VIDEO
Build a Strategy for Sustainability
Strategies you can use
We have divided our schedule of tools into two papers, based on the level of authority the change agent has. The first paper looks at tools appropriate for change agents who have no formal authority, the second for sustainability coordinators who have official authority (even if this is only a part-time responsibility).
Change agents with no formal authority
Change agents with no formal authority must carefully work to build support for sustainability over time. The following methods may be useful and tend to build on one another.
Begin within your span of control
Implement sustainable practices to the degree you can within your own span of control. Practically anyone can find more sustainable options for what they are doing. A cleaner might investigate green cleaning products; a secretary might source paper with more recycled content. You might need to do some research outside work if you don’t have the flexibility to do so during work time. Focus your efforts on changes that make good bottom-line business sense, that save time or save money. Choose projects that have a high probability of success. Then communicate your results. Let management know how you improved productivity. They’ll want to know how you could do it again.
Sow seeds
You need to begin to develop your advocates, others who will support the idea of sustainability inside the organization. To find those individuals, you can begin to sow seeds:
• Talk to people about what you’ve learned about sustainability and watch their reaction.
• Share interesting articles, attaching a note asking for their reaction.
• Invite people to attend presentations on sustainability topics with you.
As you sow these seeds, you’ll find that the idea of sustainability will grow on some people. You may be able to find a related passion, something your contacts care about that you can reframe under the umbrella of sustainability. Invite their ideas. Together, explore where the opportunities might lie in the organization. Who do they know who also might be interested?
Discussion groups
Many organizations will allow employees to have informal discussion groups during lunch.Organizations such as the Northwest Earth Institute in the US Pacific northwest and the Global Action Plan has self-facilitated classes that can be done in this setting. Topics such as voluntary simplicity or deep ecology often develop a sense of urgency and empowerment. Or you might form a book group and read works related to sustainability. These venues can leave participants eager to change their behaviour at home and at work.
Green teams
Discussion groups often evolve into voluntary green teams, groups of people who meet usually during non-work time to explore how to educate others and improve the sustainability performance of their organizations. They may host speaker series during lunch or research opportunities to eliminate waste and conserve energy. These green teams often have no formal authority in their organizations but they can catalyse more formal initiatives. Make participation fun for those who attend but also work on projects that matter. Make sure that at least some of your efforts save or make the organization money. Realize too that these green teams often peter out, so position them so that they will evolve into something more formal. See the examples of structures in the section below.
Sustainability coordinators with formal authority
Sustainability coordinators who are sanctioned by management have more clout. They can set up structures and processes to affect the entire organization. The following methods may be helpful in this situation.
Steering committees
A steering committee differs from a green team in that it is not voluntary and membership is designed. These committees are temporary, parallel organizational structures to facilitate the implementation of sustainability in the organization. Often organizations begin with a diagonal slice, taking people from all parts of the organization. This can be a good place to begin. However, these often evolve to be much smaller teams with carefully selected members. For example, at a Simplot plant in Idaho, the steering committee evolved from an unwieldy one with over 20 members to one with a handful of well-positioned individuals including two of their five senior managers, a member of the laboratory (a research function), a purchasing agent, an environmental representative, and representatives from maintenance and planning. They also have seats for rank and file employees who rotate on and off the team. Together, when they decide to move in a direction, they have the clout to make it happen.
Task forces and project teams
Steering committees often spawn task forces or project teams to work on individual projects. For example, one team may conduct a greenhouse gas audit while another plans a remodel. It is often helpful to hire a professional facilitator to lead these efforts so that you have someone knowledgeable about the process leading the effort. At the very least, assure that these teams get off on the right foot. Be thorough as you set up these groups, carefully considering mission, membership, and methods, to minimize confusion, scope-creep, and burn-out. We recommend a ‘launching’ process that addresses each of these critical components:
• Why? Be sure you can articulate the business need for the project. Link the outcomes you expect the team to achieve to strategic issues of the organization. The more important this effort seems to the participants, the more energy and commitment you will likely garner.
• Who? Be strategic in your choice of people. It’s good to have volunteers because you are assured of their interests, but also consider enlisting people with relevant expertise, leadership or influence and include representatives of those whose jobs or processes will be affected (eg the facilities managers for projects related to your building).
• What? Express the aims of these teams in terms of measurable outcomes including deadlines for deliverables. This will help them manage expectations as well as the scope of the project. If possible, frame their task as a simple question. Make clear what they can decide and what they can only recommend.
• When and where? It will be easier to enlist people if you can estimate the time commitment you are asking for: how often and for how long they will be expected to meet. Contribute to their success by assuring they have adequate time for the project and the necessary resources – meeting space, access to data, permission from their managers, etc.
• How? Ideally these groups will be run by skilled facilitators. It is also helpful to establish effective meeting roles and processes, and ground rules. Discuss any assumptions about assessments, tools, research, budgets, and other resources they may use.
Individuals
Sometimes a team is not needed at all. If you approach the right people and embed sustainable practices into the organizational systems, you can often have a larger impact.
For example, if you can convince the purchasing manager to implement environmentally preferable purchasing policies and to embed those preferences into the online purchasing system, the other employees don’t have to think about sustainability in this context. They are simply presented with sustainable options. Where you can, make the more sustainable options the easy choice or the only choice.
Award programmes and certification systems
Many organizations have found that pursuing sustainability award programmes or certification systems has provided a powerful framework and incentive for progress. Many regions have environmental or sustainability award programmes that provide a structure, standards and, if you qualify, public recognition. You may also pursue certain certification schemes, for example LEED for a building remodel, ISO 14000 for an environmental management system or product-specific certifications like the Marine Stewardship Council certification for fish or the Forest Stewardship Council certification for forest products. See Appendix B for a list of common certification programmes.
Sustainability management systems
So that your first sustainability projects don’t end up being your last, you need to develop a management system to support sustainability. These are often modeled on quality management systems (ISO 9000) and environmental management systems (ISO 14000).
They include:
• A policy statement that describes intent and commitment;
• Methods for setting priorities, metrics and targets;
• Processes for starting, monitoring, and completing projects;
• Processes to review both the results of the projects and also to audit and improve the sustainability management system itself; and
• Methods for institutionalizing the insights gained from projects into other systems such as work procedures, corrective action plans, and training.
Conclusion
As the famous anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, ‘never doubt that a small band of caring and committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.’ You can make a difference. It is not easy being a lone voice in an organization, so build your cadre of supporters. Look for win–win opportunities that help the organization as well as delivering social and environmental benefits. Build your credibility in the organization by choosing projects with a high probability of success. Once you’ve gained the respect of others and they have seen the positive results, it will be easier to take bigger leaps. So many people have found that once they understand sustainability, there is no going back to blissful ignorance. So as you introduce more and more people to the concepts, you may not be able to see all the ripples, but you can be sure that they are there.
Try to be patient. It took a long time for humans to get to this unsustainable state and it will take time to shift our society and economy. You are part of a worldwide effort at an exciting turning point in human history.
