The Mercury SPC Fiscally Positive Sustainability Doctrine (FPSD)
Sustainability in design and sustainable development is not a scientific issue; its a human issue with a huge economic overtone.
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Community Involvement: Sustainability starts with community engagement and evolves into community economics
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Economic Stimulus: Investment in defense and infrastructure are proven economic stimulators, but we need to shift focus towards sustainable infrastructure
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Intelligent Infrastructure: Stimulating economies through infrastructure spending can lead to intelligent, sustainable development
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Affordable Housing & Public Transport: Building affordable housing and new public infrastructure can stimulate the economy while promoting sustainability
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Carbon Sequestration: Regenerative agriculture and integrated urban-rural building systems can help sequester carbon
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Holistic Benefits: Sustainable development will make us wealthier, healthier and wiser
The Journey of Transformance through Sustainable Thinking – Part 1
Sustainable Thinking, used as a wedge tool, can lead to Cohesion, Collaboration, Calibration, Culture Reconstruction and thereby Transformance.
Use the incoming mandate imperative as a welcome positive to start thinking of sustainable and sustainability in broader terms than just the environment.
The concept of sustainability starts with awareness as a first step, in the short term. Planning and Vision Construction in the medium term, and Outcomes and Benefits in the long term. It is not, largely a quick-fix short-term solution. Understanding that is a first step.
Now thanks to Sustainability we have tapped the first layer of medium to long-term thinking which is certainly not quarterly driven but perhaps quarterly monitored. Which is why medium long-term practices of companies are usually only appreciated by promoters/boards and customers…. without realising it you have the trifecta of audiences when it comes to medium and long-term awareness….
The Journey of Transformance through Sustainable Thinking – Part 2
So whats in it for us (WIIFU) ?
A) C-Suite decision-makers, employees and consumers ?
B) Governments & citizens
C) Government, local and regional partners
So let's look at WIIFU from a corporation perspective (both government & private owned enterprises). The employees at these corporations that understand WIIFU are those that will be the few identifiable employees who are retained to oversee long term goals… relatively unique in these times where corporations (employers) and employees no longer see employment as long term concepts….
But the world is made up of different types of people and companies…. the gig types of jobs and employees and consultants are less effected by this thesis…
At this point, the FWC/Mercury Sustainable Thinking Project will, at the outset take a Think Tank Approach towards the setting up of a Leadership conclave & Symposium followed by an actuation plan to Direct & Oversee executions of initiatives in order to ensure desired and planned outcomes.
Sustainability Transformance Corporations (Both Government & Private Owned)
Sustainability Transformance encompasses the willingness and ability to change what you produce and how you produce it vis-a-vis the world and the people that inhabit it. It’s the Process-to-Planet, part of the system. When you are able to transform what and how you do what you do, it means you are using sustainable thinking to alter, calibrate and pivot your process and methodology. And that only comes from and denotes an ability and willingness to change.
That means you can now apply the same willingness to approach the People-Process part of the system. Which is where it gets into people interaction, teamwork, team building = cohesion which then leads to a collective understanding and appreciation of what the organisation stands for, what it wishes to achieve and how it wishes to achieve it = its capital truth.
And only when the employees and stake holders agree to the collective Capital Truth; then cemented cohesion leads to actual capital growth. And when this happens it’s all hands-on deck. That’s how organisational culture gets built, evolves and develops.
