Even When Working on Sustainability Initiatives, We Should Follow Our Own Advice

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle + Collaborate

In Sustainability, we are so used to the first impression that we are creating more work for the people. Extra. Excess. MORE.
It is ironic only because that is the opposite of what we are usually trying to do with the physical items we work with. We want to reduce packaging. We want to cut energy use. We want to lessen our effects on the environment.
We want, want, want - but we almost always want less.
And you see when you look at successful case studies about how - in quantifiable terms - sustainability created a net positive for a company, it is always through revealing inefficiencies and showing a company where they could use less and have the same or even a better outcome. Saving money by using less or using what we already have smarter. That is an outcome both sustainability processionals and executive leadership can get behind.

And then it struck me. Rarely as we actually creating more. And if we are, we might be doing it wrong.
We look at current processes and try to innovate and reimagine how they could be done less negatives effects on people involved and the environment. Often we end up looking backwards at older techniques or methods that seemed outdated, but in the wake of new regulations or energy costs. We have a lot to learn from that past. We didn't always pollute and consumer at the rates we do. And not all the old ways are better, but sometimes repurposing an old technique or idea gives us insight we are blind to because of modern solutions.

This brings me to my point. We are always chanting from our soapbox for others to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Perhaps we start framing our ideas in this way. Reduce the amount of new work we are putting on the plate of the operations or design or public affairs department. Reuse and recycle ideas, using a modern perspective and innovation, to transform the way we do business today. Collaborate - it can be hard enough to get one group to listen to your chants about going green, but make sure you know everyone who will be a part of the change you are trying to create and engage them in the decision making process. In other words:

1) Create and Assign Less New, Stand Alone Work

When working on a sustainability initiative, see how you can better the project you are working on as a whole rather than only coming from the side of sustainability. Frame your research and analysis in this manner and you will be able to share with people affected by your initiative that they can change the way they currently do something to a more sustainable method and benefit themselves, instead of having to add a whole new process or responsibility to their job description. If we share that we did not create more work, but instead we created work to support their current work - we can enact better change faster.

2) Look to the Past for Inspiration, Innovate and Repurpose Accordingly

As I said before, we didn't always pollute or consume at the rate we do nowadays. Look back to techniques we used before certain unsustainable technologies came on the scene. Also, Mother Nature - as she so often is - can be a great inspiration for sustainable methods. Check out or previous article on biomimicry to find out how many incredible innovative processes have been created by mimicking how nature has been doing them for eons.

3) Find the Right Fit

Lastly, make sure you are plugged in to the right people and network when presenting ideas. Lack of visibility of goals at organizations can make one department raise an eyebrow at your solutions, which would have been immediately celebrated by one department. When you have an idea that affects many stakeholders, map those affected and see if you can get people representing those different interests all at one table.

Do Your Employees Care About Sustainability? Tips to get people on board with your Sustainability Goals

No matter how big or small the organization, companies everywhere are making new and exciting commitments to sustainability - externally and internally. 

But how much weight do your external sustainability commitments hold when inside your office you throw things away instead of recycling, leave the water running while you make copies, and generally don't set a good example. 

Changing behavior is not easy but in a supportive group environment you can prioritize actions that will foster a greater understanding of your sustainable business strategies. 

1. Offer Flexibility | Your employees are already busy. Study work patterns to identify opportunities to insert flexible sustainability training that works for their schedule not yours. Use digital, unique means of communicating this information. Let employees own their education.

2. Be Relevant | Make sure employees understand what sustainability means to them and their responsibilities. Forcing broad generic goals on hard working people will give you at best mixed results. Use focus groups to present sustainability goals and solicit real feedback on why these goals are meaningful to your employees. Recognizes differences between positions, teams, and departments. Cater sustainability information accordingly when you roll out sustainability programs.

3. Keep Current | One of the biggest complaints about all training is when resources and information are out of date. When designing the program, assign accountability for updating content, resources, and especially links (nothing shows you don't care about training by putting dead end links into current training). Get buy-in from everyone involved and make these responsibilities an important part of a job description. Creating a great sustainability training program is one thing; keeping it great is the real goal. 

4. Do It Together | Get everyone on board with your goals. Create team goals and declare and track progress publicly. Don't over promise; set one or two goals at a time to change behavior with a fun challenge. Do challenges for at least two weeks to start forming new habits. Assign team leads to motivate people and create ownership. 

5. Reward Learning | Think of non-monetary incentives. Offer opportunities for professional growth for individuals, teams, and departments. Offering experiential rewards that last long beyond the moment instead of one-time monetary or short-term rewards will save the business money, add more value for employees, and create longer term commitment and engagement in the important process of embedding sustainability in your internal culture. 

Do you have any other ideas or suggestions for employee engagement? Send your thoughts to mackenzie@sustainabilityinreview.com

Thank you!

By Design, Not by Default

For a long time, there has been a major assumption about Sustainability in business. Not always explicitly stated, but clearly communicated through actions taken by the majority of businesses: Sustainability should happen by default.

Whether through the power of intrinsically-motivated leadership or due to the nature of the industry, some companies just "get it". Outsiders assume these leading companies default to sustainable actions - seemingly at odds with stakeholder interests or other business goals. 

