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.

Take it seriously, but not TOO seriously

I think sustainability work has made me a bit of a downer.  Or maybe I am a bit of a downer and have been attracted to sustainability work.  It makes sense, there are a lot of problems to be "fixed" when we look at the way we live and work and play when we think about global sustainability.  And my personality gets caught up in it. 
I have been told that I analyze things a lot.  And interestingly enough I am learning this to be true.  So for instance, I was trying to decide what to make for dinner last night and had all these great veggies from a friend's garden I debated over and over again what to make that required the least impact, meaning what could I do without having to go to the store and buy more food.  And what would be the healthiest and what would be the easiest to cook so I didn't have to use a lot of water and fuel.  Well in the end we ended up with leftovers and it worked, we used up food we already had and were fed.
There are a lot of pieces to the sustainability puzzle and our brains can get caught up in trying to balance it all.  Sometimes this is helpful, but a lot of times I get to caught up in those details that I fail to see the big picture.  To stop and see there is a simpler answer and to laugh a little and take myself a little less seriously.  Making good decisions for sustainability isn't going to come easily unless we make the process of making those decisions fun and engaging.  So adding lighten up to the solutions for sustainability.

What I am working on today

I have to admit I get tripped up when people ask, in your job what do you do all day?  The field of sustainability is a strange one.  I feel that everyone in their job, no matter the job can be thinking about, learning about and implementing sustainability.  In fact as I read articles about new break throughs in sustainability it is starting to read like a engineering journal - with details in parts, operations, efficiencies, and all other types of improvements to how we operate.

So as a sustainability director what do I do?  The easy answer is I am a project manager.  I have to know enough about a lot of things, but more importantly I have to know where to find more information and experts. Then I pull pieces together and work with different teams within the organization to start implementing changes.
It differs all the time, so I thought I would let you in on what is on the dock for this week.

For prAna we are reviewing our sustainability strategy - every few years it is important to look at what strategy we set for ourselves, how we are doing and where we will go.  I find this time so exciting and scary all at once. There is SO much opportunity out there, but also there are limited resources.  My time being one of them, effective implementation, and of course bandwidth and money within the organization.  Balancing all of these leads to developing the strategy and if we do it right, some major headway will occur in the next few years.

For the Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association (FTSLA) I am only one month and one week into my new role as the Director of Education and Communications.  I am still learning the nuances of the organization, the language, the tone and the needs of our members.  This week I will be focusing on understanding and strengthen our reporting and review process.  Reporting is hard, starting with data collection, tracking, reporting and understanding the information for future goals. I am not strong in this area, so am enjoying the opportunity to learn more. And help our members make this process easier.

I think the biggest lesson I am learning in this field is that there is TOO much work to do in one lifetime and to learn to just do the best I can.  Every day I hear of a new cause, problem or need that pulls me away from my day to day work and I have to evaluate if it is worth pursuing.  Luckily there is a growing momentum for sustainability and so many more people are tackling the subject making solutions a lot more easy to find. 

Can't Afford Sustainability?

I get this comment a lot -

"Well I wish I could afford to buy Organic, Fair Trade, sustainable, etc. but it is just too expensive".

I felt I had to address this.  The reason why so many people look at the issue this way is that they are taking the old model of buying things and applying the surcharge for sustainability.  For instance, yes if you were to go to the store and buy a box of pasta for 99 cents and the organic option was $1.59 and you applied this to all of your purchases - then yes it looks more expensive.

This is a great example of how we need to look at HOW we buy and how to make better decisions.  For instance - how much do you buy and waste?  We don't value things that are cheap - I make the whole box of pasta and then throw out half because I made too much and I forget that I don't like day old pasta.  OR I make half the box of the organic, and the other half another day.
So with this example you can totally argue - well I could just be more resourceful and not buy organic and save money.  This is true, but the point of this conversation is to figure out HOW to support your values with what you buy.  So one approach is waste less of what you buy - use it up, be aware of how much you actually need before you go shopping and choose to buy products that are more sustainable when you do.

The other approach is to buy less - and spend your money in quality not quantity.  Yes that means 3 pairs of pants a year instead of 5, but if you could buy organic or recycled fibers, the impact your are making is significant.

And also I tell people - focus on the big things - like big purchases. When you go to buy a Fridge or Washing Machine, if you get the energy efficient option you actually end up saving money in the long run with your energy bills being lower.

