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One of the most interesting phrases I have heard in business meetings over the last several weeks is in response to a question about how an organization is going to handle additional opportunities and challenges in the new year. The question is often asked as, “So, how are we going to get all of this done? Or “Who’s going to do this?”
The answer I have heard several times from organizations representing various industries and sizes is what’s interesting: “that person doesn’t work here today.” That’s one of the most encouraging statements I’ve heard in a while about potentially accelerating the economic recovery and job growth. Let’s hope it’s sustainable.
Three Ps, the triple bottom line, wishes you a happy and prosperous New Year.
More than any other industry, the advanced energy industry seems to have found a way to advance all Three Ps of sustainability.
On the People side, the jobs are starting to come – and, last week, President Obama announced $2.3 billion in Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits, which is aimed at creating 17,000 jobs. The administration estimates that private firms are investing an additional $5.4 billion, which will create 41,000 more jobs.
For the Planet, advanced energy is designed to be cleaner and more renewable than traditional fossil fuels. The move to renewable energy is being positioned globally as one of the best ways to reduce carbon emissions. Many leaders, including President Obama, have embraced a goal of 20 percent of the nation’s power supply from renewable sources by 2020.
And the Profit potential seems to be real and growing. In the January 11, 2010 Akron Beacon-Journal, energy expert Richard Stuebi of the Cleveland Foundation says the wind industry is booming as a $40-billion-a-year industry that is growing at 30 percent a year. He says it’s the “fastest-growing industry on the planet … and everyone wants to be a part of it.” More than 500 companies in Ohio alone are part of the supply chain for wind turbines, which utilize approximately 2,000 parts. Traditional manufacturers are salivating about the possibilities, but the retraining of workers, re-engineering of factories and quality controls are no small hurdles.
Critics will say the advanced energy space is being propped up by tax credits and hyper-sensitivity to climate pressures. What happens if and when those subside? That will be the true test of the industry and its ability to balance the Three Ps.
For more on the subject, check out this article on CNNMoney.com.
It’s new year’s resolution time, and you know what that means: lots of people intent on losing 20 pounds or quitting smoking. And, in 2010, there will be plenty of people committing to “go green.”
Like those other resolutions that seldom become reality, the “go green” folks will quickly find themselves having over-promised and under-delivering. It’s just not sustainable.
So, for a truly sustainable commitment, resolve to balance the Three Ps in your life:
People – be kinder and more patient with your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, customers, and treat yourself better, with at least three additional “healthy” meals per week
Planet – use less packaging, reuse and recycle more, walk or bike for short trips, and use energy wisely
Profit – ride the wave of economic turnaround, buy only what you need and really want, save at least a little, and explore lower-cost hobbies and vacations
It’s not any one person’s responsibility to save the world or the world economy, but resolving to address and balance the Three Ps is a decent place to start. Happy new year!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: What the world needs now more than ever are the Three P’s. All three of them.
Unfortunately, the management and communications of People, Planet, Profit are proving much more difficult in these tough times. How can we talk about People when the layoffs are piling up and unemployment is moving toward 10 percent? As for Profit, with many corporate bottom lines plummeting, what could we possibly have to say?
But sustainability and the Three P’s are much more of a long-term value proposition than a short-term measure of success or failure. Initiatives that involve and support communities and employees (even if there are fewer of them), that reduce waste and pollution (even if they’re not perfect), and that save money (even if it doesn’t turn into profit) are still good business and sustainability.
Sure, budgets are tighter than ever, but there are still win-win-wins to be pursued. Of everything I have read and seen, increasing energy efficiency at home, in your community and at work is close to a sure thing in addressing all Three P’s.
A 15 percent reduction in energy use is a great goal – and the People, Planet and Profit all stand to benefit. Good report on the subject from the Environmental Leader, a must-read e-newsletter for business leaders.
Sustainability and the Three P’s (the concept, not the blog and @threeps Twitter account) seem to be suffering from a bit of an identity crisis.
For example, noted MIT professor and sustainability guru Peter Senge now says “sustainability” is at risk of losing its effectiveness as a term. He says sustainability or the lack thereof has become too closely linked to survival and fear of collapse. And, remember, the rise of “sustainability” came in response to concerns about “green” overkill.
Furthermore, the “Three P’s” are becoming ambiguous. Until very recently, “People, Planet, Profit” was the generally accepted long version. Now, some business organizations have changed “Profit” into “Profits,” and it’s becoming the first of the Three P’s in the triple bottom line. And if the Three P’s aren’t enough, sustainability also has the “Five R’s”: rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle, and report out on your achievements.
In the day-to-day development of sustainable products and practices and alternative energy, engineers and technicians don’t get hung up on what to call it. But, in communications, words matter; and the words, key messages and sound bites often determine success or failure in winning the hearts and minds of business leaders and the general public.
So the next time somebody says it doesn’t matter what we call it, think twice. What you do is still more important than what you say, but what you say and how you say it will be what people remember.
People, Planet, Profit - what the world needs now is three p’s.
