Download to read offline
More Related Content
Similar to GEF Institute Sustainability Workforce Development
GEF Institute Sustainability Workforce Development
- 1. GEF Institute Sustainability Education Programs for Corporations Copyright © 2012 GEF Institute. All Rights Reserved. www.gefinstitute.org
- 2. About the Institute GEF Institute was established to meet the increasing global market demand for sustainability education and training. The Institute develops state-of-the art online courses and training in sustainability concepts for employees, managers and executives. The Institute’s robust certification programs offer distinct certificate levels to distinguish organizations with a proven, comprehensive understanding of important sustainability topics. Copyright © 2012 GEF Institute. All Rights Reserved. www.gefinstitute.org
- 3. What is CorporateSustainability? “Companies are included on the basis of displaying "Corporate Sustainability is a business approach high levels of competence that creates long-term shareholder value by around sustainability in embracing opportunities and managing risks variety of areas including deriving from economic, environmental and managing human social developments. Corporate sustainability resources to maintain leaders achieve long-term shareholder value by workforce capabilities and gearing their strategies and management to employee satisfaction harness the market's potential for sustainability through best-in-class products and services while at the same time organizational learning successfully reducing and avoiding sustainability and knowledge costs and risks.“ management practices…” Dow Jones Sustainability - Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) Indexes Corporate Sustainability Assessment Criteria Copyright © 2012 GEF Institute. All Rights Reserved. www.gefinstitute.org
- 4. Sustainability is aStrong Corporate Strategy • Brand Identity – Drive sales through brand association with environmental responsibility and sustainable practices. • Employee Engagement – An engaged and educated employee is your best brand ambassador, and will feel a deeper connection to their work and the company. • Shareholder Value – Be consistently included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Goldman Sax, NASDAQ, Newsweek, "In good times, sustainability can be a competitive etc. differentiator, in lean times, it's a defensive strategy, and in really hard times, it can determine your survival." • Real Dollar Savings – Affect the bottom line ~ Richard Goode, Director of Sustainability, Alcatel-Lucent through office efficiency as well as in operations. Copyright © 2012 GEF Institute. All Rights Reserved. www.gefinstitute.org
- 5. The Benefits The AdoptionCurve “Various benefits of sustainability (in decreasing order of importance The trouble with integration as perceived by the practitioners): sustainability into business is • improved brand reputation the lack of familiarity with • increased competitive advantage environmental issues. TD • access to new markets Bank “has made efforts to • increased margins or market share due to sustainability positioning bring more of the staff on • reduced costs due to energy efficiency board to spread • better innovation of business models and processes understanding of everything • better innovation of product/service offerings from energy markets to • improved perception of how well company is managed customer preferences” (3). • reduced costs due to materials or waste efficiencies “’We engaged all our internal • improved regulatory compliance constituents, all the • improved ability to attract and retain top talent employees, management, • enhanced stakeholder/investor relations senior management and the • reduced risk executives,” says Mike • increased employee productivity.” Pedersen – TD Bank, VP of Source: New Sustainability Study: The Embracers Seize Advantage, MIT Sloan Management Review Operations. Copyright © 2012 GEF Institute. All Rights Reserved. www.gefinstitute.org
- 6. Beyond the Tangible “Inthe process of “Improved brand name reputation” is the biggest reason to conducting a recent study adopt sustainability-driven management. It is an intangible benefit, which most visibly correlates with more people with 25 leading companies interested in joining the company. to identify best practices in sustainability, we Brand-name reputation in comparison to tangible benefits like discovered many formal, waste reduction, energy savings, operational efficiencies, etc. established sustainability rates higher, and thus sustainability’s appeal more indirect in its programs originated from relation to a business’s ultimate success: “grassroots” employee “Making savings just won’t affect a company’s bottom line efforts unknown to senior very much. Attracting more customers at better margins, on executives.” the other hand, or bumping employee productivity by just a - KPMG International’s few percentage points, would have catalytic effects on a company’s bottom line.” Corporate Sustainability: A Progress Report Source: New Sustainability Study: The Embracers Seize Advantage, MIT Sloan Management Review Copyright © 2012 GEF Institute. All Rights Reserved. www.gefinstitute.org
