Synergising sustainability initiatives across a tertiay institution - workshop presentation to ACTS 2011 conference - 28 sep 2011 - Adelaide, Australia

Synergising sustainability initiatives across a
tertiary institution: building momentum for
transformation
Workshop Presentation to ACTS 2011 Conference
Adelaide, 28th Sep, 2011

Liz Sidiropoulos
Lecturer, Business Programs
Faculty of Arts, Business, Infomatics and Education
CQUniversity Melbourne

Copyright of Liz Sidiropoulos

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Sustainability as a journey

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Achieving balance in PPP / EEE
Role of Education for Sustainability (EfS)

Social Change/Transformation to Sustainability

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*

Rotmans and Kemp model of societal transformation
Transition phases and key leverage points

Contribution of Vocational & HEIs

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Role, Progress and Process of Transformation
Learning Progressions in V&HEIs

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Case Study – Harvard University

Frameworks for managing organisational transformation
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TED talk Ray Anderson, 5 Feb 2009

http://www.ted.com/talks/ray_anderson_on_the_business_logic_of_sustainability.ht
Interface’s journey to Mission Zero,
inspired by Tomorrow’s Child
Mission Zero: “to take nothing from
the Earth that can’t be replaced by
the earth.”

On it’s journey, Interface increased sales and doubled profits while turning
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the traditional "take / make / waste" industrial system on its head.

The context.......

Second Nature | Education for Sustainability
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrXVUjno_ps&feature

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Before we start, ….please reflect for a moment or two…
Activity 1 – What would you like to explore/learn/clarify
from today’s workshop?


A mechanistic/functionalist approach2

Weak

A holistic/interpretive approach2

Strong

1. The Brundtland definition of sustainability is used here, namely meeting the
economic, social, and environmental needs of the present and the future
generations
2. Porter and Cordoba, 2009

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SUSTAINABILITY IS A COMPLEX, INTERDISCIPLINARY
TOPIC OF STUDY1

* A threshold concept is defined2 as possessing the
following qualities:
* Transformative – changes how we see things,
* Integrative – brings together different aspects,
* Bounded - delineate a conceptual space, and
* Irreversible - difficult to unlearn.
* Discursive, Reconstitutive, Liminality

* Sustainability is regarded as ‘powerful concept’
in a social constructivist context

1. Facing the Future (2008) 2. Meyer and Land (2003)

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Framing changes everything

Climbing The Environmental Literacy Ladder

Climbing The Environmental Literacy Ladder1
Capacity for personal and collective action and civic
participation

Threshold learning

Problem solving and critical thinking skills
Attitudes of appreciation and concern for the environment
Knowledge and understanding of human and natural
systems and processes
General awareness of the relationship between the
environment and human life

A simple model of graduated learning

1. Campaign for Environmental Literacy (2007),

Source: Atherton J S (2010)

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Source: Atherton J S (2010)

•In "supplantive learning“, we question previous ways of acting or prior knowledge and replace them 1
•If there is resistance, due to significant emotional attachment to previous beliefs or behaviour, "supplantive
learning“ becomes problematic, and is akin to threshold learning2
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1. Atherton, 1999

2. Atherton, 2010

It is a learning journey at every level in society:

* Individual
* Family / Household
* Organisation
* Community
* Region
* Nation
* Globe
EfS acts as a powerful catalyst on the learning journey. What is EfS?
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According to the Australian Government:
“…‘education for sustainability’ .. Is
fundamentally important .. Through
information and awareness, but more
importantly by building people’s capacity to
innovate and implement solutions, education
for sustainability is essential to re-orienting the
way we live and work and to Australia
becoming a sustainable society.” (page 3)
AND
“Living Sustainably: the Australian Government's National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability”
2009, viewed at http://www.environment.gov.au/education/publications/pubs/national-action-plan.pdf

“Australia’s approach to education for sustainability
has …evolved from a focus on awareness of natural
ecosystems and their degradation to equipping all
people with the knowledge, skills and understanding
necessary to make decisions based upon a
consideration of their full environmental, social and
economic implications.” (page3)

“Living Sustainably: the Australian Government's National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability”
2009, viewed at http://www.environment.gov.au/education/publications/pubs/national-action-plan.pdf

Activity 2 – What does sustainability look like to you?

*As individuals, draw a picture that
represents sustainability to you..

