Energy Use Intensity (EUI) is a key metric used to benchmark buildings. Basically, EUI expresses a building’s energy use as a function of its size. In Portfolio Manager, the EUI is expressed as energy per square foot per year. Generally a lower EUI signifies better energy efficiency, although clearly different building types will always consume […]
Stop selling sustainability!
Every week, I get at least one call from a Sustainability Director or practice leader from somewhere in North America. Each call is the same: SD leader: “Hello, my firm markets how green we are, but we really aren’t what we say…I just can’t seem to get buy-in.” Me: “Can you tell me a little […]
Putting the Management Back in Change Step 7: Leveraging Improvements and Producing Still More Change
In my series, “Putting the Management Back in Change,” I’ve been looking at what it really takes for companies to successfully institutionalize sustainability and truly be “green firms.” I’ve been using Harvard business guru John Kotter’s 8 step model for organizational change as a framework, but I use it to focus on sustainability initiatives. Previously, […]
Putting the Management Back in Change Step 8: LAST BUT NOT LEAST, CULTURE!
In my series, “Putting the Management Back in Change,” I’ve been looking at what it really takes for companies to successfully institutionalize sustainability and truly be “green firms.” I’ve been using Harvard business guru John Kotter’s 8 step model for organizational change as a framework, but I use it to focus on sustainability initiatives. Previously, […]
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Putting the Management Back in Change Step 6: Short Term Wins
In my series, “Putting the Management Back in Change,” I’ve been looking at what it really takes for companies to successfully institutionalize sustainability and truly be “green firms.” I use Harvard business guru John Kotter’s 8 step model for organizational change as a framework but I use it to focus on sustainability initiatives. Previously, I […]
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Putting the Management back in Change Part 5: Removing Obstacles; Empowering Others to Act
In my first article in this series, “Putting the Management Back in Change“, I began looking at what it really takes for companies to get past a focus on LEED to successfully institutionalize sustainability and truly be “green firms”. In the series, I use Harvard business guru John Kotter’s 8 step model for organizational change […]
Putting the Management Back in Change, Part 4: Communication Effectiveness
In my first article in this series, “Putting the Management Back in Change“, I began looking at what it really takes for companies to successfully institutionalize sustainability and truly be “green firms”. Too frequently, I encounter firms who have not realized that becoming a truly green firm means more than having LEED projects in your […]
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Putting the Management back in Change Part 3: Vision
In my first article in this series, “Putting the Management Back in Change“, I began looking at what it really takes for companies to successfully institutionalize sustainability and truly be “green firms”. The common misconception that having LEED projects in your portfolio makes you green doesn’t tell the full story and misrepresents what it really […]
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Putting the Management back in Change Part 2: The value of coalitions
In my earlier article,”Putting the Management Back in Change”, I began looking at what it really takes for companies to successfully institutionalize sustainability and truly be “green firms”. The common misconception – that having LEED projects in your portfolio makes you green – doesn’t tell the full story and misrepresents what it really takes to […]
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Putting the Management Back in Change Part 1: If It’s Broke, Fix It—NOW!
If you’re reading this, chances are you are a sustainability leader or champion within your company. Chances are, also, that that you still face resistance getting some of your colleagues on-board. In my previous article, “Putting the Management Back in Change”, I posited that companies who are truly committed go beyond individual project successes to […]
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