Sustainability

Copyright (c) 2008 Gayla Hodges

Sustaining strategic momentum is a leadership function. In our last two-part article, Essentials for Successfully Implementing Your Strategic Plan, we mentioned what leaders do.

“Leaders have a vision. They build a small group of people who share that vision. They have the ability to articulate that vision and to build buy-in from others. Then they implement the vision and the small group of people they have gathered can move mountains and make many, many things happen in an organization.”

Your most important role as leader of an organization is strategy. The best way to sustain the momentum you created by following the guidelines of the Essentials for Successfully Implementing Your Strategic Plan is to continue to deploy the small group of people who share the vision and are engaged in helping you implement it. If they have taken their leadership role seriously, they will have engaged a group of people who share the vision and who are energized to implement the strategies needed to reach that vision. So the amount of strategic momentum you can attain will be directly proportionate to the amount of energy and attention to strategy that is applied by those key individuals who share the strategic vision.

Think of this group of key individuals who share the strategic vision as strategic channels throughout the organization. Those who share your passion should be kept in the know about what’s going on strategically, how it affects them, and how it affects the people they work with. Your role in this effort is to be constantly in front, leading the way. As we said in the last article, you can’t over-communicate the vision; neither can you over-communicate the strategy you are employing to achieve the vision.

The biggest enemy of strategic momentum is distraction. Early in my change management career, one of my mentors taught me that leaders need to be relentless and boring in communicating their vision and strategic direction. It is critical that you stay on track and focused because your ability to stay focused and keep your team focused will directly impact the amount and quality of the results you achieve.

According to Edgar Schein, in his book, Organizational Culture andLeadership, what you focus on as a leader is what the people you lead will focus on. Let us say, for example, you have written your plan, outlined your strategies, started building momentum, and the corporate office sends you a new program that is strategic at a higher level which you are expected to implement or you encounter a barrier you didn’t anticipate in executing your defined strategy. This is a monumental strategic leadership opportunity for you. This is the time to bring your strategy team together. If the potential distraction is a program in support of higher level corporate strategy, your task is to evaluate the new program and look for ways the new program or process integrates with your strategy. If applicable, incorporate it with one of your existing strategic initiatives or develop and implement an initiative to integrate the new process or program into your strategic plan. If the potential distraction is an unexpected barrier, bring your strategic team back together to devise a strategy to either overcome or circumvent the strategy. Then deploy people and resources in the same manner as you are implementing the rest of your strategic plan. It is now part of your strategic plan and you can lead accordingly.

As your strategic leaders work with the strategic initiatives, there are some questions they should be asking at all levels of the organization:

1. How will this support our vision of the future?

2. How closely does what we are doing or planning to do fit our strategy?

3. Is this the most efficient and effective way to reach our strategic goal(s)?

4. Are we leveraging our strengths and organizational capabilities to have the greatest impact on strategic achievement?

5. Is this a temporary support to help us implement change and/or is it designed to become a permanent part of our strategic direction? If it is temporary, how will we determine when it has served its purpose? If it is designed to be permanent, how does it integrate with other systems and/or processes to complete the vision?

As the leader with the vision for the future, it is your role within the organization to step out and build and maintain the momentum to implement the strategies that will achieve the vision. You must communicate ‘ in fact, you must over-communicate ? the vision and the strategies to the point of boredom to every level of the organization to maintain focus, to incorporate new strategic goals and modifications necessary to keep all eyes on the vision and to keep everyone working with energy and enthusiasm toward achieving the vision. By having your strategic leadership team consistently and constantly asking questions that keep the focus of all in the organization on the vision your organization can build and maintain the momentum that will result in strategic success.

I read a story in the paper yesterday about a 92 year-old who was in his teens during the Great Depression. He remembered his dad taping up value-less stocks on the wall and telling him “never buy stocks”. They lost their home and all of their possessions, as many did during that time.

And yet, this gentleman went on to build a fortune, create a loving family, and at his age, teaches tai chi to others in his assisted care facility. He has lived a vibrant and full life. He made it through those dark days because he kept a perspective on what was valuable: his family, his passions, and his purpose in life.

There is a lot of fear being peddled in the news these days, and although many people I know are doing their best to keep their vibrations at a high level, the relentless bad news is hard to completely tune out. As people listen to the dire predictions and see their savings disappear, it’s having an impact on lives and livelihoods around the world.

The simple truth is that no one knows what is going to happen in the next days, weeks, and years. Assuredly, the recovery is not going to be overnight. Our financial system will likely never be the same, and many people will lose all their material wealth. But what will come out of the ashes will be a stronger, better future, if we proceed with persistence, care, and vision.

