particularly the need for transition funds as fisheries and businesses change their practices.

There was optimism in the air. Prince Charles cautioned us all not to fall into the “debilitating fatality that dogs debates on the future.” And more importantly, he gave us reason not to.

(Image: Prince Charles during a visit to the Common Good City Farm in LeDroit Park, Washington DC, on May 2, 2011. Source: Flickr user The Great Photographicon via a Creative Commons license.)

1. Overfishing costs the EU 100,000 jobs and £2.7 billion each year. (TreeHugger)
2. LEGO’s owners are putting $500M into an offshore wind farm. (CleanTechnica)
3. Is the world’s most popular sports team also the greenest? (GreenBiz)
4. Federal raids in the U.S. deal a serious blow to illegal rhino trade. (LA Times)
5. OK, now this is getting serious. Warming climate could make us all shrink. (TG Daily)

1. See the world’s tiniest chameleon! (Grist)
2. A new study uncovered a potential link between air pollution and heart attacks.  (Guardian)
3. One more reason to hate laundry day: washing synthetic clothes leads to ocean pollution.  (Mongabay)
4. A decent chunk of Europe is now powered by renewable energy.  (Treehugger)
5. Which new cars are the least toxic?  (Green House)

1. Get an update on a Conservancy partnership that’s helping one company tie nature into its bottom line.  (Triple Pundit)
2. That crazy Texas heat wave?  This scientist says it was climate change’s fault.  (Inside Climate)
3. London restaurants, bars and hotels are campaigning to make plastic straws the new plastic bag.  (Guardian)
4. Bad news if you love carbs: warmer temperatures mess with wheat yields.  (New Scientist)
5. The National Mall goes LED.  (Green House)

1. Anchovies are making a North Sea comeback.  Thanks, climate change?  (Conservation Mag)
2. Some rare good news for rhinos– none were poached in Nepal last year!  (Mongabay)
3. The “doomsday clock” jumped a minute forward.  Why?  Climate change.  (CleanTechnica)
4. President Obama visited EPA staff to let them know he still cares.  (Green)
5. Oil rigs could possibly be responsible for turning migratory land-based birds into shark snacks.  (Wired)

What a spectacular view! Flickr user Steve S Meyer photographed the impressive Viti crater in Iceland and shared the photo through The Nature Conservancy’s Flickr group. Thanks for this gorgeous shot!

See all of The Nature Conservancy’s featured daily nature images—submitted to the Conservancy’s Flickr group by people like you—at my.nature.org.

And get inspired to take your own great nature shots—check out our favorite nature photography features, including amazing slideshows and tips from the pros.

1. The average family throws away 6 trees worth of paper a year. (Mother Nature Network)
2. The new map reveals the spread of contamination from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant meltdowns. (CNN)
3. Can algae serve as the fuel and food of the future? (Scientific American)
4. A former Nazi bunker is set to become Europe’s largest renewable energy plant. (TreeHugger)
5. This Thanksgiving, skip the side of BPA by omitting certain canned ingredients. (Consumer Reports)

1. Cool or terrifying?  Scientists have found humongous (like, 100-lb+) catfish swimming in a French river.  (Conservation Magazine)
2. Banning hybrid vehicles from carpool lanes slows everyone down, says a new report.  (Green)
3. The state of Vermont plans to get 90% of its energy from renewable sources by 2050.  (EcoGeek)
4. But!  If the entire country started seriously deploying wind and solar to scale right now, the whole place could run on clean energy by 2026.  (Treehugger)
5. The “War on Terror” may have helped keep terrorists out of the US, but it for sure welcomed invasive species right on in.  (Grist)