An Olympian Sustainability Effort

10th August 2012

Trina Innes, Director (Office of Sustainability) at University of Alberta reflects on sustainability as the heart of the London 2012 Olympic games, and examines the parallels in integrating sustainability in the games and athletes with that of institutitions.

An Olympian Sustainability Effort

As you all know, the London 2012 Olympiad is well under way. Like millions of people around the world, I am watching 10,500 athletes, from 204 nations and territories, compete in 302 events covering 26 sports. An additional 4,200 athletes will compete in the 2012 Summer Paralympics Games. They are all seeking to win a spot on the podium – to be recognized as the best in their field.

Sustainability was at the heart of London’s bid for the games, with five themes identified in preparing for and delivering the event: climate change, waste, biodiversity, inclusion and healthy living. I’ve been pondering the people behind their sustainability efforts. From what I’ve seen of the media coverage, it’s clear that much of the sustainability story is buried behind the scenes. It makes me wonder if sustainability is invisible or taken for granted by thousands of athletes, coaches, delegates and spectators. I also wonder if visibility (or lack thereof) matters. After all, isn’t the act of being sustainable far more important than having it covered by the media?

Integrating sustainability into events and meetings is challenging. Imagine the Herculean efforts involved with making London a Sustainable Fish City. As sustainability change agents, we all know how difficult it is to make a simple move from disposable to reusable dishware on campus. Fifteen institutions in this AASHE Bulletin have straddled many hurdles to achieve success, from LEED Gold for dorms at Framingham State University to solar modules for research at the University of Georgia. These efforts are extraordinary.

Those involved with integrating sustainability into the Olympic Games and post-secondary institutions all share characteristics with Olympic athletes. In keeping with the Olympic rings, below are five mutual characteristics that help campus sustainability change agents reach the sustainability podium.

Positive attitude and belief in oneself

Like many of us, Olympians feel stress and fear, but they push through it. Rather than dwell on their weaknesses, Olympians leverage their strengths and strive to see the glass as half-full.

Sustainability change agents do not have full control over sustainability projects. Rather than seeing our pilot projects as failures, we see them as learning opportunities. We handle the stresses of our role and block out distractive people or processes. We push through fear of failure because we believe we can make a difference as an individual, as a unit, and as an institution.

Motivation/Perseverance

Olympians are extraordinarily motivated and have an internal desire to achieve. They get up at five in the morning and train for six hours every day, for years. Many hold jobs, go to school, raise children, seek funding and participate in community events. They love their sport, believe in themselves, and take calculated risks that move them towards their goal.

Sustainability change agents seek to continuously improve our performance. We set goals and plans, and we take risks by piloting creative ideas. We are not afraid of the hard work and extra hours involved with advancing an initiative. We seek inventive ways to achieve our desired outcome and bounce back quickly from failure.

Teamwork

No Olympian accomplishes their goals alone. They have coaches, families and other supporters who keep pushing them to achieve more. Members of Olympic teams focus both on personal performance and supporting their team members to be the best they can be.

Campuses are complex communities with pockets of naysayers and supporters. Sustainability change agents surround themselves with strong supporters, collaborate effectively, and inspire others to deliver their best. We realize that the more we invest in others, the more we can achieve across our institution.

Strategic Focus

Olympians have a dream and a clear vision of how to get there. They align everything they do towards that vision. They don’t waste energy on things beyond their control. Before the Games, they may even isolate themselves, concentrate on their training and avoid distractions that steal their focus.

There are so many ways to advance sustainability on campus. Successful sustainability change agents focus on what they can do. This often means starting with simple activities that prepare the ground for more complicated challenges. Like Olympians, we take time to concentrate on our training and avoid distractions by intentionally focusing on selected projects that make a difference in our context.

Fun

Athletes often get involved in sport at a young age because it’s fun. If it wasn’t fun they would get bored and move on. Olympians enjoy the journey to success as much as the event itself. Good things happen when we have fun – we work hard, we learn and we laugh. Laughter is the best medicine when it comes to managing stress, resolving conflict and improving communication.

Sustainability and fun can be in the same sentence. We use free-range thinking to come up with ways to build awareness, inspire teams, and achieve behaviour and policy changes. Who else gets to use humor, games, videos, social media, contests, incentives, collaborations, storytelling, field trips and other entertaining things at work? Are you having fun yet?

In the Olympic Games, everyone is talented. One of the great things about being part of the AASHE team of sustainability change agents is the willingness to share our talents and learnings. At local or major events like AASHE annual conferences, we also get to share a few laughs and re-motivate our team. We learn our way forward together.

What Olympian characteristic(s) do you draw upon to achieve success on your campus?

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