Ruthy Bennett
- Combines expertise in sustainability and energy-efficient design with more than 20 years experience in project management, finance and real estate development.
- As regional energy manager for Arlington and Bedford, MA., responsible for sustainable and energy-efficient design and operation of all municipal and school buildings.
- Six years as senior VP of development and senior project manager for AF Evans Development Inc. in San Francisco.
- Responsible for oversight of operations and finance for 15-person development department; implemented sustainability and energy usage criteria as an element of project feasibility analysis; instituted companywide sustainability plan for more than 300 employees.
- Managed “Green Charrette” for 5.86 acre site project in San Francisco; facilitated more than 80 project meetings with stakeholders; created community education and outreach plan.
- All 7 Best Practices
- Pre-Meeting Discovery Process
- One-on-One Call with Expert
- Meeting Summary Report
- Post-Meeting Engagement
Integrating Sustainability into the Structure of Corporations, Municipalities and Organizations
Overview
The best way to make your organization more sustainable is to integrate sustainability into its structure:
- Everyone who works for you needs to understand the value of sustainability and sustainable business practices and comprehend that there is a process they can utilize to help the organization further its sustainability goals.
- Anyone in your company or municipality who thinks they have an innovative sustainability idea must to be empowered to bring that idea to someone who can help them flesh out their innovation.
- Sustainability becomes part of your structure when everyone feels that it's part of their job – part of their commitment to the company and their connection to your value as a company – to suggest these ideas.
When ideas are suggested, you'll need a process to evaluate them, determine which of them has the potential to help your organization, and implement the ones that have value. Following through on those ideas creates a feedback loop that will encourage more ideas from your employees. If you value sustainability ideas coming from any place in the company – if there's truly a path for these ideas to move forward and get implemented – then the people in your company will see that and respond to the opportunity.
This isn't about hiring a sustainability manager and placing the responsibility on just one person. You will get more functional and innovative ideas by empowering each employee to be a part of your sustainability effort. Their unique perspectives on sustainable practices within your organization will ultimately transform your company.
Adopting sustainability as an integral part of the structure of your company or organization will save you money. Following these practices will create incentives for your staff to bring great ideas to you that will lower your energy consumption, protect your critical resources and provide a marketing advantage.