Sustainability is a RESULT (not a reason)
Sustainability consultants from global multi-national large firms to solo-practitioners all blather on about the reasons to pursue sustainability. They can talk endlessly about carbon credits, clean-tech and the ethical/moral/spiritual/political/logical reasons to go green. I have been a card-carrying member of this group (until recently) and have been guilty of the same rhetoric they propagate. However, I realize now:
I was wrong.
In a recent client meeting, this all became crystal clear to me. Sustainability isn’t a ‘reason’ to do something, it’s the result of doing something. It may seem like a small distinction in definition but it isn’t. Sustainability is a result in the same way the Saints winning the Super Bowl is a result. Stay with me here for a minute and consider:
1. True sustainability, like winning the Super Bowl is the result of many things:
- a good game plan
- a great team
- knowing your environment
- being passionate and committed
- executing a strong strategy
2. Results (like sustainability) can be measured, reasons cannot. I can measure the results of a recycling program, I cannot measure the reasons I had a veggie burger for lunch.
Reasons, on the other hand, mainly appeal to your psyche and the the outside influences on you. People will say you the reason you should make your lighting energy-efficient is sustainability. Wrong. The reason you should do it is that it will save you money, potentially resulting in:
- Higher profits
- Lower fees to your customers
- More money for you to spend on employee training/development
- Increased company growth/prosperity
The key here is that if more business owners/CEO’s thought this way (in terms of sustainability as a result) they’d pursue more green efforts. Which in turn would lead to more sustainable companies and healthier environment for all of us. Quite honestly, the 3 main reasons most executives/business owners do anything in business is:
- Make money
- Save Money
- Save time
Sustainability is not on that list. Thinking along these lines makes acting on sustainable issues/challenges much easier for any business owner/CEO. You don’t have to chase the latest green business fads or get caught up in conversations about buying carbon credits, etc. In every one of your business actions you are either doing something that can/will result in being sustainable or you’re not. It is as simple as that.
