August 26, 2009
Climb The Green Ladder’s Shari Aaron will be speaking at Green Works Workshop and Festival on September 11th at Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT.
Program Title: Green Business Sense: Why and How to Green Up your Work Life
For more information, visit:
http://ctfolk.com/ctff/greenworks.html
Please send me an email if you are able to attend as it would be great to meet you!
August 3, 2009
Winning Book Cover for Climb The Green Ladder
Great news!
Climb The Green Ladder: Make Your Company and Career More Sustainable is now available to pre-order on Amazon.com as well as Amazon.co.uk!
Just click on the link to pre-order your copy!
May 18, 2009
April 6, 2009
As more and more employees try to take action on sustainability in their workplaces, our research has revealed the important role that values play. A key component in a company or organisation’s success in addressing climate change lies in their ability to connect to an employee’s sense of personal responsibility or values around the issue of sustainability.
This is demonstrated by our survey findings. In the Climb the Green Ladder Sustainability in the Workplace survey, a majority (66%) of the 425 respondents choose ‘I try to be as sustainable as possible – at home and at work’. And, in a recent study by Tandberg/Ipos MORI of over 16,000 employees around the world almost 1 out of 2 employees (45%) say they, ‘have taken personal steps to reduce climate change’. The Tandberg study also shows that one quarter of employees (24%) believe, ‘that their individual actions are a key to driving environmental change’.
As we review the hundreds of responses from our survey, one thing is clear: it is vital for companies or organizations to tap into an employee’s sense of personal concern and responsibility regarding sustainability. If you are working to get your boss or co-workers interested in your initiatives, you will ensure greater success by connecting your ideas to both the business case and to your co-workers’ personal values around sustainability.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Keep on sending them in!
Amy & Shari
April 6, 2009
Want to hear the latest findings from Climb The Green Ladder from the horses mouth?
Amy will be speaking on the Sustainable Business Initiatives Panel at UK Aware (www.ukaware.com), Olympia 2, London at 4.15pm on the 17 April 2009.
For your free Climb The Green Ladder ticket, visit the UK Aware website and enter this promotional code: UA09spe.
Do come and say hi if you can make it!
See you then,
Amy
March 24, 2009
Breaking news just in!
Climb The Green Ladder: Make Your Company and Career More Sustainable is available to pre-order on Amazon now!
Be one of the first to get your hands on a copy when the book comes out on 1 November 09 and pre-order your copy now!
February 18, 2009
We are excited to share the latest news from Climb The Green Ladder!
To date, hundreds have taken our Sustainability in the Workplace Survey providing excellent examples of how employees who care about sustainability are able to impact their workplaces.
All across the globe, from the UK and US to China, Spain and Mexico, employees are sounding off about what activities and programs have been the most effective for them.
The great news is that initial results indicate the downturn is actually increasing many companies and organisation’s commitment to sustainability
The survey is not closed yet, but so far, 80% of the 250 respondents have said that their employer is committed to sustainability while 11% have said the economic downturn has increased their company or organisation’s efforts. A further 41% said the downturn hadn’t affected their employers sustainability strategies, choosing the ‘no change seen’ option. Just 4.9% said it has decreased efforts.
Participants are drawn from across the globe from the UK and US to China, Spain and France, and employers ranged from small publishing houses and sustainability consultancies to PWC, Abbey National and the UK’s Department of Treasury.
So it’s heartening to see that sustainability is going some way to becoming part of the status quo whatever the industry or organisation size.
Our findings support research published in the State of Green Business 2009. Their survey of 100 companies revealed that nearly 47% were increasing their investments in green product development in 2009.
It’s common sense after all. Businesses need a healthy society and a stable environment in order to thrive. Many major businesses from Wal-Mart and the Guardian to Unilever, HP and Marks and Spencer have realised that embracing sustainability and taking a leadership role makes excellent business sense.
Thinking sustainably means focussing on reducing waste, increasing efficiencies and considering the human and ecological outcomes of corporate behaviour. True sustainability thinking is embedded in every part of business and means the long term viability of all business behaviours are considered rather than just being a beneficial ‘add on’ dealt with by the corporate social responsibility or sustainability department.
Taking sustainability thinking to the heart of business is seriously beneficial for the bottom line as resources are used more efficiently. It also increases positive environmental, social and economic impacts while reducing risks and strengthening brand reputation and competitive advantage.
It’s easy to talk about corporations and organisations as though they were faceless entities that we as individuals have little power to affect. But companies and organisations are just made up of people and people have power. Individuals have power – we all have power.
Our research has also shown this power in action, demonstrating how many of us are working to transform our organisations from within.
In addition to the survey, we are busy conducting interviews with sustainability advocates, thought leaders and employees at every level of companies – big and small.
Interviews have been conducted with Tim Jackson, Professor of Sustainable Development and Director of Resolve, Jennifer Woofter of Strategic Sustainability Consultants, Martin Smith of JustMeans, Victoria Hands of LSE, Shelley Rowley of Speechly Bircham LLP, Neil Turner of RES, Wood Turner of Climate Counts, Frank Dixon of Global Systems Change and Europe Systems Change. Plus there are lots more lined up and we’ll be posting updates on who’s said what soon!
Over 300 people have already taken the Climb the Green Ladder survey making sure their voices are heard.
Add your voice to theirs so we can share knowledge to reveal what works and what doesn’t so together we can find ways to ride out the downturn while building a more successful, more sustainable future.
Take the survey!
Bye for now!
Amy and Shari
Amy on Twitter Shari on Twitter
