Green Steps: a brief outline of why it's better than other activist organisations

A small child could fit in that gap.
Michael and Keith - the Green Stepping bros.

On the 30th, Michael - the avid Green Stepper (that's what they call themselves, it's very cute) took me to a Green Steps alumni event, primarily to learn about environmental sustainability but also to take advantage of free food and booze.  Embarrassingly, I got very dizzy/head-achey after half a beer.  Face palm.  I mean, is that even possible?  I have no idea.  I hadn't eaten for the whole day and as soon as I got there, the first thing I made a beeline for was a bottle of Pure Blonde. And heck no, that was not the first time I had alcohol.
#lifemistakes
#lightweight

It was a rather formal networking event where a bunch of expert panellists did a Q&A (you know the ABC show, right?) type session on the future of sustainability in business practices.  By sustainability, they didn't limit themselves to the definition of 'environmental sustainability' but also corporate social sustainability and risk.   Being mature professionals, they recognised that sustainability meant different things for different businesses and so they were not going to impose their priorities on others.

The panellists:

• Professor Kate Auty - Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability, Victoria

• Alison Read - Head of Environment & Sustainability, National Australia Bank

• Will Symons - National Practice Leader, Sustainability and Climate Change, AECOM Australia

• Matthew Belleghem - Principal Consultant | Environment, Sustainability, EHS & Renewable Energy, envirosearch

I'm wearing green for Green Steps.  Really trendy.

The event was incredibly enlightening, at least for me. As an organisation that aims to raise awareness of environmental sustainability and encourage businesses to adopt environmentally sustainable practices, they really distinguish themselves from other activist groups like Amnesty International (which I am a member of) and Greenpeace, whose usual tactics are to pressure institutions into reform via protesting and petitioning.  And sometimes, marching down streets holding placards full of puns and screaming into megaphones.  On the other hand, Green Steps completely and deliberately veers away from that sort of confrontational approach.  Instead, they work with government and other businesses to create sustainable projects and business practices, meaning they are there from the very start to offer input and ideas for improvement.  

It's a very fascinating approach. Green Steps educates students, no matter what they're studying, into incorporating practical strategies for sustainability into their thinking so that when they get jobs, they can make an impact from the inside and not from the outside.  It's like a really cool infiltration process.  And yes, they actually make efforts to help kids find internships in companies (which they hope will lead to an actual job) so they can fulfil the Green Steps mission.  Instead of confrontation, they negotiate.  While concessions have to be made at times, at least you're part of the process and you know you're making a change to some extent.  I find this very admirable.   And as you can see from the panel, these people are very very high up and are evidence of this nascent 'change from the inside' approach.

When you think about it, although Amnesty Int and Greenpeace are huge multinational NGOs who have undoubtedly made a mark on certain government policies, is putting pressure on governments and other institutions using the above strategies really the best way to go?  And is it really that effective?  One thing's for certain - protesting raises awareness but in terms of creating change, it really doesn't offer much and relies solely on the other agent or institution to buckle under pressure and thereby comply with their demands.  Obviously, I don't want to undermine any of their achievements and I actually know that both Amnesty and Greenpeace have at times moved toward a more cooperative and consultative approach, but Green Steps just seems so much more effective, perhaps at a more grass roots level.

This hippie guy, dressed in jeans and a hoodie and sporting a ponytail, was sitting at the front and was all like 'but what role does activism play in your approach?'  

LEL.  You can tell from the panellists' brief moment of silence that activism - in the way that that guy was thinking - did not play a role in Green Steps.  Green Steps is an environmentalist organisation that has established a highly professional and reliable team for businesses to turn to - obviously, not wanting to fuel the dichotomy that already exists between them and environmentalist groups.  

Will, one of the founders, said that when he was younger and at university, he was heavily involved with activism.  However, he realised that that sort of activism seemed to fuel arrogance and egocentric "about me" attitudes among the group.  People were so adamant about protecting the environment that they seemed to forget that businesses and governments have other priorities and values as well, and not necessarily for selfish/self-interested reasons.  So instead of imposing their values on them, they work to align their values.  

And that was what I took away most from that night.  It's a simple concept but it's not a very widely disseminated one among activists, who are much more likely to join large NGO groups focused on pressuring authorities into action instead of choosing an approach similar to Green Steps.  

+  I still think Amnesty Int and Greenpeace are very important and the world needs them.  Just, maybe, if a minority of their millions of members moved over to Green Steps-like organisations, it would be....interesting.