1. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Transitioning to Green tm : A World of Possibilities Jeana Wirtenberg, Ph.D. FWA Scholarship Reunion: Sustaining Eco-Savvy Women January 5, 2009

2. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC What Is Sustainability? “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Our Common Future, UN Brundtland Report, 1987 “A company’s ability to achieve its business goals and increase long-term shareholder value by integrating economic, environmental and social opportunities into its business strategies.” “Symposium on Sustainability – Profiles in Leadership,” New York, October 2001

3. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC What Is Sustainability? Key aspect: Triple Bottom Line Social Environmental Economic Viable Bearable Equitable

4. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Our Purpose for Today 1.The urgent need to move to a new business model based on the triple bottom line 2.The many challenges and opportunities in transitioning to a green economy 3.How you can make a difference – personally and in your organizations

5. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Another Way of Looking at Our Purpose for Today… FromTo HopelessInspired HelplessEngaged ImmobilizedIn Action

6. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Global sustainability issues impacting all organizations and people in the world Social Justice 1 in 5 children gets no schooling 9.1 billion by 2050, biggest increase in developing countries

7. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Global sustainability issues impacting all organizations and people in the world Environmental Sustainability Global warming and climate change - Rising sea levels “The Death of Birth” Fresh water shortages Ecological Footprint

8. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Ecological Footprint Tool: Global Applications Ecological Creditors and Ecological Debtors Greens are Ecological Reserves –Dark equals > 50% of biocapacity –Light equals < 50% of biocapacity Reds are Ecological Deficit –Light equals < 50% of biocapacity –Dark equals > 50% of biocapacity http://footprintnetwork.org/gfn_sub.php?content=creditor_debtor

9. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Economic Sustainability “The major challenge— and opportunity—of our time is to create a form of commerce that uplifts the entire human community of 6.5 billion and does so in a way that respects both natural and cultural diversity… And business can—and must—lead the way.” Stuart L. Hart (2007)

10. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Looking Through a New Economic and Financial Lens Rethinking and redefining GDP –The need to include the 5 capitals: Human Social Natural Manufactured Financial Environmental, social, and governance = new reference point for financial analysis and decision-making –UN Principles of Responsible Investment To “better align investors with the broader objectives of society”

11. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Looking Through a New Economic and Financial Lens New market creation –Bottom of the Pyramid protocol (Hart, 2008) Opening Up Building the Ecosystem Enterprise Creation –Indigenous business development Engagement of communities in sustainable development and growth of enterprise Innovation of existing processes Development of micro-enterprise Authentic indigenous solutions

12. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Guiding questions 1.What concerns you most? 2.What are the things you can do to impact sustainability? 3.Call to action – What’s your commitment? What are you willing to do to make an impact personally and in your organizations?

13. The SUSTAINABILITY PYRAMID: Qualities Associated with Highly Successful Sustainability Strategies COLLABORATIVE INTEGRATION Holistic Integration Broad Stakeholder Engagement TRACTION Alignment of Hard & Soft Organization Systems Metrics – Measurement & Reporting FOUNDATION Strategic Centrality Senior Management Support Deeply Embedded Values The Triple Bottom Line SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISE ©Institute for Sustainable Enterprise, 2006

14. 2007 AMA Sustainability Survey AMA Global Sustainability Study 1,365 survey respondents from around the world 9 interviews with companies known for their excellence in sustainability United States 62.1 Asia 11.7 Europe 10.6 Canada 5.5 Mid.East/Africa 5.2 Latin America 4.9

15. 2007 AMA Sustainability Survey Business ethics and integrity Safe and healthy work environment Affordable quality health care Well-being of employees Clean water Importance of Sustainability Issues You Personally 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.4 Your Company 4.5 4.3 4.0 3.9 3.7 Rank 1 2 3 4 5 13 14 15 16 17 Climate change Epidemics Diverse ecosystem Open immigration World population growth 3.9 3.8 3.4 2.4 3.1 3.4 3.1 2.9 Mean response on a 5-point scale

16. 2007 AMA Sustainability Survey Ensuring workers’ health and safety Increasing workforce productivity Improving image with shareholders and public Effectively addressing regulatory restrictions Enhancing innovation Meeting expectations of investors and lenders Attracting and retaining diverse top talent Improving employee morale and engagement Addressing challenges of the healthcare system Providing goods / services that are good for the world Today 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 In 10 Years 4 5 1 6 2 7 3 8 9 11 Factors Driving Key Business Decisions Today and in 10 Years Rank out of 25 factors

17. 2007 AMA Sustainability Survey Lack of demand from consumers and customers Lack of demand from managers and employees Lack of awareness and understanding Lack of standardized metrics or benchmarks Lack of specific ideas on what to do Lack of demand from shareholders and investors Lack of demand from suppliers Unclear or weak business case Lack of demand from community Lack of support from senior leaders Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mean 3.13 3.11 3.10 3.08 3.04 2.99 2.97 2.93 2.92 Factors Hindering Your Company from Moving toward Sustainability Mean response on a 5-point scale

18. 2007 AMA Sustainability Survey Degree to Which Companies Value and Have the Qualities of Sustainable Enterprises 2.83.9Organizational integration 2.94.0Systems alignment 2.93.9Stakeholder engagement 2.93.9Metrics 3.14.2Values 3.24.1Centrality to business strategy 3.34.4Top management support Extent Company Has These Qualities* Importance to Building a Sustainable Enterprise* Qualities of a Sustainable Enterprise *Mean responses on a 5-point scale, where 1 = not at all and 5 = to a very great extent.

