Jason Maitland - SEA Case Story

Jason Maitland, SEA, the President of the Sustainability Institute of Trinidad and Tobago, focuses on transforming societies to achieve balanced social, economic, and environmental progress today and tomorrow. Jason considers himself a risk and sustainability champion and functions as a change agent, where he brings a wealth of experience to both corporate and non-profit organizations.

What brought you to this moment in your career where the Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA) credential made sense for you?

I have had some exposure to various aspects of Sustainability, having studied components in my undergraduate degree and being actively involved in my professional life. My home country is a small island developing state and countries like ours will face uncertainty if collectively, we are not successful in limiting the increase in temperature to less than 1.5C.

The climate emergency we face drove some colleagues and me to do more and to search for organizations where we can broaden our knowledge. That's how I found ISSP, and I quickly learned about the SEA credential. I immediately saw the value through the body of knowledge in linking key concepts to the work I was already doing and wanted to expand.

How are you putting the knowledge, skills and ability demonstrated in the SEA to work in your career (or work) today?

Two years ago, Sustainability was incorporated under my purview and this provided an opportunity to demonstrate my new competencies. The SEA credential gave me the confidence and the foundational knowledge to operate as a change agent. With the support of my leadership team, we have been successful in delivering the targets we have set and have seen tremendous engagement from our employees and their families. In addition, I have the pleasure of leading the Sustainability Institute of Trinidad and Tobago as we work with key stakeholders to progress the Sustainability agenda in my country. As such a key objective is capacity building and the SEA credential can certainly play a role in this regard.

What advice do you have for newcomers to this sustainability work?

Tell your story. I have learnt that many people do not understand what Sustainability involves and how they can incorporate aspects into their daily lives. There can also be misinformation and storytelling is an effective way of raising awareness as well as countering misinformation. My other advice is to reach out to others. You are not in this journey alone. Networks are important for continued growth as well as building resolve.

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