Bringing sustainability into your service or organization can feel like a huge task. But here's the good news: you don't have to start from scratch.

In most organizations, we're already are pretty good at launching new projects. We have processes, tools, and ways of working that we use to bring new ideas to life. So, when it comes to adding sustainability to our service work, we can build on these existing resources (1).

A change project towards more sustainability is still a project like any other project. It has deadlines, decision makers, blockers and needs a shit load of good communication and project management skills. It's just another project. Sure an essential one. But we can treat it just like another project.

Action Question

What existing infrastructures, people, and processes in your organization can help you lead a sustainability change project within your organization?

Footnotes

(1) Sure, we need to bring in some unique approaches and mindsets that are needed when it comes to sustainability and regeneration. We'll need to go from short term to long term. Not only watch for what makes sense economically. These are all things that are covered in this book.

The inspiration behind this principle

This principle is based on a conversation I had with Michel Sterckx, a project manager working on a big sustainability project for the Salvation Army in Switzerland. The conversation was in French:

Daniele's notes

• This is the first shitty draft of this principle

• This principle might one day make it in the fifth book in the "Service Design Principles" series that explores how to better serve humans and the planet.

• If you're curious about service design principles, you can get the four previous books in the series, with proofread principles and less grammatical creativity.

Written with AI help
This principle draft is based on an audio note I took while walking that was transcribed and cleaned using Audiopen. I then reviewed and improved the text by hand.