Quick Update - Daniela

This week things have continued moving in the right direction for Sustainable Futures NI. Freddie and I had a meeting with Invest NI on Wednesday to discuss what support they can offer us in setting up our consultancy. The Go For It programme has been suspended pending a court hearing in early November however, it was still a useful meeting. It reaffirmed to us that Sustainable Futures NI is absolutely a viable business and has great potential in the Northern Ireland market. It also highlighted that we have been doing the right homework on our business plan etc. hence building our confidence in our potential success.

We have both signed up for an event hosted by the Carbon Trust in November on the potential for renewable technologies in business. Details available at: http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/events/listings/Pages/making-business-sense-of-renewable-energy-technologies.aspx?view=complete#address. By attending events such as this it widens our learning from the academic realms into a practical business setting while giving us valuable opportunities to meet people working in the field. I feel positive that we are continuing to move in the right direction and coming closer to our self-employed aspirations! 

Increasing the Sustainability of Business in the UK - Freddie

In mid-September, ENDS (Environmental Data Services), in conjunction with Forum for the Future, released their Sustainable Business 2011 report, the first of its kind in the UK. Unfortunately, you have to pay for the full version, but blogger David Bent gives a good summary of it in his follow-up article.


It states that within the UK, the use of sustainability reports by businesses is up by 20% in 2011 compared to 2010, while environmental management system certifications have seen a growth of just under 14%. It seems that despite the bite of the recession, organisations are starting to see the short and long-term benefits of operating in a more sustainable way.
There are clear warning signs, however, that this isn't going to be enough. Not by a long shot. Climate change and resource depletion are pushing us towards the edge of the cliff at a seemingly unrelenting pace and humanity is not pushing back hard enough. The UK's Met Office warns that global carbon emissions need to peak within the next decade and soon thereafter show a reduction of 5% per year after year after year. Current trends show that this is unlikely to happen.


The most interesting outcome of the report is that it highlights the important role that government has to play in helping businesses to meet their carbon reduction targets, allowing them to become more sustainable in the process. Through legislation and financial incentives, our political leaders can show business leaders that the light at the end of the tunnel is green. Innovation and collaboration are two of the best tools we have for decoupling growth from destruction and breaking free of the old business model.

The Importance of 'Internal Willingness to Change' - Daniela

This article from the Guardian grabbed my attention, as it involves using education and human psychology to further the sustainable development agenda. It gets to the root of the sustainability challenge – how do we convince others that sustainable development is not only paramount for human survival but also rewarding and fulfilling? Attitudinal change is at the crux of this. As part of my MSc in Leadership for Sustainable Development I completed an essay on the role of cultural values in influencing support for public policy on SD strategies. It a fascinating area of study as it is ultimately about people. While government can lead civil society into change through ‘nanny state’ policy, this can only have limited effects as civil society must understand and witness the benefits of SD for themselves.

When I read this article it reignited that previous interest I had expressed in my essay. For all the policy government can dictate, incentives that can be given and scaremongering unleashed as to why we must change, without genuine commitment from civil society and a shift in cultural norms, beliefs and values, the potential for SD will be limited. Promoting ‘internal willingness to change’ is crucial. This article is about people and as with SD is about encouraging engagement and interaction and for that reason I found it very thought provoking.

NOTE: The essay I mentioned above was based heavily on a WWF report I read at that time called ‘Common Cause: The Case for Working With Our Cultural Values’ and well worth reading for a more in depth study of the concepts discussed in the Guardian article. It’s available at: http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/common_cause_report.pdf

The Role of MNCs in Promoting Green Agenda - Daniela

This article demonstrates how large multinational corporations are taking action in promoting the green agenda. It’s a clear example of the power collaboration in business and has proved fruitful for each of the three pillars of sustainability: economic, environmental and social. It also highlights the importance for business to engage and collaborate with others and to be transparent in its approach. A refreshing article on the potential of the multinational to lead the way for sustainable development…


Please note, this essay is adapted from Capitalism At Risk: Rethinking the Role of Business, by Joseph L. Bower, Herman B. Leonard, and Lynn S. Paine.

