WorkforClimate’s Post

“Sustainability should be a cultural value that every employee feels not only responsible for, but empowered to contribute to.” We caught up recently with climate activist Drew Wilkinson to share his story of starting a 10,000-strong employee-led climate revolution at Microsoft. "We changed the paradigm of who got to work on sustainability at Microsoft. Before the existence of the employee community, the only people that got to work on sustainability were the people that had it in their job title. The biggest challenge we faced was changing the perception that just because you don't have sustainability in your job title, or aren't a subject matter expert, doesn't mean that you can't work on sustainability, be able to make a meaningful contribution, or come up with things that fully trained professionals would never think of." Have a read of Drew’s fascinating interview, and if you’re feeling inspired, share it with some like-minded colleagues. It might just be the spark that lights the fire. Read here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gk7ZyTWV #workplaceactivism #corporateclimateaction #esg #climate #microsoft #sustainability

🌍 Building a climate-ready workforce is essential to achieving Net-Zero targets—and that was the focus of our latest NYC Climate Week event, co-hosted with the American Australian Association. We brought together 94 industry leaders to discuss why traditional hiring strategies for climate talent are outdated and how to identify and upskill green talent across industries. Our expert panel shared key insights on: 🦄 Why the “Sustainability Unicorn” hiring approach is outdated 🌱 Identifying the green skills needed to build a sustainable workforce 💼 Practical steps to create a climate-ready workforce through internal upskilling and new talent strategies 👏 A big thank you to our amazing panelists—Efrem Bycer (LinkedIn's Sustainability & Workforce Policy lead), Cristina Contreras Casado (ASME (The American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Committee on Sustainability), Sonia McMillan (Managing Director at Amber Infrastructure Limited)—and our moderator and CEO/Founder of OnePointFive, Neil Yeoh, for leading the conversation! Want to build the workforce of the future? Download our playbook for actionable insights on closing the climate skills gap 👉 https://bit.ly/3XFbTzG

Climate ERG Leaders become some of the best employees. Why? I had a chance to talk to Drew Wilkinson about this after the webinar. My thoughts are that to be a successful Climate ERG leader, you have to truly learn about the business model of the company. Where revenue comes from, where they can save money from decarbonization. You have to gather people who care, and none of them are doing it for extra pay. You learn to push a rope up a hill, as my friend Jon Moore, CFP® says. "You're no longer just a cog in the machine," was Drew's response to that. "You know how all the other cogs in the machine work." That knowledge and influence and leadership makes someone an incredibly valuable employee. And you can see that Microsoft featured Holly Alpine (née Beale) and Drew in their materials. If I were Brad Smith or Satya Nadella, I'd bend over backwards to keep these employees. Because they know how to create a differentiating culture, so you can do differentiated things.

🌍 Empowering Gen Z for Climate Action🌍 Bold climate action requires a skilled global workforce, and Gen Z is key. At the recent UNFCCC meetings, it became clear: transitioning to a green economy depends on them. LinkedIn's research shows only 1 in 20 Gen Z workers have the green skills needed for the climate crisis. Despite this, 61% want green jobs in the next five years. Here's what we found: 1️⃣ High Ambitions, Big Barriers   - Gen Z is eager but lacks opportunities, experience, and skills.   - 73% are more worried about climate change than last year, and 54% report ‘eco-anxiety’. 2️⃣ All Generations Need Green Skills    - Only 1 in 8 workers globally have the necessary green skills.   - Gen Z shows potential but needs better awareness of green career paths. 3️⃣ Empowering Gen Z   - Gen Z is confident they can learn new green skills with training.   - Training access is limited, but interest is high. 🔑 Action and Opportunities   - Accelerate climate talent development with education and training.   - Clarify how skills align with employer needs.   - Use skills-based approaches in hiring and training. Kickstart your climate career with LinkedIn's free courses on green skills and sustainable careers. 🌱 Let's empower our workforce to meet climate challenges. 🌱 #ClimateAction #GenZ #GreenJobs #Sustainability #FutureOfWork #LinkedInLearning #GreenSkills

Public-private collaboration was on everyone's lips at Climate Work NYC. We need to work together effectively if we're going to create and scale change at pace in order to achieve an orderly green transition. *Why* and to some extent *what* seem to be pretty clear in most minds. *How*...? Not so much. There are examples of excellent practice, but they're relatively thin on the ground, and difficult to replicate. We've got work to do. Earlier in the year BRAE started working with the Policy, Advocacy and Member Mobilisation team at WBCSD – World Business Council for Sustainable Development to explore the *how*. Using a research-driven, iterative design process, we've been exploring whether it's possible to create something that plugs the gap, bringing diverse stakeholders together to align behind common problems and create the conditions to rapidly implement fit-for-purpose solutions. This is the first in a series of blogs co-written by Jennie Dodson and Lewis Hill (WBCSD), Lewis Howard, James MacPherson, PhD and me (BRAE). Here we unpack the challenge and point towards some global examples that are driving aligned innovation and investment. Over the coming weeks, we'll be sharing more of our insights, exploring the opportunity to codify new ways of organizing that support delivery of the next era of public-private co-creation. https://lnkd.in/euYnkCsz

https://lnkd.in/dHtKPr9d Title: The Rise of Gen Z: How They're Leading the Charge in Climate Change Activism Description: Explore how Generation Z is making waves in the fight against climate change with our latest blog post. Discover the power of digital activism as Gen Z harnesses technology to amplify their voices and drive meaningful change. Learn about the impact of youth-led climate strikes and movements, influencing corporate and government action on environmental policies. Dive into how Gen Z is leveraging social media platforms to raise awareness about pressing environmental issues and mobilize communities. Join us as we delve into the future of climate change advocacy, led by this passionate and determined generation.