In applying the concepts and reflecting on the history of sustainability, what do we (as a people) want to sustain and in what ways can individuals work toward sustainability? Why was the first green revolution considered a failure in terms of the environment? Why do you think the green 2 revolution is a good idea?

“The earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.” Ghandi

This discussion is obviously pretty related to the one we had last week. What would we do to ensure that we come up with a sustainable development project?
We would like to emphasize on the importance of “good governance” for this discussion since it is one of the main factors that determines whether or not a project is sustainable. Among others, poor governance was one of the reasons why the first green revolution failed.
With the second green revolution however, we see how good governance (theoretically) plays a huge role in shifting the outcome to a more successful one. The four principles of good governance (accountability, participation and decentralization, predictability, and transparency) are pretty much characteristics that would allow a sustainable development project officer to be successful.

First, we thought that we have to make sure to note that we (as people) want to sustain our environment and our natural resources before anything else. Our country/world’s economy sure is vital but we will not be able to use the term economy if we abuse what actually runs our economies all around the planet. Balancing our environmental and natural resources consumption would therefore be the first step towards achieving sustainability.
Once we determine the latter, we as individuals could work towards sustainability by exercising our right to participation. Again, participation is one of the four principles of good governance, so we need to realize that WE are the main stakeholders and beneficiaries in every nation’s development efforts. By doing so, we eliminate the risks of corruption by those in power, we decrease the gaps between rich and poor which was one of the major issues faced by the GR.

Julia Butterflies’ concept of making sustainability mainstream through individual action was quite interesting, while her actions are a bit extreme she set out to prove a point and did just that by living in the redwood tree she wanted to save…the key points that I want to make are that by her actions she caused questions to be asked by loggers and other community members, conversations were started and she saved the redwoods for a short time…importantly the thought process began, while we can’t all save the world alone; we can start a revolution.

Sustainability, I am struggling with whether sustainable development truly means to sustain any and all human activities…while I believe that sustainability is truly necessary and there is a need for real change because resources are diminishing as nature and the environment are suffering, but how much can realistically be changed? Should we be trying to take a step back or a step forward? Is there a way to capitalize on globalization, but still sustain? Will globalizing third world countries hurt or help long term?

Balance among the determinants of sustainability will help transition towards more sustainable societies and cause collaboration. It almost seems like common sense; consumption of too much of anything isn’t good…too much food can cause you to be fat, too much sun will cause cancer, etc. Consumption…reducing food consumption would help in the US in more than one regard…obesity…Eco-efficiency/economic efficiency…collaborate vs. compete…
In regards to production let’s become leaders ourselves and implement ways to help unsustainable production.

“Sustainability represents an idealized societal state where people live long, dignified, comfortable, and productive lives, satisfying their needs in environmentally sound and socially just ways so as to not compromise the ability of other human beings from doing the same now and into the distant future. It is, in effect, an attempt to merge development and nature conservation efforts in a mutually beneficial way for the common good of the planet’s present and future generations alike. In practice, achieving sustainability occurs through the process of sustainable development — discovering, adopting, implementing, establishing, and adjusting appropriate institutions, policies, strategies, and technologies to produce a just transition that moves society toward the envisioned idealized state of existence. Democracy is often viewed in the same way, as a process of working toward the ideal.” (Kertmath, 2007)

“In the case of sustainability, the ideal consists of the simultaneous establishment of the two spatially and temporally essential and universal conditions — “environmental integrity” and “social justice” — that must be maintained over the long haul.” (Kermath, 2007)
The first Green Revolution was considered a failure because of bad governance and rich farmers didn’t give the poor farmers are chance to take advantage of the subsidized fuel and in turn caused an “increased income gap between the rich and poor” (p. 74)

The “Green 2 Revolution” is an agriculture development which is needed to achieve sustainable development in the world. What I like about the Green 2 Revolution is that the five policy elements are trying to promote sustainable development and make a significant impact on poverty reduction. For example the first policy “redistributes policy that favors the poor by providing them access to land and modern impact”. (p. 74) hopefully, this can help the poor help themselves, which is the long term goal n all cases. “good governance includes predictability, fair, compensation pursuant to law will be required for a successful redistributive policy.” (p. 74)
Increased investment in rain-fed agricultural areas in both Asia and Latin America. “as a one-time cattle owner in South America and understanding the need to be able to level the land and knowing that just because an area may get ample rain, doesn’t mean the farm is successful. Many factors come in to play and need to be understood.