Think about the entire cost all the way through how you use the things you buy, what you might waste and do you really need as much?

Sustainable Now

A lot of the rhetoric about sustainability is about what we need to do to protect the future. While this is important it doesn't seem to be the "selling" point that is bringing in the masses to the sustainability party.  In the practice of Buddhism the focus is on the moment now, not worrying about the past or the future.  I wanted to explore what that might mean as an idea of looking at sustainability through the lens of the now rather than doing all this effort for the future.

To start, the future is not a sure thing. We don't know what it will look like and it is so difficult to predict.  But what we do know is that our behaviors right now have affects that are immediate.  When we look at our behaviors and how they might impact people and the planet right now, we have a reaction to that.  For instance, when I buy something organic, it isn't only about the future of the planet it is about me choosing a product that was produced in a way where farmers were not exposed to chemicals, where water and soils were not polluted and where I will be healthier - all of this right now.  Or if I choose not to drive my car, I am right now not polluting.

You could even look at this in a selfish way - who cares about the future... the more sustainable decisions you make right now are about living the best non-harmful life you can.  Maybe this might resonate with people more.  Making better decisions today, means you gets to see your results much sooner?

Welcome Back

OK I have been told over and over again the trick to a good blog is consistency – so I apologize for my tardiness. But I have a good excuse, I went on vacation. A well deserved and needed vacation. Sustainability is about balance right?

I went to Vietnam for 3 weeks with a dear friend of mine who I have known for almost 30 years.
I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to many parts of the world throughout my life. In my interest in sustainability – having this insight has proven to be a double edged sword. Fundamentally what ever people say people anywhere in the world are truly all alike. No matter where I have traveled, conversations flow the same, we talk of the weather, the changes in the world, our families, and how to say Hello and Thank you in each other’s languages. This gives me such great hope, an idea that we can truly conquer any problem that will face us as a human species. On the other hand I also see a world that is evolving in a way that just cannot be sustainable. So many people in this world live with so little, and as they have the right to lift themselves out of poverty, even just beyond poverty I wonder how we as a global society will do this?

To adequately house, heal, feed, provide clean water, sewage, and transportation for all of us cannot be done in the way we have started. I can say that by seeing it in action. I live in the state of California and I know first hand what it looks like when we try and get everyone in the state in a car… I have seen in many developing countries add  the development of housing and I question how it can be done with the resources available?
I know the solution isn’t easy and it will come from a place of evolution and trial and error. I think the best we have to start is with ourselves and how we live and how if we know better we can make a difference, this buys us time. This gives others an opportunity time to make the changes that we need to.

So I come home from my trip with a sense of optimism for sustainability. There is a powerful undercurrent of our global connection and when we learn things, when we are inspired we are called to act and make a difference. Seeing how connected we all are makes me want to put more into actions and continue the path.

The things that make you happy

So Andy bought me the "Art of Happiness" by Dr. Howard Cutler and the Dalai Lama.
I guess I haven't been very happy lately...

I will admit, transitioning a career to one where you are captain of your own ship has been a difficult one for me.  Surprisingly not difficult in the exterior sense. I have gotten some amazing work and opportunities to expand my learning.  But difficult internally - I guess I didn't realize how attached I am to my ego around work, career, and professional value.  And all this uneasiness has definitely caused some unhappiness.  But I know better and I know that times like these are opportunities for finding things out about yourself so you can change and grow.

What I have learned so far:
- I am a very good crier
- I might need to let go of my ego a little
- friends and family are truly my savings grace
- an emergency hospital room will make you feel so very grateful
- a run or a yoga class will humble that silly ego

Finding happiness is a little like finding sustainability.  Think about that from this list of the lessons from the Art of Happiness.

1. The purpose of life is happiness.
2. Happiness is determined more by the state of one’s mind than by one’s external conditions, circumstances, or events—at least once one’s basic survival needs are met.
3. Happiness can be achieved through the systematic training of our hearts and minds, through reshaping our attitudes and outlook.
4. The key to happiness is in our own hands.

I don't see my path to happiness is finding some specific vision of my career or acquiring all kinds of new clothes, or red velvet cake.  Those things are good, but when I become too attached to them, its game over - the stress starts up, the craving, the opposite of happiness.
So it takes some work to find happiness - and it takes some work to find sustainability, but those are the journeys worth taking.

So off I go to keep reading - this is one lesson I would like to adopt sooner than later.