Forming and Facilitating Sustainability Teams: Engaging and Training Employees in Sustainability Efforts

Summary

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A one-day workshop focusing on the skills necessary to form and manage different types of sustainability teams. Participants will leave with a set of well-tested materials and learning activities that can be applied in their work environments.

Most organizations implementing sustainability are finding themselves in need of forming teams (steering committees, task forces, etc.). If managed skillfully, teams can be highly productive dispite the number of people and opinions involved. This class will show how to use teams most effectively in a sustainability program.

Sustainability can be intimidating as well as challenging to people's perceptions and practices, which is why it presents different obstacles from other training topics. Individually, people have to be educated about abstract concepts in ways that make them seem do-able. Then, often in teams, people need to be engaged enough and work together to solve thorny issues and build successful strategies.

In this class, presenter will demonstrate a number of well-tested activities, and provide participants with the set of materials and instructions necessary for implementation in the workplace. These approaches can be used in training settings and can be easily incorporated into staff meetings.

Morning

Using teams to manage sustainability implementation:

• Why teams and empowerment are important to sustainability.
• Types of teams and how they often are used in sustainability; how are they different in their needs, and what works for each?
• Team pre-launch process: how to get a team off and running on the right foot.
• Facilitation techniques and why they are key. Practice using facilitation tools.
• Project planning for sustainability teams: steps for common sustainability projects (e.g., greenhouse gas inventory, waste audit, sustainability planning, etc.).

Afternoon

Educating people about sustainability concepts:

• Adult learning theory: what adults need to learn.
• Special barriers associated with teaching sustainability and how to deal with them.
• How to get the attention of executives in order for them to see the business case.
• Exercises you can use on the job:
  • Threats and opportunities: Exercise to help people see the strategic issues associated with sustainability, especially for those organizations that would feel threatened by the concept.
  • Business simulation: Exercise that shows people how to apply sustainability principles in a real-world setting.
  • Natural Step cards: Card exercise (something that could be used easily in a staff meeting) to test their knowledge of science and system conditions.
• Simple exercises for staff meetings.

NOTE: The course may include additional materials.

Contact Info