Priorities? What Priorities? - Freddie

We thought it might be a good idea to share with you at least one article a week that has caught our attention. Maybe from the media, perhaps a publication from an NGO, or something else that we have found floating around the mighty world wide web.


Something that grabbed my attention this week comes from the Guardian website. Essentially, it is a discussion about which environmental issue should be our 'top priority' for the next 40 years. It highlights a few key issues (water, population growth etc.) with a paragraph from each on an expert in that field.


It simply blows my mind that people out there, including the experts quoted in the article, think that we have the time for priorities- 40 years to be precise! In my opinion, the only way forward is a holistic approach. A successful sustainable development strategy is one that incorporates all of these environmental problems and, furthermore, brings into consideration the economic and social aspects also.


The media as a whole has a huge part to play in this process. As the main information provider to the majority of the world and with a level of political involvement that can no longer be ignored(did someone say phone hacking?), each and every player within the industry needs to understand sustainability as a core concept to future development. Hopefully then, simplistic articles like the one above will no longer find their way into press.


True, the experts are similarly to blame. By pushing their problem to the top of the priority pile they hope to receive more funding and publicity for their cause. However, if the government and media gave equal weighting to each of these issues, this would no longer be necessary.


It's a big ask, but no-one ever said that saving the world would be easy.

Why I Wanted to Give the Business a Go - Daniela

I have always been a proactive person so Sustainable Futures NI for me, is the best way to find employment rather than waiting for a job to appear in the newspaper. It became clear very quickly that jobs in Northern Ireland are limited within sustainable development so by establishing a consultancy we can create employment. Freddie and I share similar interests but specialise in different fields and can therefore complement each other in terms of the expertise we offer.

Following a presentation at Queen’s University, Jude Stephens our Course Conveyor, suggested the possibility of consultancy work. Nick Mack also felt it could be a useful approach to finding work that day. I had never seriously considered consultancy work prior but at this point it appeared an attractive option. I have the inclination, wit and temperament to be self-employed so why not pursue this path? Consultancy allows me freedom and choice in comparison to traditional employment, and affords me the opportunity to build experience within sustainable development.

At this point, Freddie and I are investigating all avenues to get the Sustainable Futures NI name out there to people who are interested. With a fresh approach we relish the challenge ahead of us and have an unwavering enthusiasm for applying our knowledge of sustainable development to help businesses in Northern Ireland. As our business grows we will update this blog to document our journey and we hope to report on a busy few months in the run up to the New Year! Here we go…

Why I Wanted to Give the Business a Go - Freddie

Well, it was really quite simple for me. I had already applied to over 40 jobs and I hadn't been asked to a single interview. It was frustrating to say the least, but every crisis is an opportunity in disguise. When Hannibal was asked how he planned on marching his army (complete with elephants I'll have you know) through the Alps and back into Italy, he replied, "I'll either find a way or make one". Wise words, well spoken. So I took his advice.


The idea of starting a consultancy had actually already been suggested to us, as a class, by Michael Donnelly, the Director of Second Nature, another Northern Irish consultancy. This was backed by one of our external examiners, Nick Mack, who is himself a consultant within the sphere of sustainability. With all of this support, it was an opportunity that was too difficult to ignore.


Daniela and I had already worked on a project together as part of our MSc and it worked well. I have a slight bias towards the technical side of sustainability (energy efficiency, renewables, water mangement etc.), while Daniela favours the social aspect (food security, community-led initiatives etc.), so we figured that between us we could cover all the bases.


After that, it was a simple matter of setting up the website and ordering the business cards. Well... Simple enough... The next step is to attend as many seminars, workshops and events as we can to network as much as possible. By getting our faces known and the Sustainable Futures NI name on people's radars, we'll give our business the best possible chance of success. We have the knowledge. We have the business. Now we just need the clients!


Through this blog we hope to keep you updated about how our business is growing, any changes that might occur to our operation and also a bit of news from the outside- matters of sustainability that we think might be of interest to business leaders and the general public alike. So stay tuned.