I have a life motto that defines who I am and how I view the world. It resonates through my professional work, marriage and personal relationships, and childhood memories — it is core to my understanding of who I am and how I contribute to this planet. Originally coming to my life in the form of my wedding song from musician and sustainability champion Jack Johnson, it’s even tattooed on my left arm as a constant reminder.

Better together.

When taken in the context of the sustainability profession, this motto is the critical path forward toward meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The individuals dedicated to the work of the SDGs understand the high stakes in which we live as a world. The undeniable science causing ever increasing crises calls us to seek and implement solutions at grand scales, across the SDG’s. It also brings us beyond our own ambitions, our organization’s goals, and reinforces the importance of collaboration and acting in concert.

We understand how interdependent our work really is and the critical importance of encouraging broader adoption of the science fueling our actions.

As the leading professional association working across the scope of sustainability practice, ISSP's mission is to empower professionals to advance sustainability across organizations and communities around the globe.  Fostering connection and capacity building ensures individuals and organizations taking up the important cause of creating a better future have the network and the tools to solve the world’s greatest challenges.

Personal Connection

Attending an ISSP member networking call affords opportunities to connect with professionals working to accelerate progress across the globe, at all levels of experience and in each sector of the industry. These calls affirm how critical interpersonal connection and conversation are to opening our vantage points, identifying opportunities to collaborate and innovate, celebrating successes, and better understanding the independencies shaping our world.

Building Capacity

The accelerating growth of sustainability practice, relying on a few high-quality professional learning resources, leaves a relatively unprepared bench of emerging professionals to fill the expanding number of open positions requiring green skills.

Organizations, held to increasingly higher standards, are understanding the importance of fundamental training for their full workforce to achieve sustainability goals, while also increasing the breadth of knowledge on their dedicated sustainability teams. According to the GreenBiz State of the Profession 2022, “Seventy-six percent of respondents from large companies reported an increase in headcount.” This trend is echoed in the LinkedIn Green Skills Report and the U.S. Energy & Employment Jobs Report (USEER).

At ISSP we are working closely with organizations to bring sustainability fundamentals, professional development, and networking opportunities across and within industry sectors and global regions. Through Education Partnerships, ISSP is supporting academic programs worldwide to prepare students with skills needed to jump right in and accelerate sustainability action.

Strategic Partnerships

There is a reason the last SDG is Partnerships for the Goals. The targets encapsulated by SDG17 are the clear pathway for bringing the world together to enable the work required for Goals 1 through 16. Partnerships establish the financing mechanisms, the capacity and skills building, and the global collaboration on which Goals 1 through 16 depend.  

Enabling partnerships and collaboration across geographies, industries, and sectors, allows for strengthening and acceleration of efforts. Partnerships break down silos and empower progress. At ISSP, partnerships enable broader access to critical professional development and industry resources, ensuring we are building a well-prepared and strategically networked workforce to achieve sustainability goals. They are foundational to the resources we bring to our individual members, to our organizational members, and to our broader community of stakeholders around the world.

A Path Forward

Sustainability practice affords the opportunity for successfully meeting the SDG targets through embracing the concept of a connected path forward toward a brighter future. The very ideas of circularity and sustainability rely upon the shared value of the resources this planet provides and understanding of the crises impeding an equitable reality. Every solution and framework—from Project Drawdown’s Solutions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals—comes back to the interconnected, multifaceted paths forward only possible through increased collaboration. These solutions are proven to accelerate when collaboration from the local to the global level occur. ISSP understands the power of a network of individuals, organizations, and partners to create the sustainable future we each need and deserve. Better together.

About the Author:

Michelle Benavides, SEA, LEED AP BD+C, M.Ed.
Executive Director
International Society of Sustainability Professionals

PHOTO: Wes Lewis | Unsplash