Often, we measure sustainability in quantifiable metrics, things like financial savings or carbon footprint. This is not a bad thing, and I encourage it for my clients. It makes things a lot easier when trying to justify investment. But I do wonder, what would happen if we measured sustainability in a completely different way? Would it mean that no one would take it seriously? Or could it mean that people would finally start taking it seriously?
The reason I pose the question is that I’ve returned from running a three-day workshop in the UK for my lovely museum clients who are learning to be sustainability leaders and champions at their museums. And though we focus on the figures, I routinely get awesome emails like:
Thank you for the life changing work you have done
and
I keep plugging away and I’m sure we will move forward
and
I cannot thank you enough for this opportunity
I find it so inspiring. It’s easy to get down in the dumps and think that the small work of one person cannot possibly make a difference. But then I remember that the whole point of sustainability is actually to make life better for people. So that they can achieve their goals and have a more prosperous future. I’d like to think that the work I’m doing is helping to achieve that, one small step at a time.
What do you think? What difference are you making? Leave a note for me in the comments!
