The article emphasizes the importance of organizations empowering employees to champion environmental causes by providing support and resources. It highlights the impact of fostering a culture of environmental stewardship through playful engagement and innovative initiatives. It emphasizes the potential for collective action in creating a sustainable future and references the World Economic Forum.

In my journey of collaborating with organizations to co-create impactful programs, one initiative stands out—a project centered around greenery and environmental stewardship. Together with a group of enthusiastic trainees, we dove into the task of developing innovative solutions that wouldn’t just benefit the community, but also ignite a deeper connection with nature. What we discovered along the way was the significance of carving out space to champion environmental causes and spread awareness in fun and engaging ways.

Empowering Green Advocates

As the world grapples with environmental challenges, it’s crystal clear that nurturing green knowledge and sparking environmental awareness are pivotal in shaping a sustainable future. Organizations hold a unique opportunity to empower their people to become advocates for the environment, equipping them with the necessary tools, resources, and encouragement to make a positive impact, whether it’s inside or outside the workplace.

The Case
The non-profit organization we collaborated with offers nationwide accommodations, travels, and activities for nature enthusiasts and social activists. They initiated a program called ‘Green Traineeship’ tailored to their junior members, young professionals under 30, to engage them in creating solutions for visitors and the local community to connect with nature. Their aim? Fostering awareness about the needs and conservation of nature.

From Awareness to Action

Over the course of five months, the program focused on several key aspects:

• Learning about the diverse animal and plant species native to the Netherlands
• Understanding the needs of nature from a conservatorship perspective
• Adding value to visitors, members, and local communities alike

At the core of any impactful environmental endeavor lies the belief that even the smallest actions can lead to significant change. By providing a platform to explore the trainees’ passion for environmental sustainability, we could set off a chain reaction of positive transformations within the local communities, each effort contributing to a collective movement towards a greener, more sustainable future. These trainees were very passionate about making positive impact and learning how to do so in a sustainable manner.

We introduced Design Thinking as a solution-building approach, allowing trainees to apply their newfound knowledge and insights to create solutions tailored for the local forestry and community.

The Power of Playful Engagement

Perhaps one of the most profound takeaways from our green project was the importance of infusing environmental education with a dash of playfulness and creativity. By approaching sustainability initiatives with a sense of curiosity and adventure, we can captivate people of all ages and backgrounds in meaningful conversations about the environment.

The various phases of Design Thinking, particularly the Empathy and Ideation stages, proved instrumental in this. As well as being in nature: instead of talking about something “far away” from an office building, being in nature at one of the accommodations provided an environment in which we could have a dialogue with nature. Through conversations with conservators, experts, the community and exploration walks. This space was pivotal in creating solutions that made ‘sense’.

Creating Space for Innovation

Innovation flourishes in environments where creativity is nurtured, and differing perspectives are embraced. The solutions created could be rolled out nation wide, including a game fusing the exploration of the local forests and education on nature preservation, the use of plants in the kitchen and around the house. The trainees paid it forward by sharing their newfound knowledge. As a result, they were more engaged and felt a sense of fulfilment.

And so, by creating the space for environmental stewardship and innovation, we not only unlock the potential for impactful solutions but also cultivate a sense of purpose and fulfilment, propelling us towards a brighter, more sustainable future, collectively.

Sources:

• World Economic Forum. “Why It’s Time for Businesses to Take Nature Seriously.” Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/03/businesses-nature-environment-biodiversity-ecosystems/