My last post spoke about the difference between a company's green marketing and their true capability to deliver consistent, high quality sustainability at an organizational level. Since then, we asked you to respond to the "Is Your Firm Green?" survey, asking you to reflect honestly on your perception of your company's capability. The results have been very interesting.
One of the most striking observations is how widely perceptions vary, especially within the same firm. I'll share the (interim) results and observations from the survey below.
Haven't taken the quiz? Take the quiz at www.surveymonkey.com/s/greenfirmcertification to see if your firm is green. There were different categories in the survey - this time I'll focus on Leadership & Project Delivery.
It's critical for company leadership to visibly champion sustainable practices in a way that is clear to all staff, at every level within the company. If the priority is unclear, the message is ambiguous or perceived as being insincere it will not translate into action and opportunities will be missed. Comments varied from the dominant, "sustainability is more of a marketing term than a design philosophy" to "our commitment to sustainability has not changed our focus and mission for our business, but only enhanced it."
The bottom line is that the baseline for professional practice in the majority of firms today is still captured by this comment: "We say our goal is to be sustainable, but mainly it's just lip service. We talk about it, take classes in it, push for LEED AP's, but mainly only do it if it is required by the client." That says it all.
Barbara Batshalom is the executive director of NEXUS Boston.