Business Sustainability Programs

The ability to capitalize on opportunity or mitigate business risk often depends on the availability and access to quality information.  Being able to sift through what is important and what is not can be a determining factor in transforming a good decision into business turning point.  Today’s market intelligence has expanded to include business sustainability expectations, trends and requirements.  Are you listening?

With the speed of business sustainability information rapidly increasing and global eco awareness constantly expanding, it has become increasingly important for companies to leverage available technology to capture and access information.  The questions we often pose in our sustainability consulting: where is this information coming from and is the feedback specific enough for your business to take action.

The internet and social media provide  individuals, communities, businesses, and non-government organizations the ability to connect with business in meaningful discussion from anywhere in the world in real time.  To focus the corporate ear, business sustainability minded organizations are engaging with stakeholders, who have a vested interest in the success of the business, as source of actionable information.  These interested parties include:
 
•    Shareholders – knowledge that may affect company share price.
•    Partners – data that may impact investment dollars.
•    Employees – daily feedback on internal operations.
•    Customers – direct feedback on product quality and shifting market expectations
•    Suppliers/Contractors – input on new material sources and process improvements.
•    Local Communities – continuous feedback on business impact on society
•    Natural Environment – feedback from NGOs on business impact to physical surroundings.
•    Non-human species – feedback from NGOs on business impact on life.

Done effectively, stakeholder engagement can positively impact the outcome of business sustainability decision making.  Our professional consulting encourages business to leverage technology to engage vested parties in the discussion to propel the organization to greater success.

According to a study conducted by the American Marketing Association and Fleishman-Hillard, Inc., nearly one in six corporate marketers and communicators think their organizations will increase involvement in environmental sustainability initiatives over the next two to three years, and half believe the economy will actually encourage the adoption of sustainable practices.  Why? Because our business sustainability consulting practice understands that sustainable business strategies are key to creating winning workplaces. 
 
Aside from the positive impact sustainable business practices deliver to the bottom line, today’s employees are looking for more than just the ‘green’ in their paycheck.  “Engaged employees are not just committed. They are not just passionate or proud. They have a line-of-sight on their own future and on the organization’s mission and goals. They are enthused and in gear using their talents and discretionary effort to make a difference in their employer’s quest for sustainable business success”.  - Employee Engagement Report 2008.  

Global economic uncertainty has reduced employee counts in companies around the world, leaving organizations in many cases resource limited.  However, recent signs of recovery have companies reevaluating their talent strength for a more positive future.  Our sustainability consulting finds the ‘recovery’ generation of highly effective organizations is creating a business sustainability culture to motivate and retain top eco-talent. 

‘Eco’ or ‘green’ talent management is becoming increasingly necessary for many industries and is gradually becoming a general business sustainability best practice.  As consumers seek out companies that can deliver new and innovative products, top talent is necessary to meet changing expectations.  Our sustainability consulting works with businesses to view eco talent as a driver of innovation and a true business differentiator.

Through continuous communication and employee engagement, companies are creating an internal resource driver for the company’s business sustainability plan.  Building and motivating the organization becomes critical to recruiting and retaining top eco talent.


•    What is the ‘green’ generation seeking from employers?

•    How do we train talent professionals to identify and attract top ‘eco’ talent?

•    How do we tap into the growing enthusiasm for sustainability in business?

•    How do we challenge the organization to engage in business sustainability programs?

•    What new managerial skills do the next generation of managers need to get the most from their employees?

•    How do we conduct effective retention and succession planning to ensure a diverse sustainable leadership pipeline for the future?

Employee development is critical to raising eco awareness of the organization and enabling these business stakeholders to identify and implement sustainability concepts that add value.  By tapping into what is inspiring to each member of your team and acknowledging  their contributions, your company can surpass the organization of the past.

