How can you make sustainability education relevant for different job functions?

Sustainability education is not only important for environmental services (ES) managers, but also for frontline staff who perform daily tasks that affect the environmental impact of their organization. However, different job functions may require different approaches to sustainability education, depending on their roles, responsibilities, and motivations. In this article, we will explore how you can make sustainability education relevant for different job functions in ES, and what benefits it can bring to your team and your organization.

1 Identify the learning needs

Before designing and delivering any sustainability education program, you need to identify the learning needs of your target audience. This means understanding their current knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to sustainability, as well as their gaps, challenges, and opportunities. You can use various methods to assess the learning needs, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or observation. By doing so, you can tailor your sustainability education program to meet the specific needs of different job functions, and avoid wasting time and resources on irrelevant or redundant topics.

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Douglas Mulhall

Environmental Health Innovator with Impakt, EPEA, Economics Ministry Luxembourg, Technical University Delft, Technical University Munich
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One of the leading learning needs across all job categories is to distinguish between sustainability and green-washing, especially when regions like the EU are introducing laws that make green-washing illegal, thus posing a significant liability risk for companies and government agencies who play loose with the terms. With almost everybody claiming to be sustainable these days, the term only has meaning if there are measurable ways to prove how the activity is sustainable according to independently validated norms. This learning activity goes to the front of the sustainability learning curve.

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2 Choose the appropriate format

The format of your sustainability education program should match the learning needs and preferences of your target audience. For example, some job functions may benefit more from interactive and hands-on activities, such as simulations, games, or demonstrations, while others may prefer more formal and structured lectures, webinars, or e-learning modules. You should also consider the availability, accessibility, and convenience of your target audience, and choose a format that fits their schedule, location, and technology. For instance, you may want to offer online or mobile options for staff who work remotely or have limited time.

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Douglas Mulhall

Environmental Health Innovator with Impakt, EPEA, Economics Ministry Luxembourg, Technical University Delft, Technical University Munich
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Regardless of the format, people today are time-starved, so make sure that your format gets across key messages in the first 30 seconds to keep their attention.

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3 Align with the organizational goals

Another way to make sustainability education relevant for different job functions is to align it with the organizational goals and values. This means showing how sustainability contributes to the mission, vision, and strategy of your organization, and how it relates to the performance indicators, standards, and policies that guide your work. By doing so, you can demonstrate the value and relevance of sustainability for your organization, and motivate your staff to apply what they learn to their daily tasks and decisions. You can also use examples and case studies from your own organization or similar ones to illustrate the benefits and best practices of sustainability.

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4 Provide feedback and recognition

Feedback and recognition are essential components of any effective sustainability education program. They help you monitor the progress and impact of your program, as well as acknowledge and reward the efforts and achievements of your staff. You can provide feedback and recognition in various ways, such as quizzes, surveys, reports, certificates, badges, or incentives. You should also encourage your staff to give feedback and recognition to each other, and create a culture of learning and sharing within your team. By doing so, you can enhance the engagement and retention of your staff, and foster a sense of ownership and pride in their work.

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5 Support continuous learning

Sustainability education is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that requires ongoing support and reinforcement. You should provide your staff with opportunities and resources to keep learning and improving their sustainability knowledge and skills, as well as to apply them to their work. You can support continuous learning by creating a learning community, where your staff can exchange ideas, experiences, and feedback with each other and with external experts. You can also provide access to relevant and updated information, such as newsletters, podcasts, blogs, or webinars. Additionally, you can review and revise your sustainability education program regularly, based on the feedback and results you collect.

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6 Engage and empower your staff

Finally, the most important way to make sustainability education relevant for different job functions is to engage and empower your staff. This means involving them in the design, delivery, and evaluation of your sustainability education program, and giving them a voice and a choice in their learning. You should also encourage them to take action and initiative, and to innovate and experiment with new solutions and approaches. By doing so, you can create a sense of ownership and responsibility among your staff, and inspire them to become sustainability champions and leaders in their work.

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Douglas Mulhall

Environmental Health Innovator with Impakt, EPEA, Economics Ministry Luxembourg, Technical University Delft, Technical University Munich
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Do a reality check: how seriously does senior management take sustainability? Is it just nice green salad dressing to them or are they actually doing something in the organization that clearly proves their commitment to sustainability that isn't green-washing? Intentions start at the top, so start by asking senior management where they stand on sustainability, before asking other people in the organization to do it.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Douglas Mulhall

Environmental Health Innovator with Impakt, EPEA, Economics Ministry Luxembourg, Technical University Delft, Technical University Munich
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Sustainability shouldn't be about reducing our negative impacts on the planet; it should be about increasing our positive impacts on the planet so the negatives are washed away. Here's an example of why: A system that tries to ban individual toxic chemicals by first studying them for five years then planning for another five years how to ban them, then implementing the ban over five years is bound to fail when thousands of new substances are entering markets every year and the system gets overloaded. A more sensible place to start is by making products and buildings with substances that are beneficial or benign for the planet in the way that they are used. Case studies show that this is feasible, less costly, and more marketable.

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How can you make sustainability education relevant for different job functions?

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1 Identify the learning needs

2 Choose the appropriate format

3 Align with the organizational goals

4 Provide feedback and recognition

5 Support continuous learning

6 Engage and empower your staff

7 Here’s what else to consider

Environmental Services

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How can you make sustainability education relevant for different job functions?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Identify the learning needs

2 Choose the appropriate format

3 Align with the organizational goals

4 Provide feedback and recognition

5 Support continuous learning

6 Engage and empower your staff

7 Here’s what else to consider

Environmental Services

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