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Running head: Leadership And The Practice Of Sustainability In Organizations 1
Master’s Project Capstone Action-Based Learning Project Option One Final Report
Leadership and the Practice of Sustainability in Organizations
Ardavan A. Shahroodi
Northeastern University
LDR 7980—Master’s Thesis Capstone
Professor Courtland Booth
Thursday, July 5, 2015
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 2
Introduction
Sustainability is rapidly evolving into the most crucial challenge of our generation.
Indeed, in the years ahead our ability to adopt sustainable practices in an expeditious and
comprehensive manner may determine the fate of our plant together with the destiny of all the
species and all the natural environments that in one manner or the other are sustained by the
finite resources of this unique and magical ecosystem. This Master’s Project is dedicated to all
those pioneering leaders in Boston’s Hospitality Industry, the field of Higher Education and
other for-profit or non-profit entities that have focused their energies towards the promotion of
sustainability in their respective organizations. In essence, the most fundamental lesson of this
Action Learning Capstone has been that leadership in the field of sustainability is most
effectively exercised when the needs of all the stakeholders are taken into consideration through
cooperation and collaboration among individuals, organizations, communities and all other
interested parties.
Project Goals and Impact
Initial Goals of the Master’s Project
I had originally envisioned conducting this Capstone through the adoption of a
“Consulting Case Project” (CCP) modus operandi. A CCP is described as concentrating “on a
specific situation facing an organization, managers (or administrators) and employees within an
organization. The case must be based on field research, depict real life events and include
situations that require the application of leadership practices” (LDR 7980 Master’s Thesis
Capstone Course Syllabus, 2015, p. 3). In this light, the Capstone was to include a multi-tire
approach that on the most fundamental level would entail an educational journey of discovery
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 3
concerning the general definitions and interpretations attributed to the general concept of
sustainability and its practice in the organizational environment.
The necessity to educate one regarding the concept and application of sustainability in
organizations was to last for the duration of the Capstone and continued thereafter in line with
my intention to devote my future career plans towards understanding, promotion and practice of
effective leadership strategies with respect to this indispensable initiative of our time. In this
light, as delineated in the previously submitted Project Statement and Project Plan documents, I
had envisioned the concentration of the CCP to be on the sustainability practices of for-profit
organizations. In addition, I had selected four pioneering for-profit organizations, namely
Patagonia, Seventh Generation, Ben & Jerry’s and Timberland as role models in adopting such
practices in order to more comprehensively construct a collection of best practices in the
application of sustainability in for-profit companies.
Furthermore, in view of the “Action Learning” (LDR 7980 Master’s Project Capstone
Course Syllabus, 2015, p. 2) requirement of the Capstone, I had planned to establish contact with
the said pioneering organizations intended to develop a thorough knowledge of their respective
approaches to sustainability. Pursuant to these foundational stages that would be devoted to
acquiring knowledge based on research of the available scholarly and organizational material in
addition to the introduction of the Action Learning phase, the goal of the CCP would turn to
focus on producing a sustainability best practices manual/document.
Next, as an extension of the Action Learning phase and also in line with the mandate of
the CCP to concentrate on “a specific situation facing an organization, managers (or
administrators) and employees within an organization” (LDR 7980 Master’s Project Capstone
Course Syllabus, 2015, p. 3), the Capstone would concentrate on identifying and sharing the
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 4
best practices manual/document with a fifth for-profit company that would be at a less
developmentally mature level in regards to the introduction of sustainability policies. Most
importantly, my particular interactions with this beginning and intermediate for-profit company
were meant to address and potentially improve the specific sustainability oriented
situation/challenges/dilemmas facing this organization.
I strongly feel that I began the CCP with a very high level of enthusiasm, energy and
conviction. My research of the scholarly, non-peer reviewed literature and information related to
the particular approaches of the four pioneering for-profit firms very much substantiated the
urgency associated with the necessity to adopt sustainable policies and practices
organizationally. The results of some of those findings on sustainability were presented in the
previously submitted Project Statement and Project Plan documents. Nevertheless, as I began to
progress in accumulating a substantial amount of knowledge on a variety of sustainability related
matters; I faced an all-important CCP Action Learning negating obstacle in my inability to
establish any substantive communication with the four indicated pioneering for-profit
companies.
