by Catherine Cross

The time is now…

At 4OC, we’re a positive, friendly, and clever bunch that like to have a laugh. We pride ourselves on that. But it’s time to get serious. There is one subject area that we can no longer ignore. It demands all of our attention and action. The environmental crisis.

The statistics are truly terrifying. Scientists predict that continued sea level rises are already irreversible for hundreds to thousands of years. But if we make rapid and sustainable reductions in carbon dioxide and other emissions now, we could improve air quality within 20-30 years and stabilise global temperatures. However if we do nothing, extreme weather (such as floods, storms and deadly heat) will become more common – creating food shortages, mass displacement and conflict.

As organisations, we have a significant part to play in addressing the environmental crisis. No more phoney wars with the odd sustainability hire, hiding behind greenwashing practices or doing the bare minimum to scrape through regulations. Let’s stop the “blah, blah, blah” as Greta Thunberg puts it. While we’re on a collision course with the end of humanity, we need to rapidly transform almost everything we are doing. And the time is now.

… to take action

There are so many ways organisations can make a more positive impact on the environment. From looking at how green supply chains really are, to interrogating whether internal company data on sustainability practices is robust and reliable. For many, knowing where to start on the green agenda is a real issue, creating decision paralysis. But starting somewhere, is always better than doing nothing.

By creating more sustainable organisations (including our own), we’re doing our bit to support the planet and future generations. We appreciate it’s a herculean task; but given that we help organisations manage change, we know the power and possibilities of transformation. We’ve seen organisations achieve what they said couldn’t be done time and time again, with the help of our positive, friendly and creative team. So, with a planet depending on our ability to change – let’s get to work, shall we? The environment is the only show in town!

If you’d like to speak to Catherine about the areas that she thinks that you or we or working together we can make a genuine meaningful change, drop her a line catherine@the4oc.com. If you want to read a bit more about some of the things we’re doing in this space, check out the Sustainability Framework.