To get you started here are two tips to consider.

1. Create a clear strategy that others can follow:

As with any ‘journey’, a sustainability strategy must be well planned, thought out and easy to explain. After all you don’t want programmes to conflict, duplicate or baffle the audience.  The GAIA Path is one such simple methodology to help decide what to do and when. It works on the premise that actions need to be placed in the right order and scheduled at the right time to maximise impact. For example employee engagement sits in the ‘Manage’ step at the front with carbon trading at the end in the ‘Offset’ step.  Learn more about it here:  GAIA Path.

2: Recognise your role is to influence others:

Once you’re clear on what your plans are you need to engage others.  An Energy Managers success greatly depends upon their ability to influence others from the Chief Executive to the Cleaner. To do this we advocate starting with a compelling message. It has to be more than just ’saving money’ or ‘reducing carbon’ which will have little appeal and make everyone feel guilty. Consider something aspirational like a commitment to ISO 14001 or a Green Policy commitment to your customers.

To understand how to do this and obtain 19 more ideas on how to enable a sustainable culture in your business, request a Free copy of our Sustainability Handbook Click here to request booklet.

Good Luck!

Haydn

My workshop unearthed a diverse range of  engagement challenges towards driving an environmentally sustainable culture. In the session we focused understanding WIIFM, Connectors Theory and Myth Busting techniques.

My plenary talk on ‘Behaviour Change using a 3 Step Model’ can now be viewed via the link  below.

University Behaviour Change event -click to open slides

For help or guidance behaviour change or energy management feel free to call GAIA on 0800 433 4040.

Haydn GAIA

BSI 4th Annual Energy Management Conference.

Wow what turn out to our Behaviour Change session at the BSI 4th Annual Energy Management Conference in London.

Running a facilitated workshop with such a large audience was great fun and I hope attendees went away with some great ideas on how to embed sustainable change in their organisation.

As promised,  here are the presentation slides for you to ‘read and recall actions’.  Feel free to call GAIA for behaviour change guidance on 0800 433 4040.

BSI Click here to read

Haydn GAIA

It was great to meet up yesterday with the attendees at the inaugural Leicestershire High Energy Users’ group.

A wide range of issues were discussed ranging from the impact of carbon-reduction legislation and carbon planning to the adoption of energy-saving technologies including lighting upgrades, voltage optimisation, photovoltaics and variable speed drives. A common thread was the need for impartial advice about the new available technologies rather than relying on manufacturers’ ‘spin’ which can cause confusion and which ultimately lengthens the decision-making process.

Forthcoming meetings will seek to invite such impartial providers of advice on a range of technologies. We look forward to the next meeting to be held on 19^th January hosted by Oadby & Wigston Borough Council.

If you’re a Leicestershire business and would like to join our self help group. Just email myself at teresa.morton@gaiaactive.com. The group is free to join.

Teresa Morton GAIA

18th July 2011, 3:00 p.m. (BST) / 10:00 a.m. (EDT)

We are entering a period which will be known as the 4th economic revolution – defined by resource scarcity. As outlined in a 2degrees white paper, the five core competencies that organizations will be forced to adopt to succeed through the 21st Century will be discussed in this webinar.

Haydn Young from GAIA and representing Travis Perkins will be on the panel to talk about how to embed SCA into your organisation.

To register click here

GAIA

Haydns slides will appear on the GAIA blog after the Webinar.

However,  energy efficiency programmes will succeed only if you create genuine engagement from staff – at all levels from front line staff to senior managers.

Larry is runnign a one day programme where you will learn the skills, knowledge and practical techniques to win the commitment of the people in your organisation.

To sign up click here.

Larry Reynolds is managing partner of 21^st Century Leader and is involved in behavioural change programmes at the Co-operative Group, Sheffield Hallam University and Hampshire County Council. Larry is also a GAIA Associate.

Larry – GAIA

At the forefront of any Energy reduction strategy must be staff engagement, but achieving this is not easy. Behaviour change is not about energy awareness but driving a cultural change to work in a more sustainable manner. The aim is to engage staff to want to change not push them to do it.

GAIA will walk through some practical steps for business and organisations to achieve behaviour change and secure long term savings. Energy Managers, CSR people, Environment Mgrs are all ideal to attend.

Click this Sustainability Live link for more information.

Haydn

The event and workshops where greatly engaging with many enthusiastic attendees, so I hope you all went away with ideas on how to achieve ‘environmental behavioural change’ within your organisations.

As promised I have uploaded the presentation for you to revisit again.

Loughborough Conference – Energy Management Challanges and the SME

Chris  – GAIA 2011

The GAIA Behaviour Change Model was created by Haydn Young, Chris Allen and Dr Ray Shore. It emerged from our implementation experience but also draws upon proven change models (Cameron & Green, Lewis).

Key to the three step programme is that it is practical: at every stage, each participant leave with a role to play and a job to do.

We call the three steps Assess, Launch and Recycle.

Assess:

Essentially the key aim is to enable the business to recognise where the savings are and their involvement in the process. The key is to make the business see that they have a part to play in the process and they must change as well as their colleagues.

Launch:

This stage is setting the business off in the right direction to manage the change programme whereby the business knows what to change but now has to make it happen.

Recycle

Our recycle step has two key aims to sustain the new changes and enable the client to find the new change process to continue their own programme. For many organisations in the CRC or Energy Saving scheme they have to find year on year savings. The process is where the organisation is conscious of the new changes and actively making them.

Chris GAIA Dec 2010

GAIA conducted a session on how to promote Behaviour Change in the Workplace.

As promised we have uploaded the presentation for you to revisit again.

Click here for: Innovation & Investment Conference Slides

Haydn – GAIA Dec 2010