*In groups, consider your diagrams and
identify the top 3 themes..


Activity 3 – What does a sustainable TAFE/Uni look like?

* In groups, visualise and create a picture of a

sustainable tertiary institution of the future..

So, how can we transform towards sustainability?


Figure 3. Transition as a complex set of societal cogwheels1
Transition to sustainability
occurs across several
fronts/domains
Major domains are
business, education,
government & civil society,
technology, and media,
arts/culture
ALL domains require
sustainability literacy

Today, we focus on the
“cogwheel” of institutions,
i.e., tertiary education.

The Leverage Principle: EvenRthe biggest ships can be turned by a
1. Rotmans J and Kemp (2003)
small force if it is directed at the point of maximum leverage.

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Figure 4. The different phases of a transition1

The same pattern relates to each
level/domain of society.
 Need to identify our location on
this journey and build momentum to
progress to the next phase.
 Crucial role for EfS in
Unis/TAFEs, particularly in major
multipliers courses such as
business, law, engineering,
education, media, etc
Position EfS carefully to engage
and “scaffold” the learning for
sustainability

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1. Rotmans J and Kemp R (2003)

Transitions to sustainability

The EfS transformational journey

Trans-disciplinarity

Systems thinking, complexity
& inter-disciplinarity

Experiential & social learning
Critical thinking & reflection
Curriculum renewal &
contextualised content

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1. Rotmans J and Kemp R (2003)

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What are some current sustainability related initiatives in your
functional areas of campus operations, facilities mgmt/upgrade,
teaching/training, research, commercial/consulting services, and
community engagement?
How do these initiatives create sustainable outcomes in the areas
of social/cultural capital, natural (environmental) capital and
economic (financial) capital?

*Individual Behaviour (actions –awareness/attitudes/values)
*Institutional processes /systems (infrastructure – enabling/inhibiting factors)
*Rules/policies (regulation – system settings )
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Type of Capital

Positive

Negative

Environmental

(natural resources/ecosystem)
-behaviour
-processes
-rules

Social

(cohesion and institutions)
-behaviour
-processes
-rules

Cultural
(customs and traditions)
-behaviour
-processes
-rules

Economic

(financial and physical)
-behaviour
-processes
-rules

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What strategies might be adopted in your activities or
operations to create even more sustainable outcomes in
areas of social/cultural capital, natural (environmental)
capital and economic (financial) capital?
* Individual Behaviour (actions –awareness/attitudes/values)
* Institutional processes /systems (infrastructure – enabling/inhibiting factors)
* Rules/policies (regulation – system settings )

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Figure 5. The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Society

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Leadership

HEIs

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The balance
between legacy and
leadership roles
depends on the
national Dominant
Social Paradigm
and the interplay of
internal and
external
stakeholders

Legacy

Related to triple helix model of university-government-industry interactions for knowledge
creation. What is the current contribution of Vocational and HEIs to sustainability?
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Role of V&HEIs & key activities towards sustainability

* Campus operations (facilities management)
* Curriculum (teaching content and pedagogy)
* Research and knowledge creation
* Consultancy activities
* Collaborative networks and strategic partnerships
* Community outreach & support
Progress and process of HEIs towards sustainability

* Each institution progresses along its own journey.

Most Australian Unis are
in “Pre-development”, most TAFEs are in early “Take-Off”, some TAFEs are
in “Acceleration”

* Strongest sustainability performance requires support from 3 levels: topdown (rules), bottom-up (behaviour) and middle level (processes)

1. Ferrer-Balas, Cruz and Segalas (2006); Wals & Corcoran (2006)

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*Connect practice with research, teaching/training & policy.
*Generate synergies with businesses and other stakeholders
to research & assist transformation to sustainability

*Present research findings to clearly link their applications to

teaching/training, policy and practice.
* Shift from traditional or ‘mode 1’ research which is academic, investigatorinitiated, and discipline-based to ‘mode 2’ knowledge production or
research that is context-driven, problem-focussed, and interdisciplinary

* Recognise importance of clusters of research units, teaching-learning, and
businesses in fostering innovation and sustainable solutions.

*Learners gain insights or skills that enhance their agency
with respect to their material and social world.

