(Part 1: Overview, Social metrics, GRI)

A Sustainable Vision

Barbara Burton The Burton Company

What is it?

Sustainability is
How you treat (respect) people (Social) Labor rights Human rights Community building (philanthropy) Consumer health & safety How you treat (respect) the environment (Environmental)
Conservation Natural resource management: air/water/soil Waste management Healthy Ecosystems Climate Change

Making your business profitable (Economic) Jobs

Economic growth Increasing revenue

TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE:

SOCIAL, PEOPLE

ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC PLANET PROFIT

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What is it?

Sustainable Business Perspective

Typical Business View

Sustainable Business View

SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

Society
Sustainable Society

ECONOMY Journey to
Environment

Sustainable Economy

Sustainability
Source: The Next Sustainability Wave
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Daly Pyramid A fourth bottom line?

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Where to begin:

Vision before Metrics

1. 2.
Where do you want to begin: Vision for company What are your values, including sustainable values that the company lives by
Example of Sustainable Value: Stewardship (Conservation, climate change: GHG emissions, Resource Management: air/water/soil, etc.)

3. 4. 5.

What are your sustainable goals/objectives What are you currently measuring (Audit of current metrics) & Due diligence of current examples What do you want to measure: Existing & New Metrics VALUES GOALS/OBJECTIVES METRICS

VISION

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Where to begin:
Due diligence: In the Metrics Task Force (for SDRSP), conducted due diligence of San Diego, key US cities, national and international metrics to provide a benchmark for our efforts. Included internal interviews of SDRSP partners.

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Four Steps to Development of Sustainable Metrics

STEP 1: Establish Broad Vision for Region:

Sustainable Ecosystems Safe & Friendly Region Programs to protect public health
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Four Steps to Development of Sustainable Metrics STEP 2:

Social Metrics Development Example

Outline Goals & Objectives to Match the Vision

1.
Vision: Social Cohesion, Engagement, Education a. Objective: Promote active engagement w/community METRIC: Increase civic participation by X amount b. Objective: Enhanced Educational Achievement METRIC: Increase literacy rate and average reading level

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Four Steps to Development of Sustainable Metrics Step 3:

Determine Metrics: Existing & New

Started with 197 metrics

to 16 core metrics. Process took approx. one year

Conducted weighing exercise (conceptual

modeling) to reduce number of metrics and weigh what stakeholders thought important

Used various tools to categorize (e.g., GRI)

The Burton Co. Copyright 2012.

Four Steps to Development of Sustainable Metrics Step 4:

Measure & Report (GRI); Examine Next Cycle

GRI (Global Reporting Initiative): Non profit

organization that produces one of the worlds most prevalent standards for sustainability reporting *Environmental/social/economic indicators outlined for
companies voluntarily applying the initiative *Used to benchmark & performance & compare internal and between all size companies

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A. Vision, Objectives and Metrics

San Diego Regional Sustainability Partnership Regional Metrics Task Force

I. Vision Statement: SOCIAL COHESION, ENGAGEMENT & EDUCATION Objective: Promote an Active Engagement with the Community
Social Metrics: *Voting: *Volunteer Hours Metric: % voters in national/regional elections Metric: total number volunteer hours 2004-09, showing cumulative growth

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The Burton Co. Copyright 2012.

The Burton Co. Copyright 2012.

The Burton Co. Copyright 2012.

The Burton Co. Copyright 2012.

Success of Sustainability Depends on

New Leadership Models Stakeholder focused approach to business, with
emphasis on shared learning (collaborative learning), and deep levels of listening (not business as usual)

Clarity of sustainable vision (backcasting) Adding new measurements/metrics and new

evaluations

Adding new reporting methods (GRI) to focus on the

triple bottom line

Greater disclosure on these issues to create trust

The Burton Co. Copyright 2012.

Final Thoughts
What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice and beauty in the worldhumanity is coalescing.

This is your century. Take it and run as if your life depends on it.
Paul Hawken commencement address, 5/2009 Author, The Ecology of Commerce

The Burton Co. Copyright 2012.