SUSTAINABILITY AND YOUR PROJECT:

There was a survey conducted by Accenture in 2010 and 93% of CEOs said that addressing sustainability issues would be critical to the future success of their businesses. 93% of CEOs. Sustainability means and how you can manage the sustainability elements of all of your projects to help those CEOs translate strategy into action. 

Many times, we make business decisions based entirely on the financial dimension. Will it make money or not? 

But sustainability means that we need to think about an organization in terms of three things

1.People

2.Profit

3.Planet 

This is called a Triple Bottom Line approach. To start with, an organization is made up of a group of people called employees. And an organization usually has a mission that's related to meeting the needs of another group of people:

Their customers. The employees and the customer have family, friends, and neighbors. These are the community. Part of sustainability is understanding how your project will impact all of these people. Next, organizations need money to function. I often think of money as the blood that flows through an organization, keeping it alive. We need to ensure that revenues are greater than expenses. 

In other words, we need to maintain a profit, or else the organization won't be able to survive. And last but not least, we're all sharing the same planet. The earth has limited resources and we have a responsibility to use them wisely and protect them for future generations. That means we should always be looking for ways to consume less, recycle more, and use renewable resources. So that's the Triple Bottom Line approach. People, profit, and the planet. Now sometimes there are conflicts between the people, the profit, and the planet. But in many cases, they all align beautifully. 

For example, I've seen many transportation projects that looked for ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. But guess what? Reducing CO2 meant finding ways to burn less fuel. And that almost always saves money, too. Used computers and electronics often contain hazardous materials. But they also contain precious metals and recyclable parts. So instead of sending junk to the landfill, you can often find someone who will pay you to dispose of your old equipment. 

Sustainability makes sense. And it generally makes us feel good to participate in projects that will benefit people and the planet. But there are also pressures from customers and from government regulations that are forcing businesses to invest in sustainability. Using a Triple Bottom Line approach is a great way to understand, explain, and enhance the sustainability value of your projects.