Category Archives: Carbon Footprint

The four levels of sustainability

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Many people are familiar with the four stages of competence as described by Steven Covey and others. As companies develop their energy management and sustainability programs they go through similar levels.

Level 1 – Unconscious Incompetence – These are the companies that just don’t get it. Management sees no payback in sustainable programs, so any interest by employees in this area is quickly extinguished. They don’t see the point to industry or government regulations and will often try to circumvent even the most basic of regulations. They’ll often have comments like “energy management/sustainability doesn’t apply or doesn’t matter to our business”.

Level 2 – Conscious Incompetence – At this stage management still isn’t sure that there is a payback to sustainable practices, but they’ll let interested employees develop programs and take some steps, as long as they don’t have to spend money and it doesn’t take too much time. Any green initiatives are usually started by individual employees who are passionate about the topic and are willing to put their own time and effort into promoting it. While they meet government standards and regulations, they’ll only meet minimum standards.

At this level companies will be doing things like replacing their lights (but only if it is paid for by government subsidies), putting up posters to promote energy savings, having brown bag lunches and other  “feel good” activities. Programs are heavy on clichés without any in-depth understanding of the issues. If the employees that started the programs leave, the programs will likely not continue.

The approach at this level is tactical (see our other blog Energy Management – Is a Tactical or Strategic Approach Best For You?), the belief that technology alone can make a difference. Savings due to green initiatives are often hard to prove and will often diminish with time.

Common comments heard from these companies are “you can do a lot without spending money”, “little things make a big difference” and “it’s hard to get people to change”.

Level 3 – Conscious Competence – Management is supportive of sustainable programs at this level and are willing to spend money and time, but results do have to have a return on investment. In larger companies there will be employees whose job description includes energy management or sustainability, and they might be as high up as middle management. Green Teams will be prominent and actually have some influence over how things are done. Programs are driven by policy, not individuals, so they will continue even if individuals leave the company. Senior managers may have goals related to energy efficiency or sustainability written into their annual objectives.

A deeper understanding of the issues is evident and companies are implementing systematic procedures and implementing software to identify baseline activities as well as develop long-term plans for identifying energy savings and other sustainable issues. Carbon tracking software is used in smaller companies while larger firms are implementing EMIS (Energy Management Information Systems) or M&T (Monitoring & Targeting Software) to identify trends, prioritize spending and maintain increased gains over time.

The approach at this level is strategic, and it is understood that behavioural changes are the key to long-term success and planning.

Level 4 – Unconscious Competence – The progression from tactical to behavioural continues, at this level sustainability is ingrained as a cultural issue. Everything from the company’s products to it’s buildings and offices are developed with energy management and sustainability being primary considerations in all decisions. Management wholeheartedly supports, promotes and leads by example in all areas of sustainability, and there will be someone at the “C” level whose primary function is in this area. Most if not all employees will have annual sustainability goals in their annual objectives.

They’ll often ignore government regulations because they feel that they set the bar too low!

Probably the best known example of a company at his level is Interface, Inc. and their CEO, Ray Anderson. They changed everything including their products and manufacturing processes to further their goals of sustainability. They’re also profitable and set a high standard for others to follow.

Unfortunately most companies never rise above Level 2. Where do you think your company stands?

Can a small business reduce it’s carbon footprint?

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You’ve heard about the benefits to your business of “going green”. Sustainability is first and foremost about reducing waste in all its forms, which means reduced costs. Buyers like Walmart are choosing suppliers based on their sustainability scores. It improves your reputation to be seen as being green, which means improved branding plus more potential employees are attracted to your company. Or like many people, you want to leave a better planet and company to your kids. But if you’re a small company, perhaps just a group of people working out of a rented space, what can you do to make a difference?

Actually, there’s a lot that you can do. But there are three crucial factors to think about before you get started:

Talk to the boss – It’s crucial to have the support of senior management. Unless the boss approves of the time and money commitments and holds people accountable, your green initiative won’t go anywhere.

Plan and Measure – Before you start making changes, you need to know where you’re starting from and what effect your actions have. You need to quantify results to avoid charges of greenwashing, plus it keeps people motivated if they can see the results of their efforts. It’s the same as dieting, if you step on the scales every day it’s rewarding to see results and a motivator to continue your efforts.

The best tool for this is Carbon Footprint software. GOBI is a great example, it’s an inexpensive, easy to use carbon management software package that organizations of all sizes can use to measure, report and reduce their carbon footprints and GHG emissions.

The Critical Choice – While it’s charming to lease space in an old mansion, unless it’s seen major renovations recently it’s likely a carbon sinkhole. Look into LEED certification and make sure the building you work in is built and maintained to current standards, otherwise managing heating, cooling and lighting could be problematical.

Now that you’ve laid the groundwork, what steps can you actually take? Sustainable Waterloo is an impressive organization that promotes sustainability in businesses and their annual report describes the measures that their small company clients have found to be effective. Some examples:

Think out of the box – Getting to and from your “box” (otherwise known as your office) can have a big impact. Instead of driving their cars, can your employees carpool, take transit or bike to work? Work travel is a big source of GHG (greenhouse gas emissions). While face to face contact is still crucial in business, other options are increasingly available and accepted, such a teleconferencing, webinars, etc.

Flick the switch – An office building found that their peak energy use for the entire year came at 3AM on a Tuesday morning in February. It was like a science fiction movie, heat on full blast, all the lights and computers were on, coffee was brewing, but no human had been or was going to be in the building for many hours. With peak energy pricing in effect, this was a huge waste of money and energy. Turn it off or turn it down!

Think before you throw – Somewhere around 40% of printed documents aren’t necessary, and a significant portion of them are forgotten and don’t even get picked up from the printer! By reducing and recycling paper, bottled water, paper towels and other materials you can make a big impact.

By developing and implementing a plan and measuring the results with GOBI, even a small business can significantly reduce their carbon footprint. If you buy carbon offsets to match what you can’t eliminate, you can actually reduce your GHG emissions by 100%!