Engaging Others - The first step in embedding sustainability

What’s the ONE THING that keeps sustainability leaders stuck more so than anything else?

Lack of ENGAGEMENT…

I always ask people what their biggest sustainability challenge is and more often than not their reply is the same - getting others on board… Getting others interested... Having to do it all on my own...

Many of us spend months or years spinning our wheels, getting nowhere fast… often just chipping away, barely scratching the surface on our own.

It can be hard to understand why… Surely everyone knows we should be doing more… Just watch the news once in a while…

Maybe that’s the problem…

Sustainability can feel overwhelming, heavy and depressing.  It has an image problem.

Many of us feel helpless and hopeless.  What I do surely won’t make any difference… 

Many of us feel like we don’t know enough about it, lacking confidence, worried we’ll look silly, either in front of our colleagues, or worse, the children!

Then there’s the usual chestnuts - I don’t have time, resources, money, etc…

All of these fears, beliefs and misunderstandings grind things to a halt pretty quick.  Even if you do get started, momentum is lost pretty quick if you don’t first ENGAGE OTHERS.

You might think that maybe it’s better, or you’ll get further if you just do it all yourself…

🛑 Stop right there my friend… That’s the quickest road to burnout and jadedness.  😓  

We need you and your passion! 🦸‍♀️ 🌏

Yes, I’ve been there, done that, bought the t-shirt! 👕 In fact, I spent an awful long time banging my head against a wall 🤕 until I figured this out.  Once I did, the needle started to move, momentum started to build and I was started to make real progress.

I mean, don’t get me wrong… there’s plenty you can do if it’s just you in the beginning (here’s a link to a blog I wrote about it), but do those things with a view to engage others, not ‘cos it’s quicker or easier…  In the long run, it’s not either.

If you want to embed sustainability, and implementing Sustainability as a principle as required by the revised EYLF is exactly that, then engaging others is the first, and most important step.

There’s a reason it’s Step 1 in my 5 Step Framework for Embedding Sustainability.  (Check out this On Demand Masterclass if you’d like to know more about my 5-Step Framework for Embedding Sustainability here).

Remember the African proverb - ‘if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.’

Don’t be tempted to jump ahead and write a 10 page sustainability plan before you have others actively involved and engaged others (in fact that's Step 4!). You’ll end up with a much better plan if you hold fire and lay the engagement groundwork first.

Engaging others takes time and it's not always easy.  But, in my 20+ years of experience engaging others through action is by far the most effective way to do it.

You’re not going to get someone excited and enthused by booking in another planning meeting…  or talking endlessly about all the things you could or should be doing.

There is nothing that kills interest and enthusiasm quicker! 😫

That’s not to say there’s no thinking or planning.  You need to be strategic about the action you take.  It needs to be purposeful, not just another thing to tick off the to-do list.  We’re not talking about throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks.  It's messy, and not super effective!

The role of the sustainability champion, is to plan the right action to engage the right people at the right time.  It's best to start small and build momentum slowly and strategically.

These initial actions I refer to as Catalyst Projects.  You can use Catalyst Projects any time you want to bring focus or attention to sustainability in your setting.  They provide opportunities to start conversations, find out what people know and where they’re at on their personal sustainability journey.  To discover your community's skills, passions and interests.  They provide quick wins that help build momentum and demonstrate that even small actions can make a difference.

So, how do you know what to do?  🤷‍♀️

Here’s some questions to keep in mind as you consider your options…

First, what is your objective or goal?  What do you need to achieve? What is driving the action?  Is it an area of your QIP that has been identified for improvement?  Is it something the children are interested in?  Is it a point of difference you want to develop for your service?

Second, who are you trying to engage?  Who is your target audience?  If you’re at the beginning I would recommend you start with your team.  It could even just be the other educators you work most closely with (in your room) or if you have a small group of passionate champions, start with them.

After that, it might be the children, families or your broader community.  Your circle of engagement and influence grows over time.

Third, consider what resources do you have access to.  These initial catalyst projects should be quick wins that don’t require significant investment of time or resources. Do what you can with what you have.

Resources might also include the knowledge, skills, passions and interests of your team or community.  Think about who can help…

How will you measure progress or success?  How will you know it worked?  This should be related to your goals and objectives.

Implementing one action isn’t going to do the job.  BUT, it can be the start.  When you’ve done that, think about what’s next?  What's the next logical step?  What's the next level?  Who's the next target audience? If it didn’t work, try something else using the knowledge you gained from the experience. Don’t give up.

If you’d like to learn more about how to engage others and my tried and tested strategies for getting others on board, check out the Engaging Others Masterclass & Resources Bundle.