In response to the current economic situation, Squamish-based Howe Sound Brewery has introduced ‘Bailout Bitter’. The microbrewery describes this new, lower-cost beverage as a “bitter ale for bitter times”, and is presumably paying homage to the various financial bailouts that have either already occurred or are under consideration.

Although a clever strategy that is riffing off of our current economic challenges, Howe Sound’s new brew is a fitting example of a company using its adaptive capacity and customization to develop a new business approach: that of resilience. Resilience is defined as the capacity to absorb shocks to the system without losing the ability to function.

The Canadian dollar plummets to 78 cents US, while Stephen Harper announces the country will go into a deficit, Japan follows the Euro zone and slips into recession, crude oil sheds $100 from its lofty July levels, the S&P 500 drops to its lowest level since 1997, and the Big Three auto makers head to Washington, collective hats in hands, to seek a US$25 billion lifeline.

With this, the viability and longevity of traditional corporate social responsibility is being questioned.

So what of sustainability, and the leadership, pledges, commitments, programs, reports and targets that go with it? Is this triple-bottom line crunch crisis a test for how deeply sustainability initiatives are embedded within organizations today?

And more significantly, is there an opportunity to use this economic strife for infrastructure, behavioural and process adaptation; is there opportunity to reassign real value to eco- and social-capitalism through smarter decision-making and visionary leadership?

We think so.

In our 21st century sustainability pursuits, our focus is already on resilience. We’re seeing price signaling for water consumption, carbon dioxide emissions and materials disposal operating ad hoc around the globe, through taxes and levies, and cap-and-trade schemes developed by regulators, businesses and environmental NGOs.

New technologies focused on redesign, closed loop systems and life-cycle analysis, rather than maintenance of the status quo, are supported by emerging behavioural and process change. Viral networks and real time communications are inspiring us to move from reactive to anticipatory, from concern to hope.

With our burgeoning deficit, businesses are examining how and where to cut corners. But they also want to maintain performance and gain the benefits sustainability strategies can provide.

Responsible organizations reveal some common features:

• Strong leadership with a supportive team sharing the vision at BC Hydro Power Smart, Vancity, and Mountain Equipment Co-op
• Optimization of core business linked with both sustainable operations and accountability at Domtar
• Authentic and approachable at Nature’s Path, Skeet & Ikes, and Frogfile
• Decision enabler for stakeholders with the Green Table Network; the Sustainable Purchasing Network; and Ocean Wise
• Active collaborations and shared ROI between Forest Ethics and Limited Brands/Victoria’s Secret; Saul Good Gifts and Tradeworks Custom Products; and the Legacy North Shore Society and North Shore residents

Grassroots, viral communications have proven their utility through the likes of president-elect Obama’s successful campaign leading up to the US presidential elections. Paul Hawken, in his book Blessed Unrest, espouses the optimization of networks of people where information takes hold and gains ground across the globe. These low effort/high impact strategies are highly effective, and catch on because they are viewed as authentic.

A recent and local example of this is the PodMob event organized by 3rd Whale. The “pod mob” was a critical mass of Vancouver sushi lovers and environmentally-aware urban scenesters, who agreed to patronize a particular restaurant over a single day, and use their purchasing power to convince that business to go green.

The event was promoted via viral e-mail, YouTube videos, and through social networks like Facebook. It was a textbook example of tapping into the power and momentum of grassroots word-of-mouth. Sushi Bento, the restaurant targeted for the event, now has a fresh and growing clientele and a new sustainability plan based on its agreement to put 31 percent of its revenue from the PodMob event toward going green.

Looking inward to the enthusiasm and commitment of its own employees, Vancity used an internal eight-month campaign called ‘Cut the Carbon’ to more deeply engage its staff in its quest for carbon footprint reduction. Encouraging employees to make one behavioural change each month at work and at home, the campaign has been hugely successful. Vancity has also reassessed its strategic direction: it has recently developed a plan to invest and support local social initiatives to promote greater equity and prosperity for the people of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

The Canada Green Building Council is helping building owners and managers take the first steps to greening their building stock, by creating the Green Building Performance System. This system will allow building owners to measure and compare energy and water use, and GHG emissions against national benchmarks, and learn about processes and strategies to improve efficiencies. It is a complementary strategy to the more rigorous and comprehensive LEED green building certification process, and involves engaging building owners across the country to help gather and report on the baseline data.

From green buildings to green communities, in Vancouver in particular, vertical density is fast becoming a reality. We will soon be seeing many more community gardens for local food supply, green roofs to divert storm water run-off and integrated living that encourages reduced vehicle use. These are smart growth strategies that improve quality of life and promote equality and opportunity, while making good business sense.

The strategies these organizations are undertaking are not revolutionary; they are evolutionary. And from this shift springs a wealth of job creation; forty percent of the future jobs for today’s grade four school children in Canada do not yet exist. When they are developed, these jobs will centre around sustainability.

But it will be another twelve years before most of these eight year olds are on the job market, applying their sustainability skills. As today’s economic problems become increasingly urgent, there is a similar urgent need for organizations to stay the sustainability course.

The ability to manage and strategize for uncertainty is a key factor in today’s business success. Indeed, most sustainability programs actually help to manage uncertainty by creating efficiencies and reducing waste. The upsides are myriad, including enhancing share value, retaining top performing employees and mitigating risks.

Mel Phadtare is Junxion’s Director, Integrated Sustainability

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