Last week I traveled to Washington, D.C. for the CRO Summit. Let me sum up the trip with one word—exhausting.

The near ten hours spent driving down I-95 and back are partially to blame. So too is the extra hour that I waited for an oil change in Aberdeen, Maryland. But this is about more than traffic jams and the stiff chairs in Jiffy Lube’s waiting room. Sustainability seems a bit tired at the moment. And when she yawns, I tend to follow suit.

The engines of sustainability—namely innovation and integration—are threatening to stall along with our economy. Companies are so focused on weathering this economic storm that departments are taking on a “silo mentality” and forward progress in the realm of sustainability is slowing down. And it shows, particularly at events like the CRO Summit.

The contrast was really quite stark. Corporate types—and I’m lumping consultants into that group—seemed by-and-large very tired. The body language of several presenters was neutral, if not negative. The energy was low. Even CRO Publisher Jay Whitehead seemed a bit muted from his typical chipper persona.

Others (including numerous scheduled panelists) didn’t even bother to show up. Of the three panelists slated to participate in a panel of pharmaceutical companies, for example, none attended in person. Abbott Labs’ Vice President of Global Citizenship joined by phone, Merck’s Executive Director of Corporate Responsibility sent a replacement, and Bristol Myers-Squibb’s Director of Corporate Responsibility was a complete no-show.

Now here is the twist. Representatives of government, academia, and the nonprofit community, on the contrary, were much more upbeat and energetic. Congressman Edolphus Town (D-NY) and Jennifer Griffin, Director of the Institute for Corporate Responsibility at George Washington University were particularly dynamic in their presentations.

As I reflect back on last week, it occurs to me that the summit was a reflection of broader society; business and industry are down, and the public sector is still basking in the afterglow of President Obama’s election.

Perhaps now is as good a time as any for us to wake up and reach out. To strengthen public-private partnerships. To tap into the enthusiasm in other sectors of society and re-energize ourselves. I, for one, cannot wait to get back to Washington.

Ceres conference post #3

Although the Ceres conference was chock-full of experts expounding on a variety of planetary challenges—from water scarcity to the difficulties inherent in financial market reform—I felt that we all missed an opportunity to explore a very basic problem: that of somehow helping ordinary people to change their behavior.

As a sustainability professional with years of training and education, I can’t say that it’s been easy to change my own daily behavior to be more socially and environmentally responsible. The mere fact of being well-versed in the benefits of, say, installing energy-efficient windows, or programmable thermostats, or low-flow shower heads is not sufficient to spur action, especially given the other demands (family, relationships, work, car maintenance) that daily life puts in front of us. And that’s without even considering the stresses many are experiencing in a declining economy: job loss, foreclosure, loss of health coverage, etc. It’s no wonder that environmental concerns still rank near the bottom of polls looking at issues of public concern.

The New York Times magazine explored this very problem in its “Green Issue” (“Why Isn’t the Brain Green?”). The author did not offer many satisfactory conclusions, other than that the state of research as relates to behavior change and environmental challenges is in an early state of play. So where does that leave us?

Two thoughts:

• We need to make sustainability EASY (a “no-brainer”, in effect). I loved one example from the Ceres conference breakout on water issues: Jason Morrison of the Pacific Institute argued that it would be more economical for the State of California to literally come into people’s homes and replace their toilets with low-flow units rather than invest in other, more expensive, water-conservation initiatives. Another example is of stores phasing out plastic bags. If we can shape social and business frameworks so that the sustainable choice is the default option, we’re halfway there.
   
• The recent presidential election unequivocally demonstrated the power of new media to leverage grass-roots organization and social networking to achieve broad, systemic change (see an article in Fast Company for a “behind the scenes” look). Surely we could apply the same concept and tools to organizing for sustainability. Any takers?

Ceres conference post #2

At the Ceres conference, Majora Carter, formerly of Sustainable South Bronx, argued passionately that it is simply not acceptable to build an economy based on the degradation of the environment and the degradation of people. No argument there!

She also offered a new, sustainability-oriented acronym for the OBAMA era: “Officially Behaving As Magnificent Americans”.

Maybe if we could all adopt the mantle of “magnificence” and recognize the “magnificent” qualities of both the environment and each other, the hidden social and environmental costs of our current unsustainable lifestyles would be easier to see. And to act upon.

Ceres conference post #1

In the opening plenary session of the Ceres conference, held last week in San Francisco, Denis Hayes of the Bullitt Foundation quickly got down to business. He outlined three basic points that he views as crucial to prevent utter ecological, social, and economic collapse.

• Population control. Basic scientific principles dictate that every ecosystem has a maximum number of individuals it can support. Given current technology, our planet could comfortably support about 2 billion people at a level of quality currently enjoyed by Swedish citizens. The problem? We’re at 6.7 billion—and population is expected to continue growing up to 9 billion.
• Substitution of craftsmanship for throughput. This is an elegant argument, one that encompasses product durability as well as human dignity and the intrinsic value of meaningful work. If our economic system could be re-ordered to emphasize quality and endurance, there would be a sharp decline in materials use and waste, with a concurrent rise in employment. Not a bad deal.
• Mimimizing the extremes of poverty and wealth. Greater global stability will depend on tempering the vast gulf between the wealthiest and the poorest individuals. With resource scarcity colliding head-on with the aspirations of billions of world citizens, we need to develop approaches beyond that of “gated communities”.

These proposals, if debated, would no doubt yield much controversy and disagreement. To me, however, they just seem like basic common sense.

ANZ Corporate Responsibility Review 2008 PDF

Presented by Framework:CR

Hosted by the Altamont Group 

The Sustainability 2009 webinar series will identify tangible ways in which your organization can improve with regard to sustainability. This event is conducted online, spans four days, and offers a valuable curriculum of courses to enhance your learning experience and provide you with valuable takeaways.
 
Days 2 and 4 of the series will feature Kathee Rebernak and Aleksandra Dobkowski-Joy as they discuss “Sustainability Strategic Planning” and “Reporting, Communication & Stakeholder Engagement.” Additional topics include “The Business Case for Sustainability” and “Sustainability Measures & Metrics.”
 
Kathee and Aleksandra will help participants to:

• Develop a strategic roadmap for competitive advantage and long-term growth
• Align sustainability with current strategic plans
• Report sustainability outcomes to all stakeholders; internally and externally
• Improve the credibility and consistency of communications

PRESENTER: Kathee Rebernak, Chief Executive and
Aleksandra Dobkowski-Joy, Principal at Framework:CR
DATE: April 30 and May 6, 2009
TIME: 1:00-2:30PM (EST) 
REGISTER: Via the course brochure or register@altamont-group.com 
SINGLE ATTENDEE: $599 (early registration)
ADDITIONAL ATTENDEE: $299

Woohoo! Framework clients Seventh Generation and Symantec are among the six winners of this year’s Ceres-ACCA North American Awards for Best Sustainability Reporting. See the press release here.

Seventh Generation’s 2007 Corporate Consciousness Report takes the prize for Best SME Report. Symantec’s 2008 Corporate Responsibility Report tied with Ball Corporation’s 2007 Sustainability Report for Best First Time Report. General Electric is recognized for Best Overall Sustainability Report.

This year there were 97 entries from North American companies and organizations, of which 19 entries were short-listed. The winners were selected by an independent panel of judges based on completeness, credibility, and effectiveness of communication.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners!

by Kathee Rebernak, Ethical Corporation, April 2009, Link