The exploration of sustainability concepts, particularly in business, has traditionally been a reaction to an undesirable outcome rather than a pursuit of value.   Few organizations truly advance the sustainability conversation to unlock future business opportunities.  However, positive signs in the market may offer a new sustainability perspective.

As the business world begins to emerge from economic uncertainty, our sustainability consulting finds many organizations eager to explore a more positive future.  In general, we find companies have a more optimistic outlook and are interested in capitalizing on the lessons learned over the past few years.  To our delight, this has shifted the sustainability conversation from a corporate side note to a strategic value discussion.

The value of business sustainability has traditionally been demonstrated when sustainability concepts are directly applied to specific areas of concern in current business processes and practices.  The ability to transcend lagging business sustainability measures to a pursued future value can often differentiate an innovative organization from the rest of the pack.

While the pursuit of business sustainability value is often specific to an organization’s unique business goals, there are areas of common interest among most businesses.  It is this engagement of future business value that our sustainability consulting focuses much of its attention and resources to: 
 
•    Define new markets, products and service offerings to expand business.

•    Create company and brand differentiation to drive current and future sales.

•    Improve stakeholder engagement to align business sustainability goals and drive profitability.

The sustainable businesses emerging from the economic uncertainty are companies that will anticipate and take proactive steps to address change in the business world.  Our sustainability consulting encourages clients to create a competitive advantage by building sustainability concepts and continuous improvement directly into the organizations core business processes. 

Most companies may recognize the high-level consequences of their decisions; however, not all take the time to evaluate the positive and negative impacts of their choices on the communities in which they conduct their day-to-day business.  The link between business sustainability and a thriving business community is more visible today than at any time in recent past.  What role does your company play in the business community?

As a sustainability consulting firm working in our own community of ecopreneurs, small ‘green’ businesses, and action-oriented corporations, we are constantly reminded of the community benefits to both our professional consulting and the stakeholders who engage with our business.  We recognize that a company and the business community in which it operates are closely and strategically linked.

Taiga Company seeks to be a source of business sustainability information and a positive example of community values.  Our professional consulting focuses on and seeks to partner with individuals and organizations who:

•    Recognize a thriving community as being essential to business sustainability.

•    Incorporate supporting business sustainability strategies and a governance structures into their core business processes.

•    Align business actions to support and engage community goals and objectives.

•    Engage the business community as a key stakeholder in corporate planning.

•    Defined internal performance metrics to evaluate ongoing business actions on the community.

As part of our sustainability plan and company core values, we are committed to the empowerment of others.  We believe that we must operate in a matrix of value adding relationships: with employees, with the supporting organizations, and with peer companies. 

In speaking with prominent business leaders, we have come to realize there are a wide variety of opinions on the topic of sustainability.  Some view business sustainability as re-purposed business jargon, while others stress sustainable development to be the most pressing issue facing their organization. 

The willingness to ask and address some basic questions often differentiates business views and set varying business sustainability efforts apart.  Leading companies are adopting more comprehensive definitions of “sustainability” and implementing business sustainability strategies that run consistently through their core functions.  These organizations are chasing business sustainability value:

•    Corporate commitment to sustainability to minimize business risk.

•    Corporate commitment to sustainability to protect and differentiate business reputation.

•    Corporate commitment to sustainability to increase sales and ensure market position.

•    Corporate commitment to sustainability to ensure viable operations.

•    Corporate commitment to sustainability to ensure sustainable supply.

At a minimum, companies are now leveraging sustainability concepts to address their business exposure. The ability to manage and mitigate business risk often depends on the availability and access exposure.  Being able to sift through what is important and what is not can be a determining factor in transforming a good decision into business turning point.

These sustainable business strategies enable executives to focus on more than just cost and risk management.  They provide visibility to leaders that their response to environmental and social pressures for sustainable business practices can ultimately affect company profitability.  When you think of it, the title is really not that important.  It's whether or not business sustainability is occurring is what is important.

