Here's how you can foster creativity in a sustainability career.

Foster creativity in a sustainability career by encouraging open communication and idea sharing. Cultivate a culture of innovation, support experimentation, and reward creative solutions. Provide learning opportunities and exposure to diverse perspectives. Use structured innovation processes like design thinking and create innovation labs. Engage with external stakeholders and stay informed about trends and technologies. Allocate resources and time for creative work, and encourage reflection and constructive feedback to enhance innovation.

Creativity is fueled by different perspectives, approaches, and ideas, and creativity in sustainability is no different. Being curious and letting go of a preconceived way of doing things is one of the best ways to gain insight into different perspectives, approaches, and ideas. Tap into different sources of knowledge and opinions. Some ways to do this are: 1) take online courses, 2) read case studies of things that have worked for companies in the sustainability space, 3) talk to other sustainability professionals around their career paths, experiences, and ideas, 4) read articles and books from different perspectives in the sustainability space, and 5) do anything creative to meditate and brainstorm sustainability ideas.

This! Interdisciplinarity is the key to tackling these multi-dimensional problems. In my plant auditing days, I was blessed to learn from a master auditor that visited all the factories in the world for his company - and although they all had the same issues, he found soultions in one place that he would share with another. Be the "assembler" for your company - introduce folks in logistics to folks in sustainability - has your facilities team met the ESG legal team? Maybe create "hackathons" where you create teams with a rep from each department to tackle a company sustainability challenge with dedicated time and even some fun prizes. Lowering heating and cooling costs (and carbon footprint) - what did the different teams come up with?

Cross-collaboration and interdisciplinary brain storming sessions are powerful tools, Combining individuals from various fields can lead to innovative ideas and solutions. Interdisciplinary teams, integrating different perspectives and expertise, are essential for tackling complex sustainability challenges from different dimensions. For example, collaboration among designers, engineers, and environmental scientists can result in the development of sustainable products and systems ideally incorporating the best of all their respective fields.

Fostering creativity in a sustainability career relies on interdisciplinary thinking. Integrating varied perspectives inspires creative strategies and enhances innovation, leading to more effective projects. Embrace the synergy of interdisciplinary collaboration for breakthrough results.

The biggest example is Elon Musk, when he took a calculated risk with Tesla's development of electric vehicles when the market was still skeptical. His bold initiatives have now set new standards for the automotive industry and significantly advanced the adoption of sustainable transportation. While not every risk will pay off, those that do could lead to transformative changes and set new standards for environmental stewardship. Research shows that organizations that encourage risk-taking and innovation are 33% more likely to be leaders in their industry (McKinsey & Company).

A sustainable world will not manifest without intent: it will be built by design. Impactful sustainability work therefore literally involves first imagining and then constructing the future. Understanding the gravity of this process is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the responsibility can be overwhelming in both ambition and method to moderate reformists and incrementalists; on the other, it is an unprecedented opportunity for those who feel they might have missed out on a once-hoped-for “creative” career to leap-frog orthodox cultural production and engage in a creative—and even artistic—process that is at heart an exercise in reality-building. What are you waiting for?