More Related Content Similar to Bringing Orgs Together for 21st Century Sustainability Similar to Bringing Orgs Together for 21st Century Sustainability (20) 2. Sustainable Organizations Are Tightly Linked
Environment
Economy Community
Achieving progress toward sustainability requires maintaining and improving
economic, environmental, and community wellbeing, not choosing one over
the others
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3. Long Term Sustainability Framework
Community
Sustainable
Economy
Context
25+ Years
Environment
Acknowledges the links between and the importance of each element and is
measurable
04/18/2009 © Chamber of Sustainability 3
4. The Sustainability Context
A sustainable context includes but is not limited to answers
to questions such as:
What is the quality of life
How does sustainability
for all members—human How do we measure
impact the bottom line
and non-human sustainability?
of the enterprise?
of your community?
How involved are people in
Does the enterprise have
making their community a Is environmental
the ability to meet
better place to work, play quality a concern?
its basic needs?
and live?
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5. Effective Sustainability Metrics
Effective sustainability metrics are:
Relevant
• showing something about the system that needs to be understood
Multidimensional
• including the links among the economy, environment, and community
Understandable
• even by people who are not experts
Reliable
• enabling trust in the information provided
Accessible
• facilitating timely action
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6. Sustainability Within Context
Environment
Community
Economy
Achieving progress toward sustainable development is a matter of social
choice on the part of individuals, groups, enterprises, communities, and
governments that comprise the ecosystem context. It is an evolutionary
process with no specifically defined end state.
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7. Not Just an Environmental Movement
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8. Impacts of Sustainability
• Sustainability impacts the entire ecosystem that is our enterprise, our
community, our economy, and our environment
• The sustainability concept integrates our economic and social
(community) lives into the environment in ways that maintain and
enhance the environment rather than degrade or destroy it
• Sustainable community issues include all the different parts that make
up a community
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9. Definition of Community
Community can be defined in social terms such as our town
or county and be expanded to include our region or country,
and further expanded to encompass our continent or our
world
The human ecology exists within each community
Communities exist in the environment of the earth’s
ecosystem
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10. Definition of Economy
The economy is the social system of production, exchange,
distribution, and consumption of goods and services
Any specific economy involves the environment, technology,
history, geography, resources, and other factors
Economy encompasses job growth, diversity, benefits, and
the work needed to support basic needs
The economy includes work performed, profit, and the ability
to produce a needed product or service
The economy can be considered on a local, national, or
global level
Any enterprise may be involved in more than one economy,
more than one community, and more than one local
environment
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11. Effective Sustainability Metrics
Indicators that measure progress toward sustainability need
to measure the interactions between the economy, the
community and the environment and its impact on the
individual
Frequently the best metrics have not been captured
Traditional metrics have several advantages and
disadvantages
Your metrics must change over time
Environment Community Economy
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12. Advantages of Traditional Metrics
The data is readily available and can be used to compare
communities
Traditional metrics can help to define problem areas
Traditional metrics can be combined to create sustainability
metrics
Environment Community Economy
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13. Disadvantages of Traditional Metrics
Traditional data sources and metrics focus attention on
traditional solutions
For example, measuring miles per gallon does not enable easy
understanding of improvement, instead measuring gallons per mile
creates a much richer understanding and will lead to much better
solutions
If your defined metrics are readily available you have not
thought hard enough about sustainability
Environment Community Economy
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15. What You Receive
+
Networking opportunities with industry leaders and prospective clients
The COS is hosting a minimum of 20 (physical and virtual) networking events for member
companies in 2009
+
Connect with potential collaborators working on sustainability projects
The COS will provide a virtual platform to match companies with potential collaborators
Marketing access to regional locations
The COS is developing media partnerships The Central Upstate Region of New York has
with each AMOS Project location to gain numerous partnerships to reach thousands in
exposure in the specific markets the clean and green technology sectors
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16. Business to Business Connections
+
Network with other members
The COS has a members-only, interactive website that promotes numerous ways to
collaborate between companies
+
Gain knowledge about sustainability through connections, events, committees, and many
more opportunities
The COS is hosting a minimum of five regional events in 2009
+
Attend national COS events, including the SUSTAINABLE2000 event
The COS will host a national event in 2010
Join the COS online discussion forum
The COS has an online discussion forum for members
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17. National Exposure
Inclusion in a national
media campaign to A free subscription to the COS
promote sustainability e-newsletter
issues
List your company in the
COS exclusive online Subscription to specific topical
Member Directory email announcements
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18. Credibility
Complimentary submissions to receive a SUSTAINABLE2000 award
• The ratings system is being developed and will be launched in the third quarter of 2009
Ability to use the COS logo on organization marketing collateral
• The COS logo will be provided in multiple formats upon acceptance of membership
proposal
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19. Professional Development
Complimentary registrations to the Chamber’s national and local events and programs
