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In this issueLook for MeetGreen® at:
BSR Annual Conference Eclipse Summit Europe OOPSLA Greenbuild
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CSR Plans...Ready, Set, Go!Erin Luehrs, Client Development & Vanessa Adelmann, Online Development It's less than 75 days away, the UN 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15), where politicians, climate activists and corporations are racing to negotiate an agreement that will globally stabilize our collective carbon dioxide emissions by 2015. That's a complicated task, and if that weren't enough, leaders in all the nations are facing critical and compelling issues that tax their resources and distract their focus from this urgent deadline. For example, while the economic meltdown in the United States remains at center stage, now there's a strong healthcare debate in the midst. Not to be forgotten are the conflicts in Afghanistan, banking system failure, and education reform. Now...what was that about a "climate crisis" again? Just recently, in September 2009, the Harvard Business Review asserted that "In the future, only companies that make sustainability a goal will achieve the competitive advantage." With businesses facing so many of their own critical and compelling issues, it's difficult for their leaders to stay focused on sustainability and its bigger, more-encompassing brother, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In the face of competing concerns, many companies approach Corporate Responsibility as a colorful accent to their core business or as a short-sighted reaction to market interest in "green," as opposed to a strategy that is incorporated into their core mission. In fact, a recent study by the Sustainable Enterprise Institute found that fewer than 10% of companies with a CSR Plan had a strategy to make their policies effective. That begs the question: what's the point of making an investment in a plan that won't achieve the benefits needed to stay competitive in the marketplace? The good news is that business leaders can learn from companies who have successfully transformed CSR plans into smart business practice.
Engaged Leadership Finding a Framework
Each of these frameworks has concrete examples of real live businesses which have been revolutionized through the diligent application of the framework principles. It is important to note that these frameworks help business avoid the pitfalls of creating isolated 'green' policies which are not integrated to the business plan and budget. CSR is More than Green Here at MeetGreen®, we feel that the Triple Bottom Line also has a mission piece: the philosophy underlying the Triple Bottom Line fails to address the critical issues of Purpose. What, in reality, is the purpose of your business mission? Businesses that can identify their purpose have teams that are galvanized and inspired to deliver the critical mission of the organization in a tireless way. Businesses who truly think long term with considerations of their legacy and their higher purpose are the businesses that are not distracted by competing priorities and shifting agendas. Their mission is clear and their stakeholders reward them with loyalty, innovative ideas and financial support. Corporations have the power to transform lives and create sustainable communities which thrive and prosper. Whether you do your part to innovate climate change to support COP15 or simply build a viable business, take action for a more responsible organization by integrating CSR into your business plan. ResourcesVanessa Adelmann, Online Development
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