The economically driven actions over the past two years may have temporarily shifted the direction of business; however, the prospect of financial recovery is creating a new platform  for business sustainability.  The corporate actions of the first quarter strongly indicate business sustainability is a 2010 focus.  So the question becomes: Have you missed the boat?

An evolving landscape of business is placing business sustainability as pinnacle in executive boardroom conversations for future success.  By shifting the traditional view of business sustainability as a cost to a true value opportunity, companies are jumping on board to capture untapped benefits. 

Outlined in a recent Harvard Business Review report, “The key to progress, particularly in times of economic crisis, is innovation.  By treating sustainability as a goal today, early movers will develop competencies that rivals will be hard-pressed to match.”  The companies that are a step-ahead are transforming this knowledge into action.

With many still on the fence, there is still early-mover advantage in taking proactive steps to create a business case for sustainability in your organization.  Our sustainability consulting experience has shown there to be an exponentially increasing number of benefits to sustainability.  So, come on-board today!  This party is just getting started!

Choosing a business name is one of the most important aspects in starting a business. The name you choose represents the image and label of the business and carries a powerful energy.  In as much as biomimicry is used to inspire sustainable solutions by emulating nature, in a similar fashion, Taiga Company too found its essence inspired from the environment.
 
Taiga, pronounced, tahy-guh is a biome that stretches across a large portion of Canada, Europe, and Asia.  The taiga is truly vast in extent. It makes up 27 percent of the world's total forest and occupies 11 percent of the land area of the Northern Hemisphere.  The taiga's immense oxygen production literally changes the atmosphere and refreshes the plant. 
 
It is this inspiration that Taiga Company was founded and named.  The continuous renewal that the taiga offers our planet has shaped our company vision to drive similar change in the business world.   Collectively, we are entering an age of broadening eco awareness and changing societal expectations: our personal and professional views of the world and of business are changing.  As sustainability consultants partnering with small business to integrate eco awareness, sustainability concepts, and sustainability plans, we seek to transform traditional business processes, to explore, discover, and embrace new sustainable ideas, technologies, and best practices.
 
Business sustainability isn't about sacrificing profitability or becoming an environmental business.  Sustainable business strategies span a multitude of topics: stewardship of resources; best practices; reputation, brand management and customer service; leveraging technology and enable a business to meet goals of growth and revenue generation while simultaneously contributing innovative thought leadership to some of the world’s most complex and pressing concerns.
 
Taiga Company was founded to address the growing need for individuals and organizations to incorporate sustainability concepts into their everyday world.  Through demonstrated eco action and an inquisitive, sustainable mindset, the sustainability consultants of Taiga Company seek to be the "oxygen for your business."

It is estimated that the average person makes between five hundred and a thousand decisions each day.  Multiply that out by weeks and years and we are talking about hundreds of thousands of choices.  Some choices are small, like whether to keep reading this post (please do!), yet other decisions can have significant influence on your life and business.

Our eco living consulting work focuses on the daily choices we, as individuals, make that can have significant impact on our social surrounding, the environment in which we live, and on our personal life experience.  Some may be major sustainable lifestyle decisions while others may be as simple as:

•    Do you want paper or plastic?
•    Do you want organic or conventional?
•    Do you want a paper or an electronic copy?
•    Do you want to share a ride or take your own car?

We view each decision point as an opportunity to integrate eco awareness into some of these decision outcomes.  While the result of every choice we make does not have to be directly aligned with sustainable values, the inclusion of sustainability concepts in the thought process can greatly improve the evaluation.

The factors that lead to the choice of one path versus another are usually based upon personal value drivers at a given point in time.  By incorporating sustainability as criteria in decision process and recognizing that the pursuit of personal or business sustainability is not a single decision, presents an opportunity to make alternative choices.

Integrating sustainability into business or your daily living is more than just a one-time single yes or no decision.  The pursuit of personal and business sustainability is a mindset change that incorporates expanded eco awareness into all decision making.  Make sustainability a part of your daily thought processes and see how it can add value to your life.