The woman beggar on page 77 that was able to take on a micro-loan is a prime example of “showing someone how to fish and you feed them for life” giving someone willing and wanting to learn can give them a chance for change and respect. It enables them to produce their own goods and earn a living. While, microfinance isn’t the key way for change, as “microfinance can help the working poor, but not generally the poorest of the poor” (p. 77)

In response to the questions on the failures of GR, a few points are worth mentioning:
1- Despite its production success the GR favored the big agricultural corporations over the small farms leading to a huge disparity between rich and poor. The small farmers had no say in the way the GR worked (centralization and lack of participation) which is a sign of poor governance.

2- The use of pesticides and fertilizers works best on soils with a high degree of water control, so what happens to the small farms that cannot afford to pay for such technologies?

3- The GR was completely dependent on the new technologies, where resources were consumed at unreasonable levels compared to the GR2 which worked with nature rather than used nature’s resources (issue of system of irrigation and drainage).

4- The increase in production was mostly done for rice and wheat, leaving regions where such production is not very popular, struggling to find a way out of their food crises like Africa.

5- Greed is what has harmed the GR in the past and will harm the GR2 sooner or later. We need to find a way to develop policies and programs that are fair to all stakeholders, without destroying our earth by unreasonably using up its resources.  Thomas Woodfin is an expert article writer.

A best practices program assists companies in making systematic changes in areas like emissions, air quality, energy, transportation, water and waste.

Sustainability involves the development and implementation of green ideas and goals. Crucial to this process is the development of metrics that track and monitor performance. Also important is the identification and response to challenges, opportunities and threats.

Although standardized sustainable best practices are still in their formative stage of development, there are some basic practices that help businesses become more environmentally sustainable.

Assemble a green team. A dedicated sustainability management team is imperative to making and maintaining sustainable changes. The green team should have representatives from different departments. Write policies in your employee manual for energy, water, waste, transportation and pollution prevention. Create routine maintenance checks for all appliances. Include internal signage and online communications educating employees and the public about relevant environmental concerns.

Monitor and manage emissions, set targets for emissions reductions. Select materials that have less impact on indoor air quality (Use carpets, furniture, paints, adhesives and cleaning products that are associated with less noxious outgassing).  

Monitor and manage energy consumption. Implement energy efficiency program (most programs pay for themselves within a couple of years). Develop energy reduction targets for IT, manufacturing, lighting, heating and cooling.

Track the mileage of all company vehicles. Tracking mileage and examining your travel routes can help you better understand your fuel usage and find more expedient routes.

Monitor water consumption and develop strategies for water reduction. Effective strategies can include something as simple as retrofitted faucets with low-flow aerators.

Monitor waste and develop a strategy for waste reduction and recycling. Knowing the waste stream makes it easier to identify targets for waste reduction. Keep a log tracking the trash. Include a recycling program with a good plan including logistics that detail how recycled materials will be collected and stored.

A successful sustainability initiative demands the willing participation of employees. Although there are ample opportunities for creative innovation, there are some simple best practices for introducing and cultivating a workplace environment that supports sustainability initiatives.

The first step to engaging employees in sustainability involves setting targets. This means developing clear strategic objectives and then sketching out actionable plans to achieve those objectives.

It is important to provide incentives for participation from the inception. Establish recognition and/or reward programs for employees who contribute to the company’s sustainability initiatives.

Announce the program and schedule an inaugural event for employees. Use coordinated communications to inspire and motivate change, while enhancing the company brand. Focus on educational efforts that help employees understand how their individual actions can make a positive impact on the organization.

Promote the program with regular communications and updates. Add sustainability to your company newsletter and educate customers about the company’s sustainability initiatives. Remind people that individual actions multiplied many times make a difference.

