We've got a great webinar planned for later this month!  

We've been working hard to pull together the nation's first webinar panel discussion to explore GRI reporting for federal agencies, to be held March 22, 3:30-4:30 PM EST. 

We'd love you to join us to hear directly from the nation’s federal agency sustainability leaders and learn how they use the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Reporting Framework for sustainability reporting to enhance and expand their existing Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan (SSPP) efforts.  

The webinar starts with an overview of GRI reporting framework, then explores the linkages (and gaps) between SSPPs and GRI reporting (compliments of Noblis). Sustainability leaders from the U.S. Army, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences will share how they use the GRI reporting standards to report their social, economic and environmental performance to their stakeholders.

And of course, you'll have plenty of time to ask questions, explore issues and learn more about GRI reporting and how it's used within a federal agency context. 

Register now to ensure a space in the webinar. The event is complimentary, but space is limited to the first 100 registrants.

Also -- a shout out to the webinar co-host, ISOS Group, a great group of sustainability professionals who are smart, dedicated and darned fun to work with. 

Hope to see you there! 

Carrie McChesney

So Let’s Talk Sustainability. Organizational Sustainability.

Understanding Sustainability In Context

Where do you begin your sustainability journey? By thinking about your organizational boundaries and stakeholders. This provides the basis for looking at your organization within a broader sustainability context.

Where does your organization begin and end? These boundaries may be more fluid than you think.

How are your suppliers involved with your company? How about your customers? Your regulators? What is the “push” and “pull” of influence along this spectrum?

Start thinking about your organization’s boundaries as a permeable cell wall: 

• The nucleus comprises the entities upon which you have direct control—typically, your legal corporate structure(s).
• Further out are those entities upon which you have significant influence—joint ventures, strategic alliances, supply chain, distribution channels and others.
• Extending the circle out even further are opinion leaders—the people and entities who form important opinions about your organizations. Opinion leaders include industry analysts, your customers, neighbors, communities, industry colleagues, social and environmental advocates and others.

And it goes both ways. Regulators certainly have direct influence over your operations. So do capital providers, climate watch groups, corporate governance organizations, analysts and neighbors.

Spheres of Influence

Think about how your organization interacts with different stakeholders. What are the spheres of influence and interdependencies?

Map this out to really see how your organization fits within a sustainability context and you’ve laid a solid foundation for your organization’s sustainability journey.