Getting Others on Board with Going Green at Work: The Power of Data (post 5 of 5)

There are many approaches to getting your colleagues on board with going green and implementing environmental sustainability at work. We have addressed some of these in prior posts in this series, including leading by example, story telling, social norms and FOMO and answering WIIFM.

Sharing data related to sustainability can also be a powerful way to create change and to get others on board with environmental sustainability. Data is important, and will resonate most with individuals who are numbers-driven, such as engineers, scientists, statisticians, CFOs, etc..

You can use data to educate, make a business case, and change behavior among other things.

Education

Your colleagues may be interested in specific sustainability data about their industry and how it impacts the environment. If you are an engineer, for example, there is a wealth of sustainability data about the design and manufacturing process that might interest you.

The same can be said for designers or scientists who work with plastics: they will find information on recycling rates and material composition as well as environmental impacts associated with their decisions to use certain materials in their products.

Or your colleagues may resonate more with what impact they have as an individual. In this case, you will want to share data about individual footprint, average amount of waste per year each individual disposes of, and typical energy use per day.

Making the Business Case

ROI

If you have gathered metrics from your sustainability project and can share the cost savings or can estimate these ahead of time, especially if you can quantify these and provide an estimated return on investment, then this could make management more willing to listen, engage, and support your project.

Case Studies

Alternatively, if you can share data about similar projects and are able to provide an estimate of those savings or revenue opportunities as a result of the actions taken, you can also use this to make the business case for your sustainability project.

In either of the examples above, you can also include future cost projections if no new sustainability project is undertaken now as well as direct additional expenses such as rising utility rates without an investment in renewables or increased shipping fees resulting from higher fuel prices spurred by climate change.

Behavior Change

Sharing data that is directly related to your colleagues' (and your) behavior at work can also help spur behavior change. This can be done without preaching or being negative. For example, one company posted the amount of energy used by the organization in the elevator, so that everyone could see it when they came to and left from work. As a result, the company saw a 30% reduction in energy use, as people were more aware of the need to conserve.

Another example is through the use of digital signage: if you have a TV screen that displays upcoming events at your workplace or promoting new products and services, it can also be used to promote sustainability by displaying data related to conservation efforts (e.g., "This week we saved X megawatts. This is the equivalent of Y cars off the road").

These are all examples of the ways data can be used to create behavior change within your organization. And remember - what works best is often specific to your industry so there's no "one size fits all" solution!

Different types of stakeholders will have different preferences for sustainability-related data that they consider important, and this will depend on their position in an organization as well as how their work impacts environmental sustainability.

For example, marketing professionals might want to know about customer behaviors or social media posts relating with sustainability topics; whereas engineers might care more about energy efficiency information related to a specific product. The point is: people are interested in different ways of looking at sustainability--therefore it's up to you (as the sustainability change leader) to decide which metrics you would like them to share.

In order make this easier, create your own "menu" of types of data that exist within the company and provide access where appropriate for others whom may be interested in accessing such information / statistics.

P.S. If you are currently working within an organization and are looking to grow your skill set and knowledge around sustainability by starting with where you currently work, be sure to download our free Beginner’s Guide to Going Green, with 50+ low-cost and low barrier to entry projects and much more to get started with. If you are looking at becoming a consultant, this could also be helpful in providing you will additional information around potential projects and the business case for going green.

Anca Novacovici

Anca is an author, speaker and founder of Eco-Coach Inc. She is passionate about supporting individuals and organizations around going green and environmental sustainability. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.