The green team: behind the scenes, part 1
March 15th, 2010 | Posted by Pamela Fiehn
Photo credit: Celebdu on Flickr
There’s only one problem with social responsibility reports. They’re so … report-y.
They’re great at communicating facts and results. The greenhouse gasses reduced. The materials recycled. The dollars raised for charitable causes.
But there’s something that gets lost: how you got there. Making your life or your business more sustainable, like any major transformation, is a daily endeavor for change. It’s as full of false starts and setbacks as it is gold star moments.
At AHA!, we’re closing in on the end of our first year with an official green team. We’ve helped Fortune 500 companies with their corporate social responsibility communications, and now it’s our turn. We’re gathering up the data and revisiting our accomplishments as we prepare our very first sustainability report. It’s an exciting moment.
And as a green teamer, I’m feeling like it’s important to recount some of the details of our trek, for a couple of reasons.
First, the lessons we learned this year can be valuable for others who are embarking on their own path to sustainability. I learned a lot from looking at detailed case studies from other companies—I wanted to know HOW they did things, not just what they did. Plus, I was encouraged every time I read a blog or heard a speaker who acknowledged the challenges involved with integrating the principles of sustainability into their business. Those honest reports helped me understand that roadblocks aren’t permanent, and failures are just an opportunity to get better and try again.
And second, I think sharing some of the small, concrete steps along the way can help engage more people to join in. For example, saying you reduced CO2 emissions is one thing, but showing the creative ways individuals have found to track emissions, measure them and then cut them can show others the real, practical ways they can contribute.
So check back in the upcoming weeks for more details about our first year with a green team at AHA! I’ll be sharing some of our goofs, lessons learned as well as some of our successes.
Next up: The green team attempts to save the world in a month. And then we get real …
March 16th, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Thanks so much for sharing this information – looking forward to future posts on your “lessons learned” over the past year in the realm of CSR communications.
When it comes to measuring and reporting in the CSR arena, you’re so smart to focus on the “daily endeavor for change”. So often, the conversation turns to ROI and the purpose of the CSR undertaking gets lost or worse, communicated in an way that’s less than authentic and credible.
On a side note, I attended a recent OEN pub talk at your fabulous facility and really enjoyed the event and your space – thanks for making it available!
@meganstrand
March 18th, 2010 at 10:54 am
Hi Megan– I really do think companies that focus on just reporting the results can miss an opportunity for engagement from employees and customers as well. As en employee, seeing how other employees are empowered to create change is a natural motivator–it makes me feel like I can do something. As a customer–seeing the contributions of real people can help me feel more personally connected to the brand. Thanks for your insightful comment and glad you enjoyed our space!
May 10th, 2010 at 10:18 am
[...] Did you miss Part 1 of the series? Read it here. [...]
June 17th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
[...] you’ve been following Pamela’s series on our company green team, you know that in 2009, we began looking at how we could make our own [...]