There is another simple truth we can focus on during these times that will be critical to our sustainability: Our relationships with self, our families, our communities, and our clients.

I have written many times about using your writing to create relationships with your readers, whether it’s an information product you are selling, a newsletter you are writing, or an article you are submitting. Sharing your values, your perspective, and your voice will do more to build your business than any marketing copy, sales letters, or lead generation strategies.

Thomas Leonard, the “Father of Coaching” used to say that “if you give information away, you will be rewarded in ways you can’t imagine”. When I stopped doing that for awhile in my business, the effects were not good.

The more you give, the more you’ll receive, and sustaining your relationships is a top priority.

Look at strategies you can use to build your relationships with your readers.

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In this section we deal with renewable resources, solar plants, heating and air conditioning

We start from the sustainable resources that are mainly the biomass; this means the combustion of heat and electricity by cogeneration; the wind that is the Aeolian electricity source; the solar thermal radiation, useful to produce electric and thermal energy. Also the waterfalls, generally understood as hydroelectric source, the marine streams and the tides belong to sustainable resources. Solar plants are energy plants that generate power through solar energy. Generally speaking, we can divide plants as photovoltaic plants and thermal electric plants.

In the first case, some particular modules, called photovoltaic modules, are used, with the task to turn solar light into electric energy through the photovoltaic effect. The thermal electric plants, instead, work through the use of solar panels that will turn the solar light into a particular liquid. This liquid should reach the boiling point until it becomes a gas. The gas will be collected in a turbine that through an alternator will be transformed in mechanical energy. This process will produce electric energy. As regards heating through solar energy, it is not so easy, this is because the presence of the sun, exactly in the most necessary period, is not at the maximum of its brightness. We can say that new technologies are able to get from the sun beyond 60% of its rays. To be able to use this kind of heating, we need to have some panels under the floor and in any case a system to keep the water temperature fix at 50° degree. The panels that will be installed, should be absolutely vacuum-packed, this way they could be really active during the cold season (this is just why a proper pump is used)

If, on the contrary, you want to switch to this kind of heating but still have some common radiators in your house, regarding saving money, you will not go beyond the 30% of total expenses. But how much does this kind of system cost? Everything depends on the apartment length. For insurance, to heat about 150 m2, the price is around 8-10 thousand euro. Regarding air conditioning, always in a domestic environment, there are various solutions. We can suggest the fixed air conditioner, as split system, which is made of one internal and one external unit. There is also the portable air conditioner, always split type, also in this case is made of two units, one internal and one external. But there is also the portable Monoblock system, which are very comfortable because they can be very easily moved from one room to the other. All the air conditioner spare parts and Monoblock spare parts, instead, are made of one single unit.

Most of them also have the dehumidification function. Prices are very variable, depending on model and brand. To install them it is better to call a sector expert.

This article was written by Martina Meneghetti with support from components for air conditioning . For any information, visit hvac design tools or surfing on-line transition fittings and flanges .

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Straining Our Capacity To Feed The World

A topic that is increasingly raised these days involves the resources required to raise livestock for providing meat, dairy products and eggs, as well as the strain on our oceans from over fishing, and the question often asked is whether or not the practice of eating meat and fish is sustainable over the long term. At what point can the planet no longer support the population?

Time for a disclaimer – I’m not vegan, though I do try to limit my meat and fish consumption to a moderate amount and focus on whole grains, fruits and vegetables in my diet. That said, cheese is the one area that I have the hardest time with. I’ve often thought that I could live without meat, and possibly eggs, but giving up cheese is not something I’ve ever considered. (The magic of bread, cheese and wine is too much for me to sacrifice.)

But I often run into people who are vegan, especially here in Southern California, and the truth is that my son-in-law is vegan, so it’s only natural that I would be curious about what it all means. Checking out the Vegan Action website:

A vegan (pronounced VEE-gun) is someone who, for various reasons, chooses to avoid using or consuming animal products. While vegetarians choose not to use flesh foods, vegans also avoid dairy and eggs, as well as fur, leather, wool, down, and cosmetics or chemical products tested on animals.

Veganism, the natural extension of vegetarianism, is an integral component of a cruelty-free lifestyle. Living vegan provides numerous benefits to animals’ lives, to the environment, and to our own health-through a healthy diet and lifestyle.

My assumption had always been that the choice to go vegan was made for either health reasons, reduced chance of disease, or out of respect for animals, believing that it is unnecessary to kill animals for food. While this is has proven true for the vegans I’ve encountered, another reason mentioned more frequently over the past few years is sustainability.

