So, you are a Sustainability, Environmental, or Energy Manager or a key technical resource and part of your responsibility is to ensure and maximize the success of your (fill in the blank) Sustainability, Green, Energy, etc. Program. You have the technical knowledge (hopefully, at least in part, from CCES blog articles – see www.CCESworld.com/blog for the full list of useful energy and sustainability articles). That’s important, but now you need the organizational skills to get everyone on board and make sure that people are doing what they are supposed to and are motivated to perform their tasks and meet all goals in a first-class, timely manner.

In my work in this area with a wide variety of companies and municipalities, there are common organizational threads that strongly contribute to success or failure. Yes, technical knowhow (bringing in the right technical experts) and having use of capital are very critical. But without behavioral considerations, your program may be less than the success first envisioned or will take a longer time period at a greater cost.

Yes, behavior and that annoying word, “culture”. As engineers and scientists, we like to think good scientific thought and thorough planning and implementation are all that’s needed for success. But the reality is that companies and municipalities are led by people, and their attitudes need to be in sync for the Program to be successful and to ensure goals are met. Here are some critical steps to ensure success:

Get clear support from THE top. I have seen with my own eyes that this is the most important factor for such a Program’s success. Sustainability, energy conservation (whatever you call it) is not a “typical” program that people are used to, trained for, and comfortable with. Thus, to make sure that tasks for various people are taken seriously and not shoved aside, it is critical for the CEO him/herself to voice – not just once, but consistently – the Program’s importance and to empower managers to incentivize employees to perform needed tasks. I was involved in one project for a municipal entity, whose Executive Director declared that he wanted his to be “the greenest ___ in the U.S.”, a high priority. It was great working for this Authority, and staff was very cooperative gathering data and taking ownership of the Program. Then the Recession hit and the Executive Director had, I’m sure, other legitimate concerns and the Green Program became a much lower priority and he said so. Well, staff changed their attitudes quite quickly. Suddenly, people were not returning my e-mails and voice mails, and not providing promised data. At a meeting of its Environmental Committee, about half the group now openly admitted they did not believe in Climate Change and in the Program as a whole (this was the Environmental Committee!). The Program ground to a halt. Ironically, no longer following through ended up costing them money in not realizing the financial gains from energy and sustainability upgrades. And this could have helped them recover from the Recession.
Get support from the top, and keep the top up-to-date, knowledgeable and engaged.

Set reasonable goals. I don’t just mean set modest, easy-to-achieve goals. I mean set goals – both long- and short- term – that are measureable, understandable, and transmittable. These can be reductions in energy costs/usage and/or greenhouse gas emissions. But they should be clear and able to be communicated. There is a temptation to link “green” goals to those of other groups, such as Finance, Legal, Production, EHS, etc. That is certainly OK to get those groups on board. But this is secondary; goals should be reasonable, understandable and universal for the entity.

Use initial goals to catapault to others. Yes, do start your Program with modest goals that can be achieved in a relatively short time frame. This will demonstrate the worth of the Program and make that person at the TOP more convinced quicker of the value of the program (before he/she gets frustrated). If cost savings can also be demonstrated, you now have “house money” to pursue more challenging goals.

Give some ownership to all. Keeping a Sustainability Program as the “baby” of a single department will not engender support. It is important to make everyone in all departments feel they are part of the Program and reaping benefits. Items like energy cost savings, recycling gains, etc. should be shared with all employees. A lot of anecdotal evidence is springing up that communicating such successes with all employees makes them proud to work for the entity – and less likely to leave.

It’s a long-term Program. It is tempting to think with each positive change in your organization (lights, insulation, water conservation, etc.) you can check off another box to reach the magic goal of “Sustainability”. But, this is really a long-term game whose “goal posts” shift some over time. Therefore, training staff to properly maintain implemented strategies is a key to success. Also, technology changes, and thus, it is important to be aware of changes and upgrade when necessary and cost effective. Finally, while gains are being made, there is no final goal. One can always improve energy or water efficiency a little more for benefits (reduced risk and costs).

Prepare everyone in advance that this is a long haul, but with positive outcomes throughout.
Shaping your Program these ways will better ensure that your technical work will be successful and recognized.

CCES has the experience and expertise to help you organize your Sustainability or Green Program to maximize the chances of long-term interest and success. Plus, our technical experts can help achieve success in all facets. Contact us today.