Empower people at the local level. Be open and transparent about the progress on individual sustainability projects. Develop interactive scorecards and encourage friendly competition among office and regions. Provide opportunities for employees to participate and collaborate, it is good to maximize participation, however, green programs work best if they are voluntary.

Businesses that succeed in engaging employees in sustainability, improve morale and benefit the bottom line while developing a productive collaborative culture. However, businesses need to understand how to communicate sustainability in a way that not only conveys environmental initiatives but enhances the internal and external brand.

Communicating sustainability is about more than information. Effective communications change behavior, while information alone does not always lead to action.

Effectively communicating sustainability is about attractive campaigns that make sustainable lifestyles fashionable and cool without being superficial. Marketing support including a logo, advertising, video and presentations can also help to communicate sustainability.

Effective strategies for sustainable communications involve clearly defining the target audiences and developing a corresponding message. The message objectives need to be concrete, clear, realistic and achievable. It is often better to focus on a single issue rather than numerous different points.

Decide how these objectives will be achieved by developing message(s) and defining channel(s). Do not overload an audience with information; maintain a common theme throughout all the aspects of the campaign. Identify how the particular audience prefers to receive information; consider how social networks could be used to communicate the message.

Conduct audience research using focus groups or telephone surveys. Find out what motivates the target audience, determine what they read, watch and listen to.

Perform a SLEPT Analysis (Social, Legal, Environmental, Political and Technical issues) that might affect the campaign.

To assist with planning and implementation, develop a timeline that identifies communications milestones. Set up a green team steering group, as well as a campaign coordinator.

Continually measure and evaluate the communications. Establish what will be measured and how. Seek audience feedback, then document and report this evaluation. Make the plan and the assessment metrics readily accessible to team members and update them as needed.

To be effective sustainable communications should be tailored to the company culture.

Sustainability Reporting/ Transparency

Transparency and reporting corporate sustainability initiatives are best practices for all organizations. Reporting on these policies prompts businesses to think about the impact of their processes on the environment, as well as the impact the environment has on their business. Sustainability reports force businesses to become conscious of their decisions. In many cases, companies have been able to save money as they reduce waste.

The Coca-Cola Company has done a fantastic job in communicating and reporting their sustainability initiatives on their corporate website. At Coca-Cola, manufacturing processes require the use of significant volumes of natural resources. Reporting on sustainability has forced decision makers at Coca-Cola to find innovative ways to reduce the impact of the company on the environment, as they understand that the possibility of future resource depletion would inhibit them from creating their products. Acknowledging that sustainability reporting is a work in progress, here are some examples of the goals set by the Coca-Cola Company to improve corporate sustainability:

Water Usage: Safely return the equivalent amount of water, to what we use in all of our beverages and their production, back to communities and the environment.
Packaging: Reduce the amount of materials and energy used in creating product packaging. Invest in recycling and recovery programs so that packaging can be reused again. The company has invested in establishing PET recycling plants in various locations around the world. Lastly, increase the use of recycled products in the manufacturing of cans, bottles, caps and other products. This allows for recycled items to be reused, and for the finished product to be recycled in its entirety when consumed.
Reduce Carbon Footprint and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Climate change is a two way street. Emissions from manufacturing processes and delivery (ex.vending machines and refrigeration) contribute to climate change. On the flip side, droughts, flooding and extreme weather impact a company’s ability to carry out business processes, the availability of raw materials and consumer ability to purchase products. Coca-Cola has begun using energy efficient cooling systems, mixing energy sources and set standards to reduce the energy used throughout product manufacturing and delivery.

The goals and initiatives established by the Coca-Cola Company can be used as examples of goals and areas for consideration by other companies. According to experts at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, reporting on non-financial information, such as sustainability, requires the same amount of care given to reports that are mandatory for every business to publish:

“Currently, companies issue their sustainability reports voluntarily. Sustainability reporting is not a public relations exercise. These reports must contain factual information about a company’s policies, programs, and performance, as well as management’s analyses and interpretations of that performance. These reports help the reader understand how the company’s operations impact society and the natural environment, and what the company is doing to reduce the negative impacts.

