Accounting for Sustainability (A4S)’s Post

✨ Personal News ✨ ⚡After 8 months, my first interim executive role is nearly over in a flash of joy and hard work.   I’ve worked my whole career on supporting communities & connections and/or reducing our negative impact on our environment. Circular Communities Scotland’s 250+ members have a special way of combining all these contributions to society, and more. Some highlights: 💛 Connecting with our members to understand their journey, motivation and contribution. Made possible for me by our amazing staff team who each live and breathe a personal love of doing the best for our members through events and other member support. If you’re reading this as a member of Circular Communities Scotland: firstly know that the team are here for you. Secondly, I've learned from your energy, innovation and contributions to reuse, repair and sharing. Thank you for your time and openness. I will forever champion you and your cause. 🤩 I felt like I belonged very quickly, helped by the diligent handover (at both ends) from permanent CEO - Michael Cook, the welcome and joy-at-work feeling from the staff team, and being supported and appropriately scrutinised by a very competent Board of Trustees, and working closely with several collaborative funders and super-intelligent partners /government/parliamentary people. This wider "team" really does put Circular Communities Scotland in a special position at a time of great potential in the wider circular economy sector. 🌎 Given this was an interim role, I knew I had to hold the organisation steady and yet be ready to make and take new opportunities (that had, with characteristic preparation on Michael Cook's and the board's part, mostly been anticipated!), some of these were: 📈 Influencing legal and policy frameworks: with the team - engaging with partners and members to influence the Circular Economy Bill in the Scottish Parliament. 💰 Funding: Securing investment for some exciting new projects – details tbc… and the team and I expanded our thinking and applications to other funders. 🌿 Collaboration: early conversations on equity with James Hutton Institute, and continued our partnerships with Zero Waste Scotland, Scottish Government, Cycling Scotland and many others. 💡 Coming towards the end of a three-year strategy as Circular Communities is, I was also conscious of preparing some ground for the strategic planning that Michael and the board /team will soon be underway with, allowing a fresh way of thinking about opportunities and challenges. 👂 I like to listen and learn in any role, and my first role leading a Scottish charity was all I wanted it to be and more. I am hugely grateful to all the members, colleagues, trustees, funders and partner organisations, for all the thinking-time, challenge, support, and inspiration. 👩👩👧👦 After Thursday 12 September, I’m taking a break, before getting back out there with more social and environmental change/interim/consultancy assignments 🏄♀️

🚗➡️🚛 Eric Griess' transition from supercars to sustainable bin lorries highlights the critical need for green skills. He praised our new MSc Decarbonisation course for its comprehensive curriculum, combining practical and theoretical knowledge to prepare graduates for leadership roles in the sustainability sector. Read the full blog: https://ow.ly/8suT50RI1nT

Are you headed to Cleveland for the ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership annual meeting? Join us at the Destination Canada Sustainability Stories Pavilion at 12:00 noon on Sunday, August 11 for a facilitated conversation on association sustainability practices, led by Maddie Grant and Jefferson Glassie, FASAE. Sustainability has become a hot topic for the association industry, as association execs realize that climate change is not just a moral imperative, it’s a business imperative. Are you wondering how your association will be affected by climate change – your meetings, your staff and internal operations, the profession or industry you serve, etc. – but you’re not sure where to start or what to do? Join Maddie, Jefferson, and your fellow association execs to voice your questions, share your experiences, learn from each other, and discover resources available to help you on your sustainability journey.

Our first and foremost responsibility towards this planet is developing a deeper sense of awareness about the consequences of our actions for society and the environment. What we do today leaves its mark #carbonfootprints. This realisation is the beginning of the journey as a #sustainableleader. Promoting this awareness is one of the overarching aims of the Sustainable Leadership Forum (#SLF), and you are welcome on board. United Nations, United Nations Volunteers, University of Leicester, UoL Sustainability

Together with Peter Orell and Clarissa Arend we developed the Direction Indicator for Sustainable Communities in 2013 while we were doing our Master of Science in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability. The challenges we face today can be surmounted using the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD). Over 10 years since I graduated from MSLS and today I am talking about the sustainability principles and the FSSD in my conversations with people all over the planet. https://lnkd.in/gdXWr8re

How do you motivate your sustainability team? 🧐 Volvo Group CSO Karin Svensson points out that working in an organization where sustainability is seen as an add-on can be “demotivating.” “We really want to make sure that it’s integrated in every part of our business,” she said. Learn the strategies Svensson uses to maintain momentum in her team, why her proximity to Volvo’s executive leadership is important for keeping its net-zero commitment, and more in our Climate Pioneers interview, hosted by Heather Clancy: https://buff.ly/4e8UoMS

Our Chief Systems Officer Eliot Whittington kicked off Reuters Events Sustainable Business Responsible Business Europe 2024 this morning with a Strategy Keynote, giving insights into how CEOs and C-Suite can integrate sustainability throughout the business and framing sustainability as a departmental imperative, from #legal and #procurement to #finance and #innovation. #RBEU #ReutersSustainableBusiness #SustainableBusiness #SustainableFinance Renata Jungo Brüngger Steve Kenzie

Sustainable Practices for Environmental Leaders Celebrating Our Past: The Key to a Fulfilling Future As we journey through life, it's essential to view our past with a lens of gratitude rather than regret. Our previous experiences are not just stepping stones but the very foundation upon which we stand today…more… https://lnkd.in/gFEGuCPu

“I’m thrilled to join the Alliance’s Youth Leaders Advisory Council. Sustainability is dear to my heart, and I believe in a future where the hospitality industry delights guests and travelers by conserving the earth and its resources.” We’re proud to share that Winnow is now represented on the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance's Youth Leaders Advisory Council by Fiona Montie. Fiona heads up our customer success team in the Americas. This initiative brings together 16 young professionals from across the globe to help shape the future of sustainable hospitality. The Youth Leaders Advisory Council plays a crucial role in offering strategic guidance to address global trends and challenges in sustainability. As part of the council Fiona will be able to contribute insights into impactful strategies for reducing food waste, lowering emissions, and promoting circular systems. Thank you to the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance for recognizing the power of leadership in building a sustainable future. 🌱 Learn more about the Youth Leaders Advisory Council here: https://lnkd.in/ekQmPmxM