I actually had foreseen the potential for access related challenges from the very beginning
of this Master’s Thesis project. In the section titled “What Risks May be Involved” in the
Project Statement document, I had observed, “The most significant risk inherent in this CCP is
one of acquiring meaningful and productive access to the five indicated organizations (four
pioneering and one at the beginning/intermediate stages) for the purposes of conducting research,
compare/contrast policies or operational modalities and application of best practices”. In
addition, in the Project Plan document, in the section devoted to delineating the “Barriers” that
may be potentially encountered in the conduct of the CCP, I had indicated that a “barrier that I
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 5
may encounter during the conduct of the CCP may be related to the level of assistance that I will
receive from the four pioneering sustainability organizations. The contributions of these four
pioneering organizations are an integral aspect of the CCP”.
In the Project Plan document, I had also referred to an additional “Barrier” that would
have been the “task of identifying, contacting and acquiring access to a fifth organization that is
at the beginning or intermediate stage of adopting sustainability oriented policies and practices.
This by far may prove to be the most challenging aspect of the CCP”. Nevertheless, I began my
outreach attempts in order to establish contact with the four pioneering for-profit firms in the
fourth week of the Spring Session (April 26-May 2) and continued these efforts into Week Five
(May 3-9) and Week Six (May 10-16) of the Capstone.
Initially, I attempted to establish contact with the four pioneering for-profit firms through
the medium of the Internet (company Websites) and E-mails in order to explain my Master’s
Project and seek their assistance. These electronic communications were sent to the Customer
Service and Public Relations Departments of these companies. These initial efforts did not bore
fruit and I continued my outreach by calling these firms and requesting to be directed to their
Human Resources Departments in order to speak in-person/live to an organizational associate
concerning my Capstone project. Unfortunately, in all these phone calls, I was directed to a
recording requesting that I leave a Voice Mail describing my reasons for calling the company. In
the end, in this initial phase, I did not receive any return communications from the four
pioneering for-profit firms.
Clearly, the absence of any response and return communications from the four for-profit
pioneering firms was extremely disappointing to me. In fairness, I must admit that one is always
unsure why organizations may not respond to a scholarly oriented request from researchers. This
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 6
lack of response may be caused by the focus of organizational associates on more important
priorities such as addressing the concerns and serving the needs of internal (employees) and
external customers. Here, performing an employee’s job related responsibilities as designated by
the corresponding organization are indeed considered as more essential than a study of outside
researchers. In addition, the limitations of internal resources and the particular timing associated
with an outreach are also factors that may determine if an organization responds favorably or
otherwise to a request for cooperation from outside researchers.
In spite of the aforementioned reasoning and rationale underlying a lack of response from
the four for-profit pioneering firms, I could clearly observe that the success of my Capstone is in
a serious danger of derailment. Crucially, throughout this Capstone, I have been fully cognizant
of the Action Learning character of the Master’s Project and the particular requirement of the
CCP to concentrate “on a specific situation facing an organization” (LDR 7980 Master’s Thesis
Capstone Course Syllabus, 2015, p. 3). Consequently, the very fact that I was unable to receive
any communications, secure any cooperation or establish any engagement with the firms who are
considered as pioneers in the practice of sustainability had placed the original goals of the
Capstone in serious jeopardy. At this particular juncture, my Master’s Project possessed a high
probability of failure due to its inability to fulfill the Action Learning quality of the Capstone.
Project Transformation and Renewal
One of the most important aspects of my learning experience throughout this Master’s
Project has been my extremely frequent communications with Professor Courtland Booth. These
mostly electronic communications/E-Mail correspondence and three phone conversations were
initiated one week prior to the beginning of the Spring Session and have continued for the
duration of the Capstone. Most importantly, these communications had allowed me to share
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 7
Capstone related ideas with Professor Booth, receive his feedback and in return update him on
my project related progress. I understood my most central duty to Professor Booth as being
honest with him regarding the status of my project related progress. I also came to develop a
very high level of admiration for Professor Booth for his intelligence, perceptiveness,
respectfulness, resourcefulness and hard work.
In this light, as I began to encounter project derailing obstacles related to the Action
Learning feature of the Capstone, I immediately informed Professor Booth of my inability to
establish any engagements with the four pioneering for-profit firms. Here, Professor Booth, in a
very short time span suggested that I should consider establishing contact with other
organizations who have introduced sustainability in their policies and practices. He also
reaffirmed the Action Learning aspect of the Capstone and advised me that the success of my
Capstone project is depended on establishing meaningful engagement with other organizations
and their respective administrators. Accordingly, Professor Booth observed that the Hospitality
Industry has been in the forefront of adopting sustainability practices into its operations for a
variety of reasons such as reducing expenditures or indeed because “it is the right thing to do”
(Professor Courtland Booth).
As evidence of his assertion concerning the Hospitality Industry’s leading role in
adopting sustainability practices, Professor Booth also forwarded to me a recent New York
Times article by Amy Zipkin (2015, April 27) titled “Hotels Embrace Sustainability to