Brand Image

Sustainability efforts create significant benefits for brands. When an environmental catastrophe is caused by a business or business process, the public response can be detrimental. Just look at the hit BP has taken for the explosion and oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. The damages of the events in the Gulf are still unclear; however, it’s likely the impacts will be felt for many generations to come.

In the SustainAbility article, “Five Principles for Sustainable Brands,” they write: 

“Brand is the embodiment of an organization– the symbols, experiences and associations connected to it. The connection between sustainability and brand helps build better relationships across value chains, creates new market opportunities, reduces risk, and, critically, more deeply embeds sustainable practices by making them part of the organization’s identity, its story – and when sustainability is part of the brand promise, it is far less likely to be compromised.”

As mentioned earlier in the post, sustainability forces organizations to consider a number of risks and implications of their processes on the environment. Building sustainability into corporate compliance or social programs is becoming increasingly common. When a company comes forward with their goals, they are held accountable for achieving them. Sustainability goals can also be credited for improving overall corporate performance, as waste and costs are reduced.

The GRI provides guidance for companies, offering best practice reporting solutions, through the implementation of the G3 Guidelines, to increase transparency and emphasize the need for sustainable business practices. Breaking the reporting process down into various components and serving as a resource of best practice reporting examples, the GRI makes sustainability reporting far less daunting.

About the Global Reporting Initiative

The vision of the GRI is the desire that the disclosure on economic, environmental, and social performance becomes as common and comparable as financial reporting, and as important to organizational success. Through the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework, the GRI works to increase the transparency and exchange of sustainability related information. In 2009, GRI released the Amsterdam Declaration on Transparency and Reporting, which calls on the government in each country to make the disclosure of environmental, social and governance performance mandatory for companies. In the article “First GRI-Certified Training on Sustainable Reporting in Canada” Rock Lefebvre, Vice President, Research and Standards, at Certified General Accountants Association of Canada stated:

“The GRI Guidelines represent the best approach for achieving the goal of standardized sustainability reporting.”

The GRI and the G3 Guidelines have formed collaborative partnerships with the UN Environment Programme, the UN Global Compact and the Earth Charter Initiative. A number of documents and agreements from other organizations- such as the OECD and ILO, have also been referenced for the purpose of creating the G3 Guidelines.

Reporting Framework

In an overview provided by the GRI, the G3 Guidelines:

“Provide guidance for organizations to disclose their sustainability performance. It’s applicable to organizations of any size or type, and from any sector or geographic region, and has been used by thousands of organizations worldwide as the basis for their sustainability reporting. It facilitates transparency and accountability by organizations and provides stakeholders a universally-applicable, comparable framework from which to understand disclosed information. The Framework is continuously improved and expanded as knowledge of sustainability issues evolves and the needs of report makers and users change.”

The reporting framework provides guidance on setting report boundaries, defining report quality and report content. When following the G3 Guidelines, companies must also include a company profile, sustainability strategy, management approach and key performance indicators for measuring sustainability initiatives.  The GRI is continually involved in projects identifying and influencing the future trends related to sustainability.  These projects help the GRI remain on top of current issues and make updates to the guidelines. Updates are made to the reporting framework by category, instead of overhauling all guidelines at the same time. Guideline updates are shaped by stakeholder input and the outcomes of the projects GRI is involved with.

Important Documents

The GRI publishes reports related to the progress made in sustainability reporting, government commitment to sustainability, as well as the achievements and progress made at GRI. Each year, the GRI publishes their own sustainability reports and last year, published their first Year in Review report, documenting the organization’s progress towards established goals. A series of “Learning Publications” have been developed to assist business leaders integrate sustainability into their workplaces, beginning with basic concepts in reporting, understanding the value of sustainability reporting and innovative reporting examples.

Companies following the G3 reporting framework are invited to submit their reports to the GRI. In doing so, company names are added to a public list that’s made available on the GRI website. GRI has prepared a number of tools to provide report makers with assistance, as preparing a sustainability report for the first time can be overwhelming. Templates, software, training and sample reports are just a few of the solutions GRI has to offer to those responsible for publishing a company’s sustainability report.