Other companies wait until their hands are forced, by bad press from negative consequences of unsustainable practices or other means. These companies ignore sustainable options until they are in the middle of controversy and must respond quickly, without preparation, and often under the scrutiny of the public eye. 

But as a whole, people are beginning to recognize that true sustainable business practice must happen by design and not be default. Those first companies succeed not because they stick to sustainability despite good business sense - it is because they have incorporated sustainability into the core of their business strategy. Sustainability is a lens through which we can view our business practices and make decisions not to the detriment of stakeholder value, but to enhance everything we do as value creators. 

The other kind of company may not have holistically implemented sustainability into its business strategy - but still is beginning to recognize the value of considering sustainability as a highly effective method of risk management, as a tool for capturing more customer value through marketing, as a longer term and truer financial valuation of the company not just in the snapshot of today but as it will exist ten years in the future. 

So, wherever you are of the spectrum of completely integrating Sustainability into your business strategy or just looking to explore how sustainability can enhance your business strategy, grab your drafting pencils and blueprint paper. As in building anything else, constructing Sustainability into your business strategy starts from the foundation. It is a material with which we use to build structure and strength into our businesses - not a coat of green paint we apply liberally to the outside whenever green is en vogue. Sustainability ensures we will succeed, sustain, and thrive well into the future. 

Connecting

Thursday and Friday of last week I had the opportunity to attend a great conference with my sustainability peers.  The International Society of Sustainability Professionals hosted their first annual conference in Portland Oregon last week.  I was inspired by the work that is occurring and felt supported and motivated to keep the work I am doing to continue strong.

I attended a few different lectures and workshops, but a couple of pieces stood out for me.

The first was - did you know the US Federal government is investing in sustainability, for instance renovating old energy inefficient buildings to be cleaner for employees to work in and to be more energy and water efficient.  This helps reduce our costs of operating as a country as well as reduce our dependance on energy.

I was also inspired on how to tell the sustainability story in a way that captures people's attention and gets them to act.  In his book "Don't be such a Scientist" Randy Olson talks about the need to arouse and fulfill in story telling, to tap into the emotional connection we have with each other to relay information.  This definitely got me thinking on how to tell stories in the future.

I also got the chance to see one of my favorite speakers talk again.  It was 7 years ago I heard Bob Willard speak in class while I was doing my master's of environmental studies.  He focuses on the business case for sustainability.  Over the years he has added to his tools for sustainability professionals help for organizational behavior change, because this is really what is at the core of sustainability.  The way we have been operating has created certain negative affects and we want to start to change that around.

Overall I get reminded by how many people are working in different facets of our entire system, and globally and I get excited that change is happening - right now as I type, more and more people are looking at their businesses, schools, churches, governments and saying we can do this smarter, better and take care of our planet and the people in our communities.

Preconceived notions on sustainability

Have you ever run into a situation where the person already knows everything about what you are talking about.  Doesn't allow for much of a discussion does it?  When the mind is closed there are not a lot of opportunities, but if you don't know then the opportunities are endless.

This has been my experience the past couple of months as I talk to companies about integrating sustainability into their business. There is this strange resistance to the subject.  Which I just don't understand as the business case for sustainability is really just about surveying your operations - its impacts, risk and opportunities.  Additionally this results in higher employee retention and engagement which has a dramatic affect on your bottom line.

So why the resistance?  Some theories I have heard is that there was such an environmental activism approach to getting companies to consider the environment that there is just a built in mental push back on ANYTHING green.  Another idea is that companies to day have a lot going on to catch up with IT, design, social networking arenas, that to add the ideas of sustainability feel too much.

So it has been interesting to open up the closed minds to the subject of sustainability - what it means and how it can benefit their companies and them as people.  Around every corner there is more to learn.  I shouldn't be surprised by this, but my mind needs to open too. 

Defending the business case for sustainability

I had another report come across my desk that made the arguments for why it benefits the bottom line to invest in environmental and social responsibility. There are two main pieces to this. One you can reduce risk, or costs by investing in better business practices, better sourcing of products, inputs or suppliers, and/or reducing waste, energy, water. The second is that you attract and retain business by being authentic to values of social and environmental responsibility.

It is the latter that I think is really interesting and wanted to dive into a little bit. Living your values is incredibly powerful. It is that thing deep within all of us that guides our actions. When you feel frustrated or upset at something, often times it is because the situation conflicts with your values. Or when you feel inspired and excited, your values are being put to good action.

Values can be really difficult to define and know unless you spend the time thinking about them and we aren't conditioned to call them out very often.
Companies however do call out their values, either overtly or intrinsically. And this is what connects the consumer want to build a relationship with your brand.
So when there is an opportunity to "live" ones values through purchases or partnerships people trend towards this. Yes I understand that many people need to see the hard numbers around the business case, but let's not under estimate the strength of values. Are we formulating business cases so we can live our values or are our values driving us to find the business case.
This brings me back to my theme that we are so constrained in a market economy. We try and make things fit within these borders and well making money at any cost and values are often at conflict with each other. So what I love to see if how creative people are getting with executing their values of environmental and social welfare in a system that has not been open to them in the past. Go forth and continue which every way that we can to change the system to finally align the world we live in on the outside with the values we believe on the inside!