By Jeff Fromm
March 20, 2020
Source: Forbes
Photo Source: Unsplash, Grossgasteiger
Sadly, ski season ends soon. The intense discussions of the impacts of carbon and industrialization on the environment and changing weather are raging on. So, I wanted to tap into notable sustainability guru Auden Schendler, SVP of Aspen Skiing Company to talk about trends and issues. Jeff Fromm: What are the best practices in managing environmental resources at Aspen Skiing Co? Auden Schendler: Our best practice has been rethinking what corporate sustainability means. What will it take to remain in business forever? Most corporations approach that question by greening their operations—carbon footprint reduction for example. But that doesn’t solve a global systems threat like climate change. So, you must think differently. We ask: “What are the highest leverage ways we can wield power to drive large scale political, policy, and movement change on climate?” That’s a very different answer than changing your light bulbs and installing solar panels. For us, that has meant using marketing campaigns to focus on climate voting; intervening in federal policy around oil and gas drilling; or funding and partnering with Protect Our Winters, the outdoor industry climate movement. We also push hard on trade groups to lead from the top and prioritize climate advocacy. Fromm: What other companies are innovating and what can we learn from them? Schendler: Not many businesses are pursuing sustainability by wielding power to drive large scale change, but there are three we admire. The first I’ll mention is Patagonia. CEO Ryan Gellert has been fearless in using his voice to call out inaction or duplicity in the corporate sector, like tech companies that commit to going carbon neutral while at the same time opposing climate legislation. Ben & Jerry’s has figured out how to use brand and customer influence to drive business while doing good—that’s largely due to Chris Miller who runs those programs. Burton has been out front in taking policy and political positions on climate while also greening their operations, largely through the leadership of founder Donna Carpenter. Fromm: What can leading non-ski brands learn from Aspen Skiing Company’s efforts? Schendler: We’ve thought hard about our role in the climate fight, and more recently, in the equity and justice fight. In short, we see our role as first modeling successful projects and programs (like all-electric buildings, methane capture power plants, and civics education around race) that get covered, shared, and replicated because of our high profile. Second, we wield power through or brand, advertising, marketing, partnerships, outreach to guests, and CEO and other leadership voice to push hard to elected officials, policymakers, even utilities, on issues of climate and equity. Third, we push out these stories into the press through our own writing (in both academic and popular media) and through interviews like this. I must point out that this last point is rare and odd: what other ski resort leadership is regularly publishing on central issues facing society like climate and race is in Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, regional newspaper syndicates, and even obscure academic journals like Climatic Change. It’s fun, it’s neat, and it’s meaningful. Fromm: How should brands think about partnerships to drive change? Schendler: Think of partners as giant crowbars that extend your power and reach. Businesses should ask existing partners to support their policy and social goals. They should select partners based on their positions. As examples, we have been partners with Coca-Cola for decades. Now, we’re engaged in conversations with them to better understand their stance on climate policy and to expand their pressure in that area. Audi is a partner we value and cultivate because of their aggressive pursuit of electrification—we don’t want to work with a conventional car company. Working together, we can help them increase the EV market using our guest access, our influence, and our high profile. Their success is our success, and vice versa. You can’t be afraid to state your values and goals, and often that isn’t done; partnerships are purely transactional. That’s old thinking.
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