In November 2024, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) held their Greenbuild International Conference andExpo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania––my home for two years now, so, of course. I had to go. USGBC is the organization that developed the LEED certification that is now commonly used all over the world to mark buildings and organizations that are dedicated to creating a more sustainable built environment. Every year, USGBC hosts the Greenbuild Conference and brings together a massive community of sustainability professionals. From reviewing recent legislation to introducing new LEED versions to holding massive innovation expos, Greenbuild reviews as many new developments in the past year as possible.
This year was my first Greenbuild Conference, and it was an incredible experience. As a graduate student (with limited work experience), I was nervous to meet so many accomplished, full-time professionals in the industry, and about what I could contribute to these conversations. What I found was incredible passion and curiosity in every individual I met. Nearly everyone I talked to have a depth of experience that they were willing to share, and they looked to learn from my experiences as well, regardless of their position or level.
Throughout the week, I packed each day with as many sessions and meetings as I could, but one of the few that stood out to me was a session I attended on Wednesday, November 13th called The Evolving Role of Chief Sustainability Officers (CSO). The session was structured as a discussion between five speakers:
- Nicole Isle – Chief Sustainability Strategist – Glumac
- Elena Alschuler – Americas Head of Sustainability – LaSalle
- Stephanie Greene – Head of Sustainability Solutions – CBRE
- Renee Loveland – Senior Manager Sustainability Programs – ReTech
- Sara Neff – GM Sustainability – Microsoft
Each of these women had spent a considerable number of years in the industry and had a wealth of experience to reference in their answers to each question posed. The discussion itself had four separate learning objectives:
- How has the role of CSO evolved over time; how has it changed as LEED and other certifications have become more popular?
- How are businesses interacting differently with this role as reporting and ESG integration start to become standards in the industry?
- What is required for sustainability leaders to be successful within the workplace?
- Where can these roles get support/what is needed on an individual level to be successful in these roles?
Each of the learning objectives shed light on how the CSO role has changed and continues to grow through time, politics, and shifting fiscal responsibilities. Since the introduction of sustainability in the workplace, the role has changed from incremental action-oriented, marketing-related role to a much more holistic industry with the power to drive market demand in the interest of health and wellness. Every speaker touched on how the role reached across several departments instead of standing alone as a “sustainability role.” Public health, DEI, minority sourcing––nearly every topic that touched on health or diversity was somehow connected to the sustainability roles that these speakers now or had worked at before. This was a particularly interesting point for me: that the sustainability role’s influence was as pervasive in the workplace as the environment is in our lifestyles. The interconnectedness of sustainability to so many other departments means that proposed strategies are easier to implement because they help build strategic and efficient business practices. It also means the relevance of sustainability becomes more apparent as the number of sectors it impacts grows.
This comes with its own set of pros and cons. One of the most significant positives of this interdisciplinary approach is that the new adaptation of this role requires new structures of funding and investment to power this work. These new structures also demand involvement from internal (legal and accounting) and external (contracting and shareholder communications) levels, which shifts the responsibility of sustainability away from the individual and onto the company as a whole. The fact that so many internal and external stakeholders need to be involved in various sustainable/green initiatives also means that communication has shifted from the traditional, hierarchical style to a more integrative style.
All five CSO’s in this session encouraged what is one of USGBC’s main teamwork approaches: integrative communication – a communication style that prioritizes effectiveness by bringing all relevant stakeholders together to shape strategy and project goals. This can look like vertically integrating certain departments instead of only referring to them at a certain point in the process and facing roadblocks that could’ve been solved earlier. For example, bringing engineers/architects/construction into the discussion earlier in the process can help streamline the sustainability strategies and ideas that are introduced. If there are reasons that a certain sustainability strategy doesn’t work, it can be brought up and resolved in the very beginning versus halfway through the project when the loss of a sustainability strategy can knock a LEED project from Gold to Silver status.
Every industry professional in a project brings their own specialized set of skills. To most effectively utilize each professional’s skills, there must be a shift away from the stratified communication approach that has been used in years past. A highly valued approach by all, integrative communication allows for fewer missteps later in any project by clearly outlining objectives, obstacles, and possibilities early in a project.
Along with holistic communication within the corporate teams, the speakers touched on how to make sustainability a catch for investors. The value of ESG integration can be difficult to quantify, especially when it comes to discussing the social impacts and the profit these impacts bring to the company. Alschuler had a response to this issue that was deceptively simple: frame it as the fiduciary responsibility to return the best option to investors. Today’s incredibly volatile climate brings with it many risks that could financially harm the assets of any corporation.
Whether it’s through the loss of physical structures from fires/floods or through the stock market crashes that come with the viral “cancelled” videos, today’s society can easily bring incredible financial harm to corporations that don’t pay enough attention to their climate agreements. Approaches that value sustainability can then be framed as a value driver and risk protector and presented to investors as the corporation’s legal obligation to return the best option to investors. This approach leverages concrete metrics (such as data and emission tracking) over solely long-term socio-environmental impacts. Because it focuses so heavily on protecting financial assets, it’s an appealing tactic to use when approaching a wide range of investors.
Despite the evolution of the CSO role, there is still much support that is needed for the role. Considering the complicated matrix of internal and external relationships that need to be maintained, these professionals require support from the C-Level Executive roles (Chief Operating Officers, Chief Financial Officers, etc.). The job of a CSO is not confined to one sole department. From engineering to human resources to grants, there is no shortage of departments that a CSO needs to coordinate between. For sustainability strategies to be taken seriously/effectively incorporated into projects, there must be organization-wide, top-down involvement and promotion of these strategies. C-Level executives across the board need to be aware of the range this role requires and be prepared to provide support in whatever ways are necessary.
As someone who would like to follow in the footsteps of these inspiring professionals, this session was insightful and reaffirming in ways I didn’t expect. It’s been interesting to see the adoption of integrative communication as a core strategy in USGBC and in the CSO roles. The distinction and the guarded privacy between different departments is obvious even within college environments. The architecture department doesn’t talk to the urban planning department doesn’t talk to the finance department doesn’t talk to the engineering department. Yet once we all graduate, we must work together to complete any project successfully. These organizational structures also defy the natural systems that surround us. A forest exists in conjunction with the birds flying through it, the morning dew, the composition of the soil, and not despite them. Though it’s subjected to the forces we inflict upon it, no single part of a forest exists independently. The adoption of these principles at such a high level will reverberate through the rest of the industry and back into academia as well. This interdisciplinary communication across industry and academia is something I look forward to for future generations.
I walked away from this session with copious notes from all the advice given and a bullet point list for myself: strengths I have for the role, areas of improvement, and questions about my own goals within the sustainability industry. This conference allowed me to learn about the work and journeys of so many unique people throughout the industry. There is no shortage of ways for me to make a difference in the sustainability world.
The typical last year of grad school experience involves spending copious amounts of time scrolling through LinkedIn looking for professional connections that could lead to job positions to apply for. I was able to instead attend this conference and to find an interconnected web of green industries and thousands of people working in unison to move towards a healthier planet. It was incredible.