How can I maximize my effectiveness?
If you’re the staff member trying to lead sustainability efforts at your school, these strategies can help boost your effectiveness.
Ask for the Title
Every ship needs a captain.
It helps for people to know where to turn to when they need help, so having the title of ‘Sustainability Coordinator’ can result in more progress. Schools that want to improve their overall sustainability need a Sustainability Coordinator - someone who can liaise between various stakeholders, provide knowledge and expertise, and steer the ship in the right direction.
In rare cases, a Sustainability Coordinator is a program manager without a teaching load, who can devote all of their time to advancing school sustainability initiatives. However, in most cases, Sustainability Coordinators are faculty members with teaching loads who take on the role as one of their extra-curricular duties (e.g. instead of managing a sports team). If your school does not yet have an official ‘sustainability person’, consider proposing the idea to your school administrators and request that they create an official role so that school sustainability initiatives can continue even with staff turnover.
In general terms, a ‘Sustainability Coordinator’ is someone responsible for managing and pursuing the school’s sustainability plan. A Sustainability Coordinator’s duties will vary depending on the size, resources and priorities of the school, but generally their responsibilities may include:
Liaising with representatives from all sectors of the school community, including Principals, food services, administrative and facilities staff, and wherever possible, parents and students, to develop and implement sustainability initiatives at the school.
Advising school decision-makers about school sustainability planning.
Facilitating the collection of data on the school’s sustainability across a broad range of metrics. (START: Sustainability Tracking and Roadmap Tool simplifies this process.)
Periodically holding meetings to coordinate school sustainability efforts.
2. Change attitudes, not just programs
If you make your role all about the programs that you set up as Sustainability Coordinator, those programs could fall apart when you leave. But if you can change the attitude towards sustainability, you can lay the foundations for real and lasting change.
Help your peers understand the vast benefits of school sustainability, and align it with your schools vision and mission.
3. Manage and delegate, rather than doing it all yourself
Similar to a business manager who needs to understand the customer, product and how to streamline the process of providing a good or service, as Sustainability Coordinator, you need to understand what is required of school sustainability, the decision-makers and processes involved, and how to facilitate things getting done. You don’t need to organize recycling or food procurement yourself; find your teams and allow them to do the work.
