Reply To: Exercise 3: 5 Close Contacts
Jim’s 5 problems
Field: Sustainability Leadership
1. Problem: Many of the public are fearful and angry about the impacts of climate change and have given up hope that the problem can be solved
Solution: Create a speaker series where people can learn how leaders are solving those big problems
Field: Sustainability Leadership
2. Problem: Organizational leaders feel fearful that sustainability project proposals will be rejected on the belief that they will create more work and cost that impacts profitability, without creating much value.
Solution: Develop a how to forum focused on building sustainability project business cases and ROI calculations get more projects approved
Field: Food Security
3. Problem: Many people in urban communities feel frustrated and helpless when it comes to growing some of their own food because they don’t know how to where to start.
Solution: Develop a demonstration urban food ecosystem and information resources that people can participate in and be inspired to take action
4. Problem: people feel anger and disappointment when they find out green branded products they purchased are only slightly better for the environment or not at all.
Solution: Create ‘how to determine product greenness’ videos to drive better decision making
Field: Sustainability culture
5. Problem: People who work in organizations are disappointed and sad when they find there is no means to participate in sustainability initiatives or there is a weak sustainability effort
Solution: Implement a grass roots sustainability engagement function to provide opportunities for employees to participate in initiatives and learn to take on their own projects
Advice received:
#3 and 4 were well thought out and clear, no comment to make them better
#1 and 2 could be shorter and less complex, couldn’t visualize the impact
#5 was the best
Recommend starting with a smaller solution for each, might be too broad to start for people to understand and engage on.
#1: define what a sustainability problem is, every day people solving specific problems
#2: good solution, certain % buy in for sure, generalizing is good to be more applicable.
#3: Sounds familiar, probably a lot of information out there on You Tube that could be leveraged. Progress the listener to the living example, lets go together, take action with the person.
#4: probably many videos already exist to reduce the amount of work in this one
#5 How to make it happen in this company? Would have to be secret to make it work. Tie together teaching sustainability and applying it in your own life as well to make it more personal.
#3 is the best.
Reflections:
Versions were improved after each feedback conversation and restated in their new form in the next conversation. This made for greater over all improvement.
Each person focused on unique elements to improve. Knowing the people I asked, I saw how they look at life and work in their comments and what they focused on.