19. 2007 AMA Sustainability Survey Top 12 Most Commonly Used Sustainability-Related Practices To what extent does your company have practices in place to do the following? Mean Responses Ensure the health and safety of employees4.02 Ensure accountability for ethics at all levels 3.95 Engage collaboratively with community and non-governmental groups 3.47 Support employees in balancing work and life activities3.35 Encourage employee volunteerism3.29 Involve employees in decisions that affect them 3.28 Provide employee training and development related to sustainability 3.26 Reduce waste materials3.14 Highlight our commitment to sustainability in our brand3.12 Improve energy efficiency3.06 Work with suppliers to strengthen sustainability practices2.95 Get groups across organization that are working on sustainability-related initiatives to work more closely together2.85 *On a 5-point scale, where 1 = not at all and 5 = to a very great extent.

20. 2007 AMA Sustainability Survey Implementing Sustainability Strategies and Seeing Measurable Benefits 2.883.192.56... is your organization seeing measurable benefits from sustainability initiatives? 2.993.332.65...do you believe that your organization is implementing a sustainability strategy? All Highest Performers Lowest PerformersTo what extent...

21. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Qualities of a State-of-the-Art Sustainable Enterprise Long-term, collaborative, “holistic” or systems-oriented mindset triple bottom line”Pursues a “triple bottom line” GGenerates or regenerates planet’s five capital stocks Ethics-based business principles & sound corporate governance

22. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Qualities of a State-of-the-Art Sustainable Enterprise continued Committed to transparency and accountability. Gives stakeholders opportunities to participate in decisions that affect them Uses its influence to promote meaningful systemic change among its peers, within its neighboring communities, and throughout its supply chain.

23. Six Dimensions of Mental Models Short-term: Focus on deadlines, Immediate priorities, Sense of urgency Time Orientation Long-term: Vision and strategies, Potentials, Opportunities Reactive: External drives, Prevailing rules and procedures Focus of Responsiveness Creative: Taking initiative, New approaches, Internal drives Local: Focus on self or Immediate group, Competition Focus of Attention Global: Whole organization, Inclusive, Ecumenical, Larger community Separation: Either / Or, Specialization Prevailing Logic Systems: Both-And, Holistic, Interrelationships Problem Consideration Learning: Understanding, Building on all types of experience Doing / Having: Materialism, Greed, Cost effectiveness, Financial performance, Quantitative growth Life Orientation Being: Having enough, Self- realization, “Greater good,” Intangibles valued, Qualitative growth Source: Copyright © 2006, John D. Adams. Used with permission.

24. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC The Importance of Employee Engagement in Sustainability Employee Engagement critical to sustainability according to managers 96% in employee survey prefer working for “successful company that also aspires to do good” (Willard, 2002) with sustainability Companies with sustainability record enjoy recruiting & retention record enjoy recruiting & retention advantage ( advantage (Wirtenberg, Harmon, Russell, & Fairfield, 2007)

25. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Emerging Careers and Career Paths in Green Economy Microfinance in US and Developing Countries, especially for women owned businesses Carbon Trading, Reporting and transparency Socially Responsible Investing, Clean-tech investing and patents Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Citizenship Chief Sustainability Officers, Chief Responsibility Officers Environmental. Health & Safety (EH&S) Green Buildings (LEED) Greening Supply Chains Green Marketing - Sustainability Communications, Branding, and PR Human Resources, Organization Development & Change Greening every industry at all stages of life cycle: o Extraction o Production o Distribution o Consumption o Disposal

26. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Three Scenarios for the Future of Sustainability Scenario One: Things fall apart Organizations give up on trying to be sustainable. Businesses just want to survive in an increasingly anarchic world, plagued by global war for natural resources, especially oil and water. Scenario Two: Muddling toward sustainability At best a mixed bag and, at worst, an utter mess. Countries try to make global agreements on everything: fisheries, global warming gases, water conservation, pandemics, global poverty. While these have symbolic value, they have no real teeth and are ultimately ineffective. Scenario Three: A Global Sustainability Culture A global sustainability culture has taken root. A cultural “tipping point” has been reached. Factors shaping it were alarming scientific findings, changes in climate patterns, geopolitical conflicts, global media networks, innovations in the marketplace, success of “green” business. The confluence of these factors creates a “preservation mindset” or “global sustainability culture.”

27. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Conclusion Today, the future remains uncertain… Much depends on whether –Business, government, NGO, academic leaders and managers in general, and –High-performing companies, government, and industry leaders in particular, continue to gain greater awareness of sustainability and choose to adopt sustainability-related values, strategies, principles, and practices.

28. Copyright (c) 2008, Jeana Wirtenberg & Associates, LLC Call to action – What’s your commitment?What’s your commitment? What are you willing to do to make an impact personally and in your organizations?What are you willing to do to make an impact personally and in your organizations?