- 7. Train Employees toImprove Efficiencies In 2008, Stonyfield A successful building operations and maintenance efficiency challenged its employees plan requires educating all occupants to save energy at the • Drive real dollar savings through collective understanding of sustainability company’s facilities. issues and corresponding actions. Collective behavior change, driven through Savings were tied to education, can make an enormous impact on resource efficiencies employee bonuses for all • Existing investments in energy efficiency will not reach their full potential workers, providing without buy-in and behavior change from building occupants additional motivation. The company achieved its annual goal, reducing company energy use by over 22 percent. Business Case for Environmental and Sustainability Employee Education, National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) Copyright © 2012 GEF Institute. All Rights Reserved. www.gefinstitute.org
- 8. Create Value byEngaging Employees 9 out of 10 employees link brand reputation to how companies address environmental and social issues • Studies show employees with the According to a 2009 ING poll of highest level of commitment perform 20 6000 employees: percent better and are 87 percent less likely to leave the organization • 89% are concerned about environmental issues • 84% about climate change • Only one in 10 employees feel • 96% about recycling completely prepared with regard to their • 98% about rising energy prices knowledge and understanding of the • 97% about pollution environment • 97% about waste disposal Engaging Employees in • After learning that a company is socially Sustainability webcast by Center and/or environmentally responsible, 44 for Resource Solutions percent of Millenials are likely to actively pursue working at that company Copyright © 2012 GEF Institute. All Rights Reserved. www.gefinstitute.org
- 9. GEF Institute Corporate SustainabilityOpportunities • Employee Education • Mid & Executive Level Management Training • Sustainability Intranet Portal Development • Green Team • Employee Community Volunteerism Programs Copyright © 2012 GEF Institute. All Rights Reserved. www.gefinstitute.org
- 10. Green Team Support Inthe process of conducting 10 Best Practices for Green Teams a recent study with 25 leading companies to • Start with the visible and tangible: focus on internal operations identify best practices in • Get senior management involved, but don’t lose the grassroots sustainability, energy we discovered • Engage employees to capture ideas many formal, established • Communicate and share best practices sustainability • Engage employees with their bellies: Low carbon diet campaign programs originated • Engage employees in their personal lives from • Engage customers to be part of the solution “grassroots” employee • Use art to raise awareness efforts • Create a toolkit to support and guide green teams unknown to senior • Align green teams with corporate sustainability goals executives. Copyright © 2012 GEF Institute. All Rights Reserved. www.gefinstitute.org
- 11. GEF Institute Sustainability Education Programs The top three ways for • Self-guided access to GEF Institute’s online courses (individuals) to reduce – Online courses are self-paced and incorporate dynamic instruction methods, their own emissions are to video narration, application based activities, discussion forums, assessments, drive more fuel-efficient etc. cars, improve the insulation of their homes, • Employee on-demand video training and eat less beef. Yet – Downloadable to smart devices when we asked the consumers in our study to • Train-the-trainer workshop instructions name the top three, they fingered recycling, energy- • PowerPoint Presentations efficient appliances, and driving less. Helping Green Products Grow, McKinsey Quarterly
- 12. GEF Institute Certificates in Sustainability • Earning a certification boosts credibility in the workplace and provides the foundational knowledge for successful sustainability initiatives or behavior change campaigns. • GEF Institute certifications are comprised of online education that provides big picture analysis and local application of important concepts to foster awareness and enthusiasm for sustainability. • Distinct levels of certification in sustainability concepts motivate participants to take steps toward sustainability literacy and action. • Courses required for certification are eligible for academic (graduate or undergraduate) credit. “I think the best example is to lead by example and be sustainable. The incentive is to clean up our mess and make the world a more livable place. If employees don’t already feel a sense of obligation and stewardship, then they need to be educated.” Employee Engagement Survey: An Analysis of the Extent and Nature of Employee Sustainability Programs, BrighterPlanet
- 13. Sustainability in Operations Real World Examples • At a Lockheed Martin facility, green team activities led to more than $200,000 in savings and reduced CO2 emissions by 2,332 metric tons. • When Verizon focused on creating more sustainable operations, the company generated $27 million by sorting out and selling recyclable materials from its waste stream, while also saving over a million dollars in waste removal costs. • P&G has gone so far as to say that they will generate $50 billion in cumulative sales from "sustainable innovation products" in a five-year period ending in 2012. • Johnson & Johnson has undertaken 80 sustainability projects since 2005 and achieved $187 million in savings with an ROI of nearly 19 percent, and rising. • Diversey, a leading B2B global provider of commercial cleaning and hygiene solutions states that for every $1 they invested in 2008 they expect to recoup $2 in 5 years.
- 14. GEF Contacts Victoria Waters President& CEO Green Education Foundation vwaters@greeneducationfoundation.org 508-668-2278 Molly Hislop Program Director mhislop@greeneducationfoundation.org 508-318-6618 Leslie Taylor Director, Partner Relations ltaylor@greeneducationfoundtaion.org 508-668-2278