Sustainability Transformance - Students
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The task is to use their inherent intelligence and capability and help them build awareness of urban realities that will arise at the NationaI/Global level as they find placements
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Giving them the skills to navigate macro economic and societal news impact as it becomes an extra layer on a stressed ecosystem
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This is not just simple work/pressure related stress. It is a strain on macro, micro & personal levels that take a toll on individuals, societies, and organisations at large. Just like the basic small steps one takes when surviving a pandemic or a winter flu shots etc that became part of our daily regimens
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The aim is to build MENTAL IMMUNITY that goes beyond meditation and conventional clinical psychology exercises
Steps To Sustainable Development In A Modern World
System Design Thinking for sustainability involves using systemic thinking to understand the complex web of interrelations that create problems. By breaking these down into manageable steps, we can identify when and how to take action. Sustainable architecture integrates the natural environment with food, social, education, and health systems. This approach shifts the focus from individual parts to their organization, recognizing that interactions are dynamic and fluid. System change follows six steps: experiencing the need for change, diagnosing the system, pioneering new practices, enabling tipping points, sustaining transitions, and setting new mainstream rules. Sustainable building design uses cleaner, smarter materials, promotes green building, passive design, and low-maintenance techniques. It emphasizes leaner materials like bamboo and hemp fiber, retrofitting existing buildings, and integrating natural ecosystems into urban environments. Water conservation and recycling are also key components.
From an organisation's fiscal perspective that denotes Transformance thinking, in Culture, Cohesion & Collaboration that leads to transformation in process & execution that leads to quantitative bottom line (Capital Truth) as well as brand capital mindshare in customers, government and shareholders for long term care solutions engagement, existence and growth.
The tools to survive in bad times and thrive in good times when what we’re doing is utilising a seemingly esoteric concept for most corporates and adding it to the positive toolkit that they will need in times of stagnation and/or recession.
Not looking at Sustainable Thinking processes and mandates as a chore , they don’t understand or perceive as not needed or lumped on them (like CSR back in the day)…. but looking at this through a Positive lens, that is monetisable. It’s like the monsoons… if it’s going to rain increasingly unpredictably, then farmers have had to, and have already begun to adapt and cultivate different crops, by becoming adaptive and acting adaptively to weather pattern changes.
Adaption is the imperative in these dynamic times.
A Medical Analogy - Part 1
The Sustainable Thinking process can be compared with a medical journey:
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GP - Awareness/Initial Diagnosis
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Pathology - First deeper level investigation
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Radiology - Comprehensive Diagnosis and forward planning. Vision to Risk Assessment for Operation Execution
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Anaesthesiology - Prepping for the operation making sure the subject is stable and monitored during the procedure
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Operation Surgical Precision assisted by the latest technology, both software and hardware but overseen at the final level by the Pro and his team
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Post Operative Care Specialist - Monitoring the subject adjusting to the extraction or implant as required
A Medical Analogy - Part 2
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Physio Conditioning - The Final Step to strengthening and oversight to prepare for resumption and forward movement to make the most of the operation and to once again survive and thrive
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Back to Awareness Diagnostic GP for assessment that it all followed the process for optimal outcome; and time to time oversight to continue monitoring and audit
Implementation Benefits – Part 1
Those who implement Sustainable Thinking principles in their companies’ “to-do list” are clear winners in the corporate world.
•Facilitates top-line growth
•Reduces costs
•Minimises regulatory and legal interventions
•Increases employee productivity
•Optimizes investment and capital expenditures
This also helps reduce companies’ risk of adverse government action. It can also engender government support Moreover, companies that engage in social activities are perceived as beneficial by the public and social stakeholders.
Implementation Benefits – Part 2
Companies that execute Sustainable Thinking effectively can help combat rising operating expenses (such as raw-material costs and the actual cost of water or carbon), which the research has found can affect operating profits by as much as 60%. A strong Sustainability proposition can no doubt enhance investment returns by allocating capital to more promising and sustainable opportunities (for example, renewables, waste reduction, and scrubbers). After all, investors see value this because it is fundamental to its performance and value and, therefore, should be a part of the organization’s business and workplace culture strategy.
It helps companies to attract and retain quality employees, enhance employee motivation by instilling a sense of purpose and increase productivity overall. As research shows, employee satisfaction has a positive correlation with shareholder returns. Recent studies have also shown that positive social impact correlates with higher job satisfaction, and field experiments suggest that when companies “give back”, employees react with enthusiasm. After all, better employee retention.