If you want your company's environmental initiatives to have the desired impact and longevity, passionate people are needed to drive the process. This embeds environmental values in your company, setting it up as a leader in this space. Communication, education and support are key elements in company's strategy to develop environmental change agents to drive their initiatives.

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The environment in which business and industry have been operating has changed dramatically. During World War 2 just sixty years ago, thrift and frugality were the values people lived by. After the war, with the arms factories gone quiet and soldiers coming back looking for work, a new set of values - 'consumerism'- was promoted by government and business. New disciplines of marketing and advertising came into their own and 'conspicuous consumption' became the norm.

Sixty years later, the world is in a very different situation - with billions more people, a severely depleted natural resource base and global warming a real danger. Change is certainly needed.

But most businesses and their leaders are essentially conservative and risk-averse and understandably work to maintain a profitable status quo. Change and especially deep change - which is what sustainability and greening requires - is by its very nature resisted by the organisation.

Individual people however are sensing and seeing what is happening around them. As people can change a lot faster than organisations, a new set of values - ethical, sustainable, green values - are arising.

While 'conscious consumerism' is spreading in the marketplace, many staff and employees are wanting to act out their environmental concern where they spend eight hours of the day - at work. This is a very valuable human resource.

How to enable it to contribute to the overall good of the company, its staff and customers ? Here are some pointers:

What is the role of an environmental change agent within the business context and why is it important?

• to inspire, motivate, champion and model sustainable values and practices within the organisation and also externally to customers, suppliers and community.
  
  
• to support line managers in implementing environmental management systems

What are the personal qualities of an environmental change agent?

• Passion, dedication, sensitivity, tact, commitment, persistence.
  
  
• Team player with strategic suss. An understanding of the company's organisational dynamics (i.e. how decisions get made, the formal and informal power structure, how it works).
  
  
• People who makes things happen, like getting things done.

How do you encourage environmental champions to step forward to drive your initiatives?

• keep your eyes and ears open for who is saying or doing greener things
  
  
• let staff know you are open to ideas on greening initiatives and see who steps up or sends in suggestions;
  
  
• send out an open invitation for an informal green group/team get together/lunch (provide organic catering ) and let a green team self-select and meet regularly
  
  
• let everyone know management is taking on sustainability and invite all staff to participate/take ownership of envisioning their company into a sustainable future.

How do you support environmental champions in your company (or, if you are the champion, how do you motivate for support?)

• allow the environmental champions group to formalise into a green team and ask it to propose improvements e.g. recycling, water/energy conservation/pollution control
  
  
• Provide management sponsors for leadership and resources to implement the improvements ( with external specialists where necessary)
  
  
• Enable champions to suggest and implement product improvements and innovations
  
  
• Encourage champions to document their sustainability journey or story. Include measured savings with metrics.
  
  
• If you are the champion/s, research possible savings, efficiencies and strategic advantages and build these into a compelling 'business case' for sustainability. Present to top management to formalise sustainability into the mainstream of the business as a corporate objective.

What role does wider employee education play?

• provides an understanding of the changed world/eco/economic picture and why it is important to stay abreast of the changes for business as well as personal reasons.
  
  
• provides the common language and mental models that enable staff to share and innovate environmental improvements together
  
  
• empowers staff with the technical skills to make eco-efficiencies pay
  
  
• enables staff to articulate sustainability values underpinning the company to customers and suppliers

How do you keep change agents and employees motivated?

• provide incentives for best enviro-suggestions/best enviro improvements
  
  
• hold monthly/quarterly green queens or kings awards
  
  
• let them know that increasing their green commitment , awareness and contributions is a sure way up the career ladder
  
  
• build environmental performance into their KPIs
  
  
• give them leadership positions
  
  
• highly motivated staff if their concerns are met, are more likely to stay with the company and vastly increase their productivity.

How can a company drive environmental behaviour across the industry?

• get own house in order first - plan and implement your sustainability journey
  
  
• report on own sustainability performance as part of triple bottom line reporting (and in line with King 3 requirements), and to JSE Sustainability Index, Carbon Disclosure Project, whatever is relevant and leading in their sector
  
  
• sponsor awards and lead peer-to-peer best practice learning/sharing initiatives
  
  
• lobby their industry associations to set enviro standards (e.g. Green Building Council)
  
  
• lead and advocate government for better industry standards
  
  
• innovate and market greener products and services successfully as examples to peers in their sectors