Making sustainability viral...for good

I have changed the name of the former Newsletter. Why “Viral sustainability” instead of the former title, "Vitamin S"? For all the wrong reasons, but for a good cause:

• Because viruses have been called “the most creative beings out there”.They resemble a lot of other beings on Earth (I won’t give names) who are able to hijack entire ecosystems just by being resilient and opportunistic, and they are called successful if they do so (while viruses are blamed for the same skills).
• Because we have been through a pandemic, and for a short moment, in the face of the tiny creature called “virus”, we showed some unprecedented humanity; With several wars in a row, social unrest and a climate crisis, I miss the pandemic a little, don’t you?
• Because virality is the most appreciated feature of the online universe. And for a reason. It influences at scale, changes behaviors, puts people and organizations on the map and makes them role-models.

Could the virality happen for social impact the ways it happens with funny Instagram reels, make-up, food and travel? Probably not. However learning about? the tools of “virality” could help “positive impact” become more desirable, too…

SO, I am not on a “teaching others” journey, but rather on a learning journey on how to make sustainability go viral. There are some fantastic examples of change-makers, movements, organizations and companies out there and I would very much like to understand who is behind them, how they operate, what frameworks they use, and what is their secret sauce.

Because creating positive impact is not sexy, it does not bring notoriety or large bank accounts - and it contradicts any image of “success” we have been served in the last many decades (or maybe millennia) - and somehow, some people manage to make it so INSPIRING, ACHEIVABLE and DESIRABLE!

Meeting the movers, shakers & culture shifters

To walk the talk, literally, I have recently started a series of video conversations called Viral Sustainability Talks, to spread the word about educators, changemakers, and catalysts that make sustainability go viral within organizations and communities.

My first two guests are Alice Richard and Mark Horoszowski - two people I personally admire a lot and who inspire me with their passion and their immense kindness as well. Moreover, they represent two different approaches to engaging change-makers across the globe, proving that the space of positive impact can be served with creativity and with an infinity of tools and models.?

With Alice, I chatted about a “viral” game called 2030 SDGs Game. Alice is the master facilitator for Europe and a tireless creator of customized workshops and gamified experiences. She has her own company and has even created a workshop called "Hack Your Box for a Sustainable Life" that trains trainers to do awareness-raising workshops about sustainability within organizations. I am a certified facilitator for it too, because I loved the format and the way complex information is unfolded and brought into reflection.?

You can watch the interview below (I recommend it from 30-40 seconds onwards, as I seem to not cooperate well with the Live or Recording Now button)

For the second Viral Sustainability Talk, I had the chance to meet Mark from Moving Worlds. Mark has created an organization that makes me want to learn all the secrets of “how to build something like this, too!”. And for sure, it is one of the most inspiring organizations for any change-maker out there. We share a common passion for supporting social entrepreneurs and change-makers, and Mark managed to build a movement that spans continents and brings a large ecosystem to the same table: corporations, start-ups, and professionals wanting to support social enterprises.?

We were supposed to go live, but when you make online live talk plans, the God of Linkedin Live laughs - so we switched to a recorded interview.?

You can see the interview with him here and find out about how Moving Worlds is actually...moving the world around:

The Viral Sustainability Talks series will continue with a few rerecorded or live sessions - and I look forward to meeting many movement-builders who can make virality noble and positive.?

Culture change and sustainability education - practical tips

“Sustainability Education” is starting to gain some traction, but the term is highly fuzzy for now. What should sustainability education be about? What is it's objective? What does it mean for business: knowledge, compliance or impact-action? Even more concretely: What makes sense for a corporation in FMGC, what is relevant for an IT SME and what makes sense for a start-up incubator or accelerator? The section below is for ideas and practical tips.

Today’s tip: Assess where you are on the journey?

Mindset fine-tuning: Sustainability education is one of the tools in the toolkit. Culture change is your vehicle to facilitate and support transformation. Business Transformation is where you want to get.?

Before starting to think of what you should do and what knowledge you should incorporate or if you should create a whole program, re-design your L&D strategy or schedule a “sustainability day” for your organization, start by assessing in which stage your organization is.

Awareness Stage:

Focus on Stakeholder Education: Engaging stakeholders by educating them about the importance of sustainability, raising awareness, and initiating conversations around its significance.

Compliance Stage:

Focus on building Stakeholder Support: Engaging stakeholders in discussions about compliance requirements, seeking their input, and gaining their support for aligning with regulations.

Efficiency Stage:

Focus on Employee Engagement: Involving employees in identifying opportunities for resource efficiency, encouraging their suggestions, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Strategic Integration Stage:

Focus on Stakeholder Collaboration: Engaging stakeholders in the strategic integration of sustainability, seeking their perspectives in aligning sustainability with business strategy.

Innovation Stage:

Focus on Co-Creation and Partnerships: Collaborating with stakeholders, customers, and partners to co-create innovative solutions and products that promote sustainability.

Leadership Stage:

Focus on Industry Engagement: Leading industry discussions, forming alliances, and engaging in platforms to advocate for sustainability practices and influence sector-wide change.

Transformation Stage:

Focus on Comprehensive Engagement: Fully embedding engagement in the company's culture, involving stakeholders at every level, and empowering them to drive sustainability initiatives.

Benefit & Contribute:

Would you like to contribute to existing initiatives? Here some ideas:

I have discovered a list created by Fito Network ?? with philanthropic supporters for communities and networks. You can find it here and also contribute.

At Change.Preneurs , we are organizing an event called ChangeMakers Connect on December 12th (online, from 6 pm CET), and we want to keep building beyond the event. Here you can find a form where you can help us discover more organizations to be supported with advice, expertise, and other resources.

I recently became a mentor for Village Capital , and I highly recommend volunteering your (business) skills to support start-ups that want to do good. For those interested in becoming mentors, here is the link

This should be viral

• A growing number of workers are making the decision to walk out of companies whose environmental values don't align with their own. Read more
• Corporate progress on sustainability initiatives, and on actions to address climate change in particular, is stalling amid economic and geopolitical turmoil, as the pace of emissions reductions slows and sustainability spending growth slowing, according to a new survey of Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) released by global professional services firm EY. Read more
• ?the distinction between ESG and impact remains unclear, especially as both terms are used interchangeably with “sustainability”. ESG and impact are both important, but they are two different things. Read more