The Price Of Eating Meat

What is clear from reading about the process of raising animals for food (meat, milk, eggs) is the level of strain such practices put on the environment. The amount of land required, the significant use of water and the volume of feed that must be grown all take their toll on the planet.

Can veganism solve this problem? Such a lifestyle is often credited with lowering the risk of colon cancer, heart attack, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, prostate cancer, and stroke when contrasted to diets high in fats and sugars – but lately the drumbeat has grown louder that as our population continues to increase the planet is becoming less able to support demands placed on both natural resources and the food supply.

Founded in Britain on November 1, 1944, by Donald Watson, the Vegan Society has been very vocal on the environmental aspects of including animal products in our lifestyle…

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Mexico pledges once again its commitment to sustainable tourism by introducing new market-driven, economic opportunities that support conservation and community development. The Mexico Tourism Board and other Mexicans governmental tourism entities, in conjunction with the World Heritage Alliance (WHA), Expedia, Inc. and the United Nations Foundation, have initiated an educational partnership program for Expedia representatives and members of local communities in Mexico to ensure the protection of the delicate biodiversity, while empowering the rural communities through entrepreneurship.

Earlier this year, Expedia employees traveled to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to work with Community Tours Sian Ka’an (CTSK) — a local, predominantly Mayan- owned tourism cooperative working to ensure protection of the delicate mix of coral reefs, mangroves, clear deep water pools, and forests, which are increasingly drawing tourists southward from nearby Cancun and the Riviera Maya.

“We are very excited and proud of the benefits that our small local communities are receiving,” commented Mexico Tourism Board CEO, Francisco Lopez Mena on the Community Tours Sian Ka’an. “CTSK is a perfect example of how we can empower a local community with the right entrepreneurial skills, while at the same time protecting the environment and offering visitors a rich and fulfilling experience,” stated Lopez Mena.

A representative of CTSK, Manuel Quezada IX, was recently a panelist during the United Nations’ Dialogue for the Future: Indigenous Entrepreneurship Forum organized with Aveda, Inc., to discuss issues related to indigenous entrepreneurship, opportunities and challenges. Satisfyingly, CTSK has experienced revenue growth of more than 125 percent, and it was recently recognized with the prestigious Equator Prize, given biannually to the world’s most innovative community sustainable development project initiatives.

“Tourism is fundamental for creating a constituency for conservation,” said Mexico Tourism Secretary Rodolfo Elizondo, “It is important for us as leaders in this industry, to empower our local communities and bring significant changes, financial and environmental benefits for all to enjoy,” added Elizondo.

In 2006 and under Elizondo’s leadership, Mexico became a member of the World Heritage Alliance (WHA), as the first national tourism secretariat to ever join an organization as such. By signing an agreement with the WHA, the country reiterates its commitment to the promotion and preservation of Mexico’s 26 World Heritage sites.

Mexico is ranked first in the Americas and eighth worldwide in UNESCO sites, a distinction given to places of historical, cultural and natural relevance to the world. The country’s islands and protected areas in the Gulf of Baja California, declared a World Heritage Site in 2005, are the most recent addition to Mexico’s impressive list.

Pueblos Magicos Initiative

Another initiative undertaken by the Mexican government is the Pueblos Magicos Program. Mexico’s Tourism Secretariat’s (Sectur) Pueblos Magicos program helps increase tourism to towns located near large cities or other tourist sites, reasonably accessible via roads and that are of particular historic or religious value. Founded in 2001, the Pueblos Magicos program coordinates local, state and federal efforts, channeling funds so the towns may diversify and improve their tourism infrastructure and help inhabitants economically.

While the primary focus of Pueblos Magicos is to develop cultural tourism, other segments, such as eco tourism, adventure tourism and rural tourism also fall under the program’s canopy. As the towns develop the products offered in the different segments, sustainable tourism is cultivated. The program empowers the townspeople, who must initiate and manage the process. Once a town is declared a Pueblo Magico, it receives funds to support the modernization of the micro, small and medium regional businesses related to the tourism industry, such as handicraft shops and restaurants. These grassroots efforts contribute to the tourism sector’s vitality and creativity as well as promote the entrepreneurial spirit.

About the Mexico Tourism Board

The Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) brings together the resources of federal and state governments, municipalities and private companies to promote Mexico’s tourism attractions and destinations internationally. Created in 1999, the MTB is Mexico’s tourism promotion agency, and its participants include members of both the private and public sectors. The MTB has offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

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Erick Laseca

Mexico Tourism Board

312-228-0571 ext14

erick.laseca@bm.com

http://www.visitmexico.com