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*Clarity of vision & Commitment to moving forward
*Capability / Capacity building of teams
*Collaboration and Cooperation
*Recognition and rewards system
*Continuous Improvement Process
*Strong Innovation Culture
*Learning by doing...
Remember - each person, each organisation and each
system is different with a unique learning pathway
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Leith Sharp appointed in 2000 as the founding director of Harvard’s
Office for Sustainability. Leith guided the
Harvard Green Campus Initiative from one person into an office
with 24 full-time staff and transformed America's oldest college.
In 2008 Harvard was largest green campus organization in the world
Key lessons learned:

1.
2.
3.

Build the business case for sustainability, based on short term payback

4.
5.
6.

Be patient with internal resistance, engage and inform people

Begin with small concrete project (e.g green cleaning) & document it
Focus on institutional shifts by reforming processes & systems. Move
to middle managers, demonstrating top-down and bottom-up support
Be creative in ways to save costs & partering opportunities with others
Collaborate with peer organisations to share your learnings.
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Pathway to a Sustainable Campus
* Create a Change Management Engine

* Increase Trust, Engagement and Empowerment

*Finance and Accounting Reform
* Foster a Learning Organization and Capacity

Building

*Culture Change
* Manage Stakeholder Complexity, Governance & Decision-making ,

*Continuous Improvement, Pilot and Expand
* Leverage Leadership
*Address the Unconscious Organization
* Foster Formal Commitments & Goals

* Indicators and Annual Reporting

*Systems Thinking

Harvard’s Green Campus Initiative 2000-2008

Leverage Leadership (Conducting Collar Jobs
A Business Model to Fund Green the Voices)

Grass Roots
Students, building Managers,
facilities staff, project managers,
custodial, transport & procurement staff

Top Level Leadership
President, Provost, Deans, VP’s

Upper Middle Management
2nd Level Deans, Associate VP’s,
CFOs, COO - Planning

CONFIDENCE & CAPACITY
•Evidence
•Confidence
•Business base for green
campus organization
AUTHORITY
•Legitimacy
•Priority
•Mood/culture
•Goals
SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
•Capital Approvals Systems
•Finance & Accounting
•University Contracts

2.3%

net reduction in Harvard's greenhouse gas emissions from
Fiscal Year 2006 – 2008 (8% excluding growth)

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LEED certified projects on campus

15.7%

of Harvard’s energy now comes from renewable sources

55%

of Harvard's waste was recycled in 2008

40%

of produce served by Harvard Dining Services sourced from
local farms during the growing season

15%

of Harvard staff drove to work alone in 2008

*AASHE (STARS) approach
*University Leaders for a Sustainable Future approach (SAQ)
*ARIES approach – 6 step model
*Sustainability Advantage (NSW)/ResourceSmart (Vic)
*GRI / ISO14001 / ISO26000 frameworks
*The Natural Step (4 System Conditions) – eg. Interface
*Learning in Future Environments (LiFE) –UK eauc
*Rotmas and Kemp transformation model (S curve)
Campus, curriculum, research, commerce/consulting,
community, culture

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*Introduce sustainability in
each functional area:

 Campus, curriculum,
research, commerce,
consulting/training,
community/engagement,
policies/procedures

*Create synergies across

functional areas (connect
the cogwheels) to build
organisational momentum
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Sustainability should be part of a broader institutional planning
strategy
Terry Calhoun on college planning..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCPl1E7hhJQ&feature=feedwll

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 How can your activities contribute to a sustainable institution?
 Link to other functional areas via the 6 Cs:
* Campus operations
* Curriculum
* Research (Creating knowledge)
* Commercial & training
* Community & engagement
* Organisational Culture

 Focus on social/cultural, environmental & economic impact via:
* Individual Behaviour (actions –awareness/attitudes/values)
* Institutional processes /systems (infrastructure – enabling/inhibiting factors)
* Rules/policies (regulation – system settings )

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ASPECT

Campus
Curriculu
operations m

Research Commercial
& training

Campus
operations
Curriculum
Research
Commercial
& training
Community
&
engagement
Org Culture

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Community Organisational
engagement Culture

Transitions to sustainability

The EfS transformational journey

Trans-disciplinarity

Systems thinking, complexity
& inter-disciplinarity

Experiential & social learning
Critical thinking & reflection
Curriculum renewal &
contextualised content

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You can make a difference! Every choice matters…

Will you choose to reproduce or transform society?

Thanks for your attention..

*
*

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