Visualize Your Sustainability Why

Sustainability targets are often set via massive spreadsheets, with thousands of lines of GHG emissions data that can be overwhelming and so abstract that it is unrelatable. Further, few employees likely participated in setting your corporate sustainability targets or even understand how the data was gathered and calculated. To be fair, there is a lot of science involved and establishing a baseline is a significant challenge that often requires additional outside helping hands from consulting firms. But once the targets are set—and even during the process—it's crucial to humanize the data. Study after study shows that if we don’t take extreme ownership of the targets, we’re unlikely to achieve them.?

A recent example of making climate action more relatable comes from a group of climate scientists and mothers known as Science Moms. Their 15-second #LaterIsTooLate video aired during a cartoon commercial break while I was watching TV with my 6-year-old daughter. Not only did she instantly understand the message, but it sparked a meaningful conversation between us. The relatable message—"we must protect the places we love"—hit home for me, instantly reminding me of our recent family trip to Saugatuck, Michigan and one of our favorite spots the Saugatuck Dunes State Park . I recalled the clear blue waters of Lake Michigan, the shaded trails meandering through old-growth forests, and the towering dunes that parted to reveal a tranquil two-and-a-half-mile beach, rimmed by a sprawling 300-acre nature preserve. This?is?our happy place. ?

Know your happy place. Encouraging your employees to connect with theirs can inspire a deeper sense of ownership and urgency, accelerating your corporate sustainability journey.?

Yet, as my wife, daughter, and I walked south down the beach, the serene scene shifted. We encountered rusted metal pipes, four feet in diameter, poking through the sand like some ancient sea creature. Broken wooden stairs hovered in the air, leading nowhere. Whole houses had fallen off bluffs in 2019, smashed onto the beach by powerful storms. As we continued toward South Haven, the beach was littered with twisted metal and concrete, remnants of ocean-grade seawalls engineered by the Army Corps of Engineers. Once towering, these mammoth structures were scattered like discarded Legos. After about half a mile, we were forced to turn back, our path blocked by a ten-foot-high mountain of rubble and debris, a stark reminder of the devastating impacts of climate change on our happy place.?

Sustainability Strategy Lead Robert Little and his team at Google have crafted a powerful collection of corporate sustainability stories that authentically connect people, purpose, and products. These narratives not only showcase Google’s internal efforts but also spotlight their partners, adding depth to the journey. Beyond simply reporting data, Google enhances engagement by sharing stories from the perspective of employees, linking their sustainability work with personal passions and the company’s mission. This approach clarifies their sustainability path while driving faster progress toward a greener bottom line.?

Seeing the recent impact of climate change on my family’s cherished happy place has strengthened my resolve to sign up 10 corporate leaders for OrbAid's free software pilot this quarter. In just 90 days, we will commit to identifying $660K in cost savings per company through sustainability projects, with average reductions of 10K MT in emissions, 20K m3 of water use, and 10K tons of waste. My hope is that these initial demonstrations of greener profits will empower corporate leaders to accelerate the greening of their bottom line. Become a climate hero by joining the growing number of business leaders improving both profits and environmental impact. Sign up for OrbAid's free software pilot today by emailing [email protected] .?