If you knew you were paying too much for something and could get the same thing right down the street for the same price, what would you do?  The answer is that most people, when given access to information, will make the best personal choice.  Now if told to buy it down the street, or else, would the same motivation be present?

Too often discussions around sustainability focus on pressing issues, risks, and negative outcomes as the primary drivers for change.  According to Peter Senge, Senior Lecturer in Behavioral and Policy Sciences at the MIT Sloan School of Management, fear-driven behavior change only motivates for as long as people feel the issues are pressing on them. As soon as the fear recedes, so does the motivation.

So rather than focus on consequence from a predetermined choice, why not focus on expanding eco awareness  through accessibility to information.  Our professional consulting resources finds this practice currently working with individuals and business seeking sustainable change.

In just one example, utility companies across the United States are beginning to install smart meters which will provide greater visibility into home and office energy consumption.  These devices provide our energy conscious clients with real-time information on electricity usage and cost. 

Armed with insight, consumers are able to make eco living and business sustainability choices to consume less.  Applied broadly, visibility to the right information can provide businesses and individuals the opportunity to make more informed, personally-driven, and sustainable choices. 

Experience has shown that it is sometimes easier to focus on the negative outcome of not pursuing sustainability.  By directing attention to the other side of the equation, the pursuit of business sustainability or a sustainable lifestyle is in direct alignment with positive gain.  Our sustainability consulting encourages others to focus thoughts and actions on the value of sustainability and watch how effectively it impacts our world.

Evidence has shown that stakeholder engagement is critical to a company’s ability to capitalize on its eco awareness, product stewardship, reputation, and overall business sustainability.  But how are stakeholder informed of business sustainability milestones? 
 
The rise of social media has led companies to form new relationships with their stakeholders, including investors and customers, but also employees, suppliers, NGOs and others. Stakeholders are increasingly looking for authentic, transparent, two-way communication with organizations. 
 
Two questions surface:  "How does a business authentically and effectively communicate their sustainable business strategies to stakeholders?"  And "What corporate sustainability efforts should be shared?
 
Echoed throughout our professional consulting is a communication framework for companies to better communicate  their environmental message which includes:

•    Impact: Make sure it’s real
•    Alignment: Build Support Internally and Externally
•    Communication: Communicate it accurately
 
As far as which milestones to communicate?  There are the most obvious which include meeting and exceeding sustainability targets and recognizing/ rewarding the creation of specific value from sustainability efforts. What is most appealing?  Telling your story of how your business embraced sustainability concepts in your business and the results that you achieved.  Sustainability principals are universal, but how your business applies them to your circumstances and goals yields a different result and inquiring stakeholders are listening.     

Work over the past few years reveals that supply chain improvements are driven by a wide variety of business sustainability goals and objectives.  Although, businesses across all industries have one thing in common, the search for greater supply chain value.  However, the question that looms on our minds as sustainability concepts find their place in the supply chain: Are suppliers engaged in the value discussion or is this a one-way conversation?

Wal-Mart made the business sustainability headlines again this week with an announced goal to reduce their supply chain greenhouse gas emissions by a 20-million-tons by 2015.  The retail giant continues to set the mark for corporate commitment and supplier performance from which we can all leverage.  As a sustainability consultant, I am encouraged by Wal-Mart’s step forward and take note of opportunities for further expansion.

Procurement organizations view environmental and social responsibility actions within the supply chain as both a risk mitigating strategy and a business opportunity.   Companies are creating strategic sourcing and procurement guidelines aligned with their business sustainability strategies.  The next step, even beyond the Wal-Mart model, is expanding a one-way conversation to include active engagement with all key stakeholders.

•    Supply Chain Alignment: All business partners have input into the business sustainability direction and have equal value opportunity.