• The COS will host a minimum of 5 events in 2009
Attend COS advocacy training sessions
• The COS will host a minimum of two advocacy training sessions in 2009
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20. Access to Government
Serve on a
SUSTAINABLE2000 • Committees are being developed
committee to shape the throughout the country in will be
future of sustainability operational in the third quarter of 2009
issues
Participate in legislative
outreach efforts and • A government affairs consulting group
stay up to date with will be secured by third quarter of 2009
federal and local and members will be encouraged to
government participate
sustainability programs
• A comprehensive list will be
Learn about funding
continuously updated for COS
opportunities for
members and be available on the
sustainable businesses
members-only website
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21. Involvement
Become a developer of the
Host COS committee meetings at
SUSTAINABLE2000 ratings
your organization’s office(s)
system for national use
• The COS will coordinate committee
• Members will have the opportunity meetings on your behalf at company
to join in the update of the system location(s)
by the third quarter of 2009
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22. Community Outreach
Host events at the AMOS Project locations
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23. What We Do
Assist companies in marketing sustainable products and services
The COS is providing marketing advice to companies as a benefit, along
with access to industry experts to assist with the planning
Help develop strategic partnerships between member companies
The COS is actively leading collaboration initiatives by gathering like-minded
companies that produce positive partnerships
Produce positive economic growth opportunities
The COS is developing strategic plans and opportunities for all member
companies to grow their revenue streams
Promote increased public awareness of sustainability issues
The COS is initiating a public relations campaign in target regions with input
from member companies
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25. How Do You Develop Effective Metrics?
1. Does the metric provide a long-term view of the community?
2. Does the metric address the ability of the community's human capital
including skills, abilities, health and education?
3. Does the metric address the ability of the renewable and nonrenewable
resources that the community relies on?
4. Does the metric address the issue of economic, social or biological
diversity in the community?
5. Does the metric address the ability of the entire ecosystem services that
the community relies on?
6. Does the metric address the ability of a community's social systems to
work together and interact in meaningful ways?
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26. How Do You Develop Effective Metrics?
7. Does the metric address the ability of a community's man-made materials
that are focused on quality of life and the ability to maintain and enhance
them with existing resources?
8. Does the metric address the issue of esthetic qualities that are important to
the community?
9. Is the metric easy to understand and use?
10. Does the metric address the equity and fairness between current community
residents or between current and future individuals?
11. Does the metric address economic, social or biological diversity in the
community?
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27. How Do You Develop Effective Metrics?
12. Does the metric measure a link between the economy and environment?
13. Does the metric measure a link between the environment and the community?
14. Does the metric measure a link between the community and the economy?
15. Does the metric measure sustainability that is at the expense of another
community or at the expense of global sustainability?
04/18/2009 © Chamber of Sustainability 27
Editor's Notes Effective metrics are useful to different companies or communities for different reasons but their primary purpose is to show you how well your system is working and what areas need improvement. For a healthy, vibrant company or community, metrics help monitor that health so that negative trends are caught and can be dealt with before they become a problem. For companies or communities with economic, social, or environmental problems, metrics can point the way to a better future. For all companies or communities, metrics can generate discussion among people with different backgrounds and viewpoints, and, in the process, help create a shared vision of what the community should be.One of the biggest problems with developing metrics or measures of sustainability is that frequently the best metrics are those for which there is no data, while the metrics for which there is data are the least able to measure sustainability. For example, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is generally reported as a measure of the country's economic well-being. However, because GDP reflects only the amount of economic activity, regardless of the effect of that activity on the community's social and environmental health, GDP can go up when overall community health goes down. For instance, when there is a ten-car pileup on the highway, the GDP goes up because of the money spent on medical fees and repair costs. On the other hand, if ten people decide not to buy cars and instead walk to work, their health and wealth may increase but the GDP goes down.\"Trying to run a complex society on a single metric like the Gross National product is like trying to fly a 747 with only one gauge on the instrument panel ... imagine if your doctor, when giving you a checkup, did no more than check your blood pressure.\" However, there is a real danger that traditional data sources and traditional metrics will focus attention on the traditional solutions that created an unsustainable community in the first place. It may be tempting to keep measuring 'number of jobs,' but measuring 'number of jobs that pay a livable wage and include benefits' will lead to better solutions. Discussions that include the phrase 'but you can't get that data' are not going to lead to metrics of sustainability. In fact, if you define a list of metrics and find that the data is readily available for every one of them, you probably have not thought hard enough about sustainability. Try to define the best metrics and only settle for less as an interim step while developing data sources for better metrics. Discussions that include the phrase 'but you can't get that data' are not going to lead to metrics of sustainability. Try to define the best metrics and only settle for less as an interim step while developing data sources for better metrics. We have resources available that can help you with an in depth self assessment and to generate and use effective sustainability metrics within your organization.
