Sustainability Strategic Planning
Andrea Dean LLC works with you to customize an approach to sustainability strategic planning that is the right fit for your company size, budget, and business goals.
Do you want to:
- Differentiate yourself from the competition?
- Encourage innovation in your company?
- Manage risk?
- Create more value and increase profits?
The Natural Step framework is the best methodology available today for companies and communities who are moving towards sustainability.
Step onto the Sustainability Path Today:
1) Natural Step framework Executive Briefing
Learn how sustainability strategic planning can help you grow your business in a three-hour Executive Briefing at your place of business. Includes: Preliminary interviews with key personnel, on-site Executive Briefing, preparation and delivery of summary report, and follow-up meeting. $1,300.00
2) Natural Step Framework Workshop
Andrea facilitates an on-site workshop for your company using the Natural Step framework with the result being a Sustainability Strategic Plan that encompasses your short, medium and long-term goals. Includes: Preliminary interviews with key personnel, on-site workshop(s) with staff, and preparation and delivery of Sustainability Strategic Plan.Cost determined based upon scope.
3) Natural Step Online E-Learning
Does everyone in your company understand what sustainability is and how to apply it in a business setting? Gain a common understanding of sustainability. Get started today with the Natural Step online learning courses.
What is the Natural Step framework?
The Natural Step process seeks to answer these three questions:
- Does your organization have a definition of sustainability?
- What is, with reference to this definition, your gap to sustainability?
- What are you doing, at the strategic level of the organization, to bridge that gap?
The Natural Step framework is a science and systems based framework that was developed in Sweden. The framework is based upon four system conditions that make up the definition of sustainability. One of the most common problems in sustainability planning is getting everyone in a company, community or county, to agree on what sustainability is. The Natural Step framework takes all of the guess work out of defining sustainability. And this is important, because when you want to make sustainable decisions you have to understand the constraints and the possibilities. You also need a framework for making ongoing decisions.
In the Natural Step framework, we use Backcasting to create a Compelling Vision, making sure that our vision does not break any of the sustainability principles. Backcasting is envisioning what your sustainable future looks like and then asking yourself how you got there. This is very different from forecasting, where you are typically standing mired in your current reality not able to see a clear path forward.
The next step is a Baseline Analysis- digging deep to find out where you are not sustainable now. A company or organization would conduct a simple analysis of all operations- transportation, purchasing, operations, etc… The final step in the process is to identify all of the possible action areas to build on existing efforts or for future innovation and then to prioritize those possible actions. Then we create a strategic plan that prioritizes short, medium and long terms sustainable strategies.
The Natural Step framework gives us a process that we can use to create a meaningful, flexible plan that moves us towards sustainability. After all, if you don’t know where you are heading, how will you get there?
Who Uses the Natural Step?
Since its inception in the 1989, The Natural Step framework has been used by large and small companies and communities all over the world to plan for sustainability. Well known corporate giant such as Nike, Interface Carpet, Starbucks, Home Depot and the Canadian winter destination community of Whistler, BC have all used The Natural Step to create long term plans that address sustainability.
The framework is “scale-neutral,” the size of the entity using it does not matter. It can be used by businesses, communities, non-profit organizations and individuals.
Who is the Natural Step?
The Natural Step organization is an international not-for-profit with offices in 11 countries. The Natural Step organization provides consulting, education and capacity building services and has worked with hundreds of companies, municipalities, academic institutions and not-for-profit organizations all over the world.
The Natural Step framework is in the public domain and can be used by individuals, companies and consultants to help move towards sustainability.
Andrea Dean is not a representative of, or affiliated with, the Natural Step organization, but has been trained in utilizing the framework. In 2008, the County of Hawaii- Hawaii County Resource Center and the Kohala Center brought Natural Step Senior Sustainability Advisors Sarah Brooks (pictured at left) and Mike Purcell to Hawaii Island to train Hawaii Island based sustainability leaders in utilizing the Natural Step framework for our businesses and communities. Senior Sustainability Advisors Sarah Brooks and Mike Purcell continue to be available as coaches/consultants to Andrea Dean LLC as she works with Hawaii-based companies.
Learn More:
- Podcast Interview with Sarah Brooks, Senior Sustainability Advisor with The Natural Step
- The Natural Step
- The Sustainability Advantage by Bob Willard
- Green Winners- The performance of sustainability-focused companies during the financial crisis, A study by A.T. Kearney
Part of a presentation I gave at a Net Impact event. Sorry it is a bit dark.
