From Influence to Impact: Upcoming Webinars & Working Sessions for Sustainability Leaders Ready to Scale Chang

February 20, 2026

As someone who works closely with sustainability practitioners and leaders, I constantly hear the same themes:

“How do I get leadership to say yes?”

“How do small businesses realistically do this?”

“How do we scale change without burning out?”

That’s exactly why I’m so excited about our upcoming webinar and working sessions. These aren’t theoretical discussions. They’re practical, interactive, and designed for those of us doing the hard work of driving sustainability forward — often without formal authority, large budgets, or perfect systems.

Here’s what’s coming up and why I believe these sessions matter right now!

Webinar: The advantages and challenges for small businesses in sustainability

March 5, 12:00pm EST

We often center sustainability discussions on large corporations. ESG frameworks. Reporting mandates. Multi-billion-dollar net-zero commitments but small businesses make up the majority of our economy.

In our upcoming webinar, The Advantages and Challenges for Small Businesses in Sustainability, Colleen Spear brings clarity and practicality to this often overlooked audience.

As the founder of Spearpoint Strategies in New England, Colleen works directly with small businesses across industries — from bottle manufacturing to law to clothing design. She helps organizations embed sustainability into operations and strategy through certification support, fractional management, and strategic planning.

This session will explore:

The barriers small enterprises face in sustainable business spaces
Why most sustainability advice overlooks small business realities
The natural strengths small businesses possess
How to apply sustainability practically within constrained environments

Small businesses often lack the complexity — and bureaucracy — of larger corporations. That agility can be a major advantage. Decision-makers are accessible. Values can be integrated quickly. Cultural shifts can happen faster.

Rather than positioning small businesses as behind, this session reframes them as powerful drivers of innovative, community-centered solutions.

If you work with small enterprises, advise them, or operate one yourself, this webinar will provide actionable insights and language you can apply immediately.

Webinar: Influencing Up: Strategies for Sustainability Leaders

April 28, 5:00pm EST

Our upcoming session with Dr. André Taylor, Strategies for ‘Influencing Up’ as a Sustainability Leaders, focuses on one of the most critical — and underdeveloped — skills in sustainability work: influencing without authority.

Dr. Taylor brings a powerful combination of experience. He began his career as an environmental manager and scientist before earning a mid-career PhD in leadership at Monash University. Today, he serves as Leadership Specialist and Adjunct Associate Professor at the International WaterCentre and works extensively with sustainability and executive leaders.

Why does this matter?

Because sustainability practitioners rarely have direct authority over finance teams, executives, procurement departments, or policymakers. Yet we are expected to influence all of them.

This session will explore:

How to gain buy-in from senior leaders
How to navigate functional silos
How to influence across sectoral boundaries
How to build authority when you don’t have the title

What I appreciate most about this session is that it reframes influence as a skill — not a personality trait. We’ll dive into practical tools and concepts that help sustainability leaders:

Speak the language of decision-makers
Align initiatives with strategic priorities
Understand motivations and incentives
Work effectively across power dynamics

If you’ve ever felt stuck waiting for approval, resources, or executive sponsorship, this webinar is designed for you.

Implementing the AIMS Framework: From Momentum to Scale

Four Interactive Working Sessions:

March 18th — Amplify (12pm EST)
April 22nd — Influence (12pm EST)
May 12th — Multiply (12pm EST)
June 25th — Scale (12pm EST)

For those ready to go deeper, we’re offering a four-part interactive working series led by Dr. Jacqueline Kerr.

Dr. Kerr has been published in Harvard Business Review and is in the top 1% of cited social scientists worldwide. Her work blends behavior change, implementation science, and systems thinking to help sustainability leaders deliver results — even in resource-constrained settings.

These sessions aren’t passive webinars. They’re Miro-based, hands-on working sessions built around real initiatives participants are leading.

Here’s how the journey unfolds:

AMPLIFY — Recognizing Hidden Success

We begin by mapping sustainability wins — even small ones — and identifying their ripple effects.

Participants will:

Surface hidden ROI
Identify informal impact makers
Recognize patterns across companies
Publicly commit to amplifying a success story

Key insight: change is already happening — it’s just often invisible.

INFLUENCE — Removing Barriers Without Authority

We diagnose stalled initiatives using an Action Audit framework.

Together, we map barriers across:

Strategy & Design
People & Engagement
Systems & Structures
Feedback & Adaptation

Participants will leave with:

Clear barrier diagnoses
Peer-tested influence strategies
Commitment to remove one key blocker

The big realization here? Most stalled initiatives are people challenges embedded within unsupportive systems.

MULTIPLY — Creating Action Hubs

We explore what makes groups succeed versus stall and design collaborative “action hubs” around shared problems.

Participants will:

Identify high-impact problems worth solving together
Map who needs to be involved
Develop invitation language
Learn facilitation tactics that build ownership

When groups co-design solutions, momentum becomes self-sustaining.

SCALE — Building Systems That Spread Change

Finally, we design pathways for scaling impact beyond individual teams.

We’ll:

Map where wins can spread
Identify facilitator pipelines
Explore how peer networks enable growth
Commit to developing new leaders

The insight here is transformative: when you train facilitators and activate system levers, change no longer depends on one sustainability champion pushing relentlessly.

