The ISSP Sustainability Lexicon(TM) Project

What is the Lexicon^(TM) Project?

ISSP Sustainability Lexicon^(TM) Project brings together a range of sustainability professionals – ISSP members and others – to discuss and, where possible, move towards consensus on the terminology used by sustainability professionals across various disciplines. ISSP as a professional society has positioned itself as the “voice of sustainability professionals,” but one of the many challenges facing the profession is the loose and inconsistent use of terminology.

The focus of the ISSP Sustainability Lexicon^(TM) Project is to better understand how various terms and concepts are articulated in the interdisciplinary playing field of sustainability. In the current phase, with the assistance of ISSP members and non-members, ISSP is framing key questions for further review and analysis.

Add your input to the Lexicon discussion! Here's how to get involved …

ISSP took the decision a few months ago to maintain the dialogue about the Lexicon Project on the LInkedIn platform. Both ISSP members and non-members are welcome to contribute to the discussion. To participate, you must "opt in" to the ISSP LinkedIn group -- this does not happen automatically when members join ISSP.

1. If you are not a LinkedIn member already, you need to establish a FREE basic account by going to www.linkedin.com/ and following the instructions.

2. Once you have set up your LinkedIn account -- or if you are already a LinkedIn member -- the rest is even simpler. Go to the search box on the LinkedIn home page and set the search for "GROUPS" -- then type in "ISSP". The link to the ISSP LinkedIn group should appear. Go to the ISSP LinkedIn group page and select "JOIN GROUP." That's it! You're done.

Once on the ISSP Linked In group page, you'll see posts identified and organized by ISSP's workstreams and major projects. Look for LEXICON posts and start contributing your thoughts and ideas.

The Buzz About Buzzwords and Definitions

There is lots of buzz in the profession lamenting the lack of consistent terms and definitions of language used in the field of sustainability. Many writers and pundits have weighed in on the topic. Any number of articles and blogs lament the current confusing and disconnected world view of how sustainability-related terms are used. Here is a collection of articles that offer various points of view.

A Dozen Sustainability Buzzwords

Why Do People Who Work in Sustainability Hate 'Sustainability'?

You Can’t Have A Revolution If You Don’t Know What To Name It

Do We Need the S-Word? Yes, For Many Reasons

What Is A Definition? How Can This Aid In The Development of CSR?

Words Matter

So You Call This CSR ? Or One of Its Many Other Names?

Let’s Do Away With CSR

Redefining Sustainable Development

Sustainability Context – What Is It?

Terminology: Companies Ensure Efforts Are Not Beyond Description

Sustainability Practitioner, Subject-Matter Expert or Gunslinger? Who Should You Choose?

How Do You Define Sustainability?

Semantics or Substance?

Sustainability Is Dead: It's Time To Change the Way We Talk About Sustainability

If you are aware of other articles or reading material that will help inform the Lexicon discussion, please post a link to it within the Lexicon disccusion on the ISSP LinkedIn page, or send a note to Ira Feldman at ira@greentrack.com.

The Lexicon Project addresses perceived roadblocks on the path to mainstreaming sustainability thinking. “How can the profession speak with one voice when we are speaking in many tongues?” asks Ira Feldman. Ira is president of greentrack strategies, serves on ISSP’s board, and is spearheading the Lexicon^(TM) Project. Feldman explains, "We've all heard the refrain that sustainability ‘means nothing' or 'means everything' so it is useless. Some of us also view the popular 'green' terminology -- especially in the media -- as a 'dumbing down' of sustainability. This does not need to be the case, and the ISSP Lexicon project could help significantly advance the state of play.”

To be clear, the Lexicon Project is not seeking to redefine “sustainability.” Instead, the focus is to better understand how various terms and concepts are articulated in the interdisciplinary playing field of sustainability.

“Will we move towards consensus?” asks Feldman. “I think we will be able to move the needle, perhaps not all the way, but certainly we will be able to better harmonize the sustainability dialogue among practitioners who are based in varied disciplines. Indeed, even context-based clarifications or guidance would be viewed as a useful outcome.” Where conformity in language is not possible or not desirable, the reasons for such differences or nuances (e.g., industry-specific, US v. international, etc.) can be described and explained.

The Steps in the Lexicon™ Process

The process for creating and sustaining the dialogue around The Lexicon Project has three distinct phases.

Phase One: The initial phase, begun in 2011, was intentionally limited in scope with approximately 30 sustainability professionals joining in a baseline effort to capture a sense of the current state of play in the use of sustainability nomenclature and terms of art. A survey consisting of 50 statements – some “plain vanilla” and some “intentionally edgy” according to Feldman – was developed to elicit responses from the sustainability professionals participating in this preliminary effort. The results were surprising in some ways: not only was there closer agreement than anticipated on the use of certain terms, but also a higher than expected gap or unfamiliarity with certain existing sustainability tools and initiatives. In other ways, the results were unsurprising, with the net result confirming the basic premise that consistency is lacking and underscoring the enormity of the challenge to move an eclectic field towards consensus.

Phase Two: ISSP’s Sustainability Lexicon Project^(TM) reached a significant milepost at the ISSP Conference 2011 in Portland, Oregon. One of the key components of the conference was an interactive session for attendees to contribute to the development of a more consistent lexicon for sustainability professionals. At that session, project director Ira Feldman briefed the attendees on the results of an initial survey of a limited number of sustainability practitioners. Ira then facilitated a discussion that explored open issues and helped frame the subsequent phases of the project. Small working groups of conference attendees captured the output of their Lexicon discussions in drawings and diagrams that are displayed below. Simply click on each image for a full-screen view.

Lexicon Drawing 1	Lexicon Drawing 2
Lexicon Drawing 3	Lexicon Drawing 4
Lexicon Drawing 5	Lexicon Drawing 6
Lexicon Drawing 7	Lexicon Drawing 8

To share your perspective regarding any of these graphic summaries, join the ISSP group page on LinkedIn as per the instructions above, then leave a comment indicating which drawing you are commenting on, using the message header LEXICON PROJECT: DRAWING # per the label under each drawing.

Phase Three: We're in the third phase of the Lexicon Project right now, as the dialogue continues on our Linked In group page. Add your thoughts to the process now by getting involved by following the instructions above. Phase Three culminated at ISSP Conference 2013 this May in Chicago. At the conference, participants reviewed the input collected on-line in Phase Three and discussed selected examples based on practitioner experience. The participants also considered the range of options for deliverables. Subsequent phases of the project may result in a summary report or a living document. Other possibilities include guidance targeted to specific audiences (e.g., media, policymakers, etc.) and/or an exposure draft subject to multi-stakeholder review.

To be successful, the Lexicon Project must embrace a broad range of perspectives. We would like to hear from consultants, regulators, corporate managers, NGO representatives, academics and others who believe would add value (content or credibility) to the ISSP Lexicon project. Get involved today and add your voice to the conversation.