[SustainableTompkins] Sustainability Policies- Inputs Needed

[John Miller]

Karl,
 
Thanks so much for the valuable input.  I fully agree on getting the
mindset/values/framing established as primary.  I addressed this to some
extent on sustainability education and continuous improvement, but
you're right- it's the decision making process that is fundamental to
anything as complex and dynamic as Sustainability (I've re-attached
again Stu Hart's 2X2 matrix from the ESW Iowa City conference below- a
way of private sector dealing with the time and external/internal
aspects of sustainability). I do believe much of my listed items will be
useful- in particular metrics and targets (say, for reducing footprint)-
over a period of time (always need to reassess periodically for
relevance)
 
Stu Hart's matrix
Clarifying Sustainability
 
Stu Hart covered his 2X2 matrix (anyone who has these slides, please
forward to me) into which he fits all the sustainability concepts and
buzz words to help clarify a complex, emerging area.  Currently,
sustainability is "tribal" and participants are often talking past each
other- the matrix helps to frame conversations (determine which quadrant
is the subject of the conversation for more productive discussion).
Emerging markets better target for new technologies as US has so much
existing infrastructure.
 
            
 
.         Y axis is time: today at bottom, tomorrow at top and X axis is
perspectives: internal (to org) at left and external (society) on right
 
.         Quadrants as follows:
 
o        Lower left: Cost and Risk Reduction   energy conservation,
waste minimization
 
o        Lower right:  Reputation and Legitimacy   corp governance, life
cycle analysis, stakeholder engagement
 
o        Upper left:  New Skills and Repositioning   disruptive,
leapfrog technologies and services
 
o        Upper right:  Growth Path and Trajectory     sustainable
development,  disruptive tech in new markets- base of pyramid
 
 
 
Thanks again,
John
 
Karl's note:
 
John, 
 
While I think a framework to assist development of organizational
sustainability policies is important, I believe it is also important to
realize that sustainability is a moving target, and policies can get old
and lose traction as environmental and social conditions change. So,
even
more important in my view is a framework for holistic decision making
that will facilitate initial policy development and then keep it on
track
and up to date over time. 
 
One such framework is Holistic Management, created by ecologist Alan
Savory. The current site http://www.holisticmanagement.org/ has a land
management focus, but the framework itself has seen much use in an
organizational context. Unique features of the framework are:
 its holistic goal-setting process that creates an organizational values
document, which serves as a guide for testing decisions
its testing questions, which subject all decisions to a rigorous
critique
that considers all social, economic, and ecological aspects of the whole
under management. 
I have found that sustainability policies by themselves can go nowhere
when the everyday thinking process of the participants has not changed (
the so-called paradigm shift ). Holistic Management is a tool that can
be
practiced 
constantly. It is that practice that eventually changes ways of
thinking.
 
 
I have used a variant of the Holistic Management decision making tool
extensively to guide decisions that will move my farm toward a
sustainable design. I have been trained to teach the tool, and regularly
do so in the Central New York area. Anyone who wants further information
is welcome to contact me. More information on how I have used Holistic
Management is available in papers on my website.
 
Karl North
Northland Sheep Dairy, Freetown, New York USA