Why These Sessions Matter Now

Across sectors, sustainability professionals are navigating political tension, budget constraints, competing priorities, and burnout.

What excites me about this lineup of upcoming webinars and working sessions is that they address the real work:

Influence without authority
Practical sustainability in small enterprises
Behavior change and implementation
Scaling change through systems, not heroics

These experiences are designed not just to inform — but to equip.

Whether you're looking to sharpen your executive influence, support small business transformation, or move from isolated wins to systemic impact, there’s a session built for you.

And perhaps most importantly, these sessions create community. You won’t just learn frameworks — you’ll see patterns across organizations, borrow strategies from peers, and build networks that last beyond a single meeting.

If you’re serious about driving sustainable change in 2026, I invite you to join us.

We’re not just talking about sustainability. We’re building the leadership capacity to deliver it.

About the Authors:

Elizabeth Dinschel, MA, MBA, is the Executive Director of ISSP

Bangaly Kourouma is the President of the Board of Directors of ISSP

Photos: Adobe Stock

< Older Post

Read perspectives from the ISSP blog

Turning Member Feedback into Action: ISSP’s 2026 Strategic Plan

By By Elizabeth Dinschel & Bangaly Kourouma • January 16, 2026

January 16, 2026 At the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP), strategy is not theoretical. It is practical, action-oriented, and grounded in the real needs of sustainability professionals working in complex and rapidly evolving environments. The ISSP 2026 Strategic Plan is a one-year, execution-focused roadmap designed to strengthen ISSP’s role as a global professional association for sustainability practitioners. Built directly from member feedback gathered through Town Halls, surveys, and ongoing conversations, the plan focuses on three strategic priorities: financial stability, relevant professional knowledge, and meaningful member engagement. This article explains what the 2026 Strategic Plan is, why these priorities matter, and how member input directly shaped ISSP’s direction. What the ISSP 2026 Strategic Plan Is—and Is Not The 2026 Strategic Plan is not a long-term vision statement or a five-year forecast. It is a focused, one-year plan designed to deliver measurable progress. The plan is intended to: Strengthen ISSP’s financial sustainability Modernize sustainability education and credential resources Improve the member experience across career stages Each priority includes defined actions, timelines, and success metrics, ensuring accountability and transparency.

Paper cut-out figures holding hands in a chain against a dark blue background.

Listening, Learning, and Rebuilding Connection: Reflections from Our First ISSP Town Hall

By Elizabeth Dinschel, December 18, 2025 • December 18, 2025

Elizabeth Dinschel, MA, MBA, is the Executive Director of ISSP Earlier this month, we hosted our first global ISSP Town Hall since I stepped into the role of Executive Director. I logged off that call energized, humbled, and deeply grateful for the honesty, generosity, and care that our members brought into the space. This Town Hall was never meant to be a one-way update. It was designed as a listening session — a chance for ISSP leadership and staff to hear directly from sustainability professionals across regions, sectors, and career stages. And you delivered. What follows are a few reflections on what I heard, what we learned, and where we’re headed next together. Why We Called This Town Hall ISSP has gone through a period of transition — new leadership, new staff, and a renewed focus on modernizing how we serve a truly global membership. Change can be energizing, but it can also create moments of uncertainty and disconnection. We knew we needed to pause, gather our community, and listen with intention. The Town Hall brought together members from multiple continents, industries, and disciplines. Sustainability practitioners, consultants, engineers, communicators, policy professionals, and career-transitioners all showed up with thoughtful questions and candid feedback. One thing was immediately clear: this community cares deeply about its work, about each other, and about ISSP’s role in supporting sustainability professionals at a challenging moment for the field.

Can sustainability be saved by tackling loneliness, not just CO₂ emissions?

By Raz Godelnik, Associate Professor • November 20, 2025

Raz Godelnik is an Associate Professor of Strategic Design and Management at Parsons School of Design — The New School. He is the author of Rethinking Corporate Sustainability in the Era of Climate Crisis . You can follow him on LinkedIn . Can sustainability be saved by tackling loneliness, not just CO₂ emissions? Earlier this month, I stopped at Sunshine Coffee in Laramie, Wyoming, on our way to Yellowstone Park. What brought me there was the fact that it’s a zero-waste coffee shop, with no single-use consumer items. In other words, there are no disposable cups — not for customers dining in, and not even for those who want their coffee to go, like I did. Instead, you can either bring your own reusable cup or get your drink in a glass jar for $1, which is refunded on your next order when you return it (or you can simply keep it, as I did). At first, I was excited about the zero-waste coffee shop concept, wondering what it would take for Starbucks and other coffee chains to adopt it and eliminate the waste that has become an integral part of our coffee (and other drinks) consumption. But as I waited for my coffee, I began to notice something else — something that had little to do with waste and everything to do with people. As I looked around, I noticed their stickers. Beneath the logo, it read: Zero waste. Community space . Suddenly it clicked — this coffee shop isn’t just about eliminating waste; it’s about creating a place where people feel connected. As owner and founder of Sunshine Coffee, Megan Johnson, explained in an interview with This is Laramie : “I wanted to bring sustainable values to Wyoming as well as build a business that serves the community.” That got me thinking about how the second part — serving the community — is integral to the first. After all, in a world where loneliness — a key barrier to people’s well-being — is on the rise, shouldn’t creating spaces for connection be just as central to sustainability as going zero waste?