ATTN: SUSTAINABILITY MANAGERS -- How do you collect and manage your sustainability data? What challenges are you facing?

The point has been hit home time and again in articles, blogs, and case studies: DATA is a key driver of effective sustainability strategy in organizations. It tells us how we are performing and where we have opportunities for improvement, thus directing our strategic efforts. 

If we aspire to integrate sustainability considerations into core business decisions, then it is integral that we create processes for data collection, management, analysis, and reporting that are as efficient and standardized as possible -- like our processes for measuring financial performance. 

Unlike with financial metrics, however, the processes and tools that organizations implement to evaluate sustainability metrics vary drastically across companies and industries. This variation seems to be a significant setback in our collaborative sustainability effort because it causes confusion when identifying standards and best practices. 

I am conducting research for my MBA thesis to understand the processes and software tools that Sustainability Managers are using to collect, analyze, and communicate their organizations' sustainability data -- and more importantly, what challenges arise with different approaches taken by different companies? 

I will make this research available to the community for free for the purpose of benefitting public knowledge. It will guide vendors of sustainability software solutions to improve their product offerings to better meet customer needs. It will also help Sustainability Managers understand the common benefits and drawbacks of solutions in the market, enabling them to make an informed decision when choosing a solution for their company. 

To support this research, I am asking Sustainability Managers and those holding other sustainability-related roles in companies to please spare 10 minutes of time to participate in a brief survey. Participation will benefit the effort to develop technologies and processes that drive the implementation of sustainability initiatives in businesses. 

If you work in a sustainability function in your company, I hope that you can find a moment in your busy schedule to provide your valuable input for this study. I would like to collect as many survey responses as possible by 16-Nov. Please contact me if you would like to further discuss this research. 

Sustainability Data Management Processes Survey
Link: https://qtrial.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0qEBcR1vHSnwjs1

Sustainability in K-12 education: Long-term goals to transform market demand for sustainable brands

We are currently seeing a remarkable increase in the demand for sustainability and social and environmental responsibility curriculum in undergraduate and advanced education programs.  College students entering the working world and current professionals going back to school recognize the value they can bring to the work place with an education in environmental management systems, sustainable business models, and systemic thinking.  In response to this demand, these topics are becoming increasingly more integrated into undergraduate majors, professional certificates, and business programs.  However, because this evolution of curriculum spurred from a demand for professional competence in a green economy, we are overlooking another longer-term goal that sustainability education can achieve – building the demand for the green economy.

If we integrate the value of sustainable consumption into K-12 curriculum, we can produce a generation of consumers with the knowledge, values, and influence this sustainability movement needs to really take flight.  When today’s kids become tomorrow’s consumers, we need them to support responsible brands. 

I am fairly out of touch with today’s K-12 curriculum, as I’ve been out of it for a few years now and I don’t have kids of my own.  I imagine that it is so institutionalized and under funded that it is resistant to change and still closely resembles my own K-12 public education.  Admittedly, I don’t understand the politics behind the institutional paralysis of public education.  However, I’d like to propose a solution to the issue of insufficient funding. 

Socially and environmentaly responsible companies can invest in education to promote awareness of the environmental repercussions of consumerism.  Businesses can fund training programs to educate teachers on appropriate curriculum that addresses the importance of responsible and sustainable consumption.  Obviously this would require an investment that won’t pay off until these kids constitute a significant portion of the consumer market.  But isn’t the value up front investment for the sake of long-term returns at the core of the sustainable business mentality?

Of course, there are already resources that can assist schools in developing this curriculum.  In my preliminary Google research, I found a “Students and Sustainability” section on the US EPA website.  It includes links to EPA’s Environmental Education Center, Green Teacher Magazine, and a curriculum development resource called “Going Places Making Choices.”  GreeningSchools.org is a similar initiative launched by the Illinois EPA.  And FacingTheFuture.org is another organization that addresses global issues and sustainability curriculum.  While these resources exist and are readily available, it is up the schools and teachers to learn the new curriculum, get it approved by the school board, and integrate it into courses. 
So my question is: Can responsible companies be the bridge between having those education materials available and getting that material into classrooms?  If we are to create a future based on a green economy where consumers support responsible businesses and value sustainable brands, I think this idea is worth considering.