•    Supplier Integration: Integrated processes with supplier to improve communication, increase efficiency, and ensure common sustainable processes.

•    Customer Expectation Translation: Sustainable product expectations clearly communicated down the supply chain to material and service providers.

Creating supply chain management alignment begins with increased eco awareness, applied sustainability concepts, and corporate commitment.  However, increased value can be realized by active engagement and two-way communication with key business stakeholders.  Our sustainability consulting provides information and business resources to clients of all sizes seeking to make incremental steps towards a sustainable supply chain.

Business leaders are always looking for new and innovative ways to improve their businesses.  One of the most dramatic ways to reshape your entire company, from top to bottom, is to examine the processes that run through it.   However, change without direction can often be scary proposition.

The questions we often pose to prospective business clients include: What is driving your business forward?  Are you embracing sustainability as a pathway to long-term value? 
 
Coined by Adam Werbach, there are goals- and then, there are your company’s North Star Goals.  These define the singular overarching direction of the company. So why not integrate sustainability into your core business drivers?

Sustainability concepts, such as resource reduction or efficiency, do not simply apply to the large manufactures or environmental businesses.  Building business sustainability includes a recognition that your company is part of a larger whole; part of a process which interacts with other organizations, society and the physical environment in which it operates. 
 
The pursuit of business sustainability does not have to come from any one source.  It can generate from within your own company at the ground level, from internal resources, the customers you service, or your suppliers.  A key to success is to create a corporate culture that encourages and rewards innovation at all levels internal to the organization as well as external to the company.

Our business sustainability programs specialize in information, resources, and professional consulting services designed to work with clients who see the real potential of incorporating eco awareness into their business.  Find your business sustainability “North Star” and begin your journey to sustainable value today.

We have all heard and probably experienced the old adage: if you put the right tools in the right hands, great things can happen.  In our sustainability consulting experience, we have personally observed this to be true with the advances in supply chain thinking over the years.  As we move into a new era, the tools and incentives continue to push forward.

Progressive supply chain approaches over the past few decades has move us beyond the traditional win/loose mentality; wherein, negative outcomes where passed along to suppliers.  More recently organizations have seen the value in aligning supply chain goals in a now common win/win framework.  As sustainability concepts begin to emerge within supply chain discussion, companies continue to push for win/win progress.

The growing focus on Supply Chain Management (SCM) as a strategic function within the organization has proven to be opportunity to reduce cost and add value to the bottom line.  The recent emergence of sustainable supply chain management provides the opportunity to leverage this progress from an added perspective.  Mainstream thinking is just beginning to incorporate expanding eco awareness to include the role of social and environmental responsibility in supply chain value creation.

Our sustainability consulting work finds companies seeking out the unique value opportunity in sustainable supply chain management by creating aligned sustainability goals with suppliers.  Rather than regressing to the old model and passing along the cost and risk to suppliers, we are following the progress of leaders who are creating business sustainability incentives for existing and new sources of supply.

Most business leaders would agree that an organization’s strength is, in large part, based on its internal resources and the practices utilized to cultivate talent.  When it comes to building a sustainable business reputation, employees are just as critical, and who better to communicate the message than the internal business stakeholders who live the day-to-day operations.

Our professional consulting finds that highly effective organizations are doing more than simply attracting and retaining top eco-talent.  Through continuous communication and employee engagement, companies are equipping their internal stakeholders with the information to communicate their business sustainability actions.

In a recent article, The Role Your Current Employees Play in Attracting New Talent, PCS describes the critical role employees play in communicating corporate actions.  When attracting new talent, 80% of candidates view current employees as a credible source of information.

So what are your employees saying about your organization?  Are they equipped with information and engaged in your company’s business sustainability programs to passionately communicate the message you would like the world to hear?  Leading ‘green’ talent organizations are responding and creating sustainability advocates by:

•    Cascading business sustainability strategies down through organizational and individual performance goals.

