Are you asking the right business‐related questions as an environmental or sustainability manager?

Abstract

AbstractEnvironmental and sustainability professionals (or E&SPs) seek funding for projects, programs, and initiatives (PP&Is) in support of their organizations’ sustainable development agendas. It is a rare organization where these PP&Is get support in their own right without a business case. As is often the case, these PP&Is never get to see the light of day, with many of them being perceived by the businesses’ executives as part of an environmental or sustainability “agenda.” In the author's experience, the reason for this is that the E&SPs are usually the sustainability champions for these same organizations, and their focus is not necessarily on ensuring the establishment of the underlying business case or ensuring close alignments of PP&Is to the business. One of the most important skills that these professionals can gain is that of asking a focused line of questions that can uncover the business needs of the organizations they work for and how their own role or proposed PP&Is fit within the business's strategy. This article sets context through the author's experience in infrastructure sustainability construction, and provides a checklist for E&SPs to use as they conceive, develop, discuss, propose, and seek funding for sustainability and environmental PP&Is.