•    Informing, motivating, and actively engaging employees in the company’s business sustainability programs.

•    Integrating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) into the business processes, corporate performance, and employee recognition.

•    Actively engaged with key stakeholders on sustainability issues, including employees to understand how sustainability issues are affecting the business.

•    Performing transparent reporting on sustainability concepts and sensitive issues, with both positive and negative results.

Within our professional consulting experience, we have seen many companies over the years live and die by the quality and effectiveness of their staff.  Building and motivating the organization has always been a critical criterion to retaining top talent; however, it is becoming more and more important to communicating corporate sustainability actions. 

So your business is not a General Electric, Wal-Mart, or even a Starbucks.  And so you may not have the same unlimited capital and resources to take sustainability challenges head-on.  And so you may not make the newspaper headlines for your sustainability efforts.  However when it comes to realizing immediate benefits from sustainability implementation, your small business may have an advantage over these large corporations.

More small businesses than ever before are subscribing to the idea that they can save money, increase sales, and improve brand value by implementing social and environmental business sustainability practices.  As a professional consultant working directly in the field of business sustainability, I have personally observed the ability of small businesses to quickly respond to changing market conditions to capitalize on opportunities and lower their risk.

Just recently, in speaking with an "eco curious" business owner, we discussed the distinct advantages present within a small business setting:

•    Greater flexibility to respond to market changes.
•    Reduced decision chains to accelerate approvals and business action.
•    Closer relations with business stakeholders to capture feedback and address concerns.
•    Greater speed to transform business sustainability resistance into corporate action.

At Taiga Company, our small business resources work directly with clients to build a business case for sustainability for small businesses.  Our professional consulting engages with key stakeholders to guide businesses to their unique links between defined sustainability concepts and their business value drivers to positively affect change in the workplace.

It seems in recent years being busy has become the rule rather than the exception.  With busy comes conveniences and sometimes conveniences means having to compromise on values.  Fortunately, that's no longer the case.  With growing eco awareness sprouting more and more environmentally friendly options, those living a busy and sustainable lifestyle can take their green on the go.  Enjoy some of the tips shared in our eco friendly consulting practice.

Do you have an iPhone?  Take eco action now and check out these top green apps:

• Carbon Tracker: This GPS-enabled carbon footprint application allows users to calculate their carbon footprint from daily commuting, business trips or vacations.
• iRecycle, makes it easy to find recycling locations anywhere in the U.S. Find places to drop-off your old cell phone or other items, get directions and find out what else they accept.
• GoodGuide:  Use this app to find out what’s in 75,000 common household products.  Reviewers praise the level of detail in the GoodGuide database as well as its ease of use.  Especially handy while shopping.
• Greenpeace Tissue Guide: Research brands of consumer paper products to find the greenest tissues, paper towels, and toilet paper.

 
Get personal with green.  Carry your reusable mug, reusable water bottle, and PeopleTowels.  PeopleTowels are 100% organic cotton, reusable personal hand towels that are portable and preserve environmental resources.
 
Synch your life green with Evernote.   As a green living consultant, I find it to be an environmentally friendly tool to use to minimize paper use.   Because Evernote has the ability to collect all the notes you create, clips from Web pages and emails you want to recall, in a synchronized repository, it makes it easy to be productive and green on the go. 
 
Get mobile updates on sustainable lifestyle choices and businesses going green from twitter and Facebook.
 
Green your quick meals:  Chipotle’s  is one of the fast food restaurants recognized for tasty food but also as a leader in building business sustainability.  Quiznos just launched its new sustainable packaging which includes compostable wax-coated paper cups, pulp salad bowls made from renewable sugarcane, napkins made from 100 percent recycled material and fibers, and "team members" wearing uniforms made 100 percent from recycled soda pop bottles. 
 
A primary aspect of a sustainable lifestyle is the recognition that every action is part of a larger whole and even the smallest change can make a difference.  Taking eco action on the go keeps your values in line and contributes to everyone’s efforts towards the greater environmental good. 

In our professional consulting experience, we find the exploration of sustainability concepts, particularly in business, is more often a reaction to an undesirable outcome rather than a pursued or unknown value.   The link between sustainability and business action is commonly an effort to address a predefined risk or business cost.  Few organizations truly advance the sustainability conversation to unlock the unknown future value.

For many, the value of business sustainability can only be seen in tangible results- when sustainability concepts are directly applied to specific areas of concern in current business processes and practices.  The ability to transcend lagging business sustainability measures to a pursued future value can often differentiate an innovative organization from the rest of the pack.

Our sustainability consulting resources devote a considerable amount of effort to the future value of sustainable business action.  While the pursuit of business sustainability value is often specific to an organization’s unique drivers, there are some value components that are of common interest to most businesses.

•    Improving business reputation to create consumer loyalty.

•    Creating brand differentiation to increase sales.

•    Improving employee satisfaction and retention to increase productivity and promote innovation.

•    Improving stakeholder engagement to align business goals and drive profitability.

By leading the business sustainability conversation and facilitating alignment with business partners in a common pursuit of value, an organization is setting itself up for business sustainability success.  At Taiga Company, our professional consulting encourages business leaders to take an internal approach to sustainability.  We help build focused business sustainability programs that define internal sustainability values in conjunction with key business stakeholder interests.  Our firm offers sustainability consulting and resources that can help build a business sustainability plan that is right for your unique values drivers.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently reported that Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors (at work and home).  The study went on to reveal that a sustainable work environment can play a significant role in daily and long-term health.  While many people we work with have taken action at home, few have applied the same sustainable lifestyle passion to their work environment. 

What is preventing most individuals from addressing change at work?  The answers most often come down to the company and its culture.

Our sustainability consulting visits with organizational leaders seeking to address these issue by implementing business sustainability programs focused on the value of a sustainable work environment.  By raising organizational eco awareness, promoting communication, and taking specific action on indoor issues, businesses can directly contribute to the health and productivity for their employees.  Organizational benefits often include:

•    A healthier more sustainable workforce.
•    A more productive workforce.
•    A sustainable environment which attracts higher quality employees.
•    Reduced employee turnover.
•    Reduced lost work time related to health issues.

Once an organization identifies and attracts the right employee, building and motivating the organization becomes critical to retaining that talent.  Highly effective organizations are going beyond organizational eco awareness to creating business sustainability cultures that engage their employees.

Looking for topic related resources?  At Taiga Company, we provide resources and professional consulting to businesses and individuals seeking to address sustainable lifestyle changes at both home and at work. 

Are you captivated by the Olympics?  Being a witness to the triumphs, the discipline, and the dedication of the amazing athletes in their call to Olympic glory?  I am.  But it's not just the actual Olympic event that is intriguing.  It's the journey of the athletes.  It's their story.  It's the daily choices and actions that incrementally lead to their day of Olympic triumph.  As my wise coach says, training happens every day.
 
So is the case with sustainability- whether that is on an individual basis or as a corporate sustainability plan.  First, there's the vision.  But to reach that vision, daily action is required as a mindset or parameters to guide choices in the direction of the vision. 
 
As a sustainability consultant, I am engaged in a quite a bit of discussion defining what sustainability in business is, how it can be applied, and why businesses may or may not be ready.  Similar discussions prevail with individuals interested in living a sustainable lifestyle.  While there are business sustainability frameworks to guide corporate eco actions towards a corporate vision and there are sustainability concepts for individuals to follow, they really don't matter if they aren't exercised. 
 
If the athletes didn't do their daily workouts, they would not be at the Olympics.  Much like the Olympic athletes, if we as businesses leaders and individuals don't exercise the discipline and focus of daily eco awareness in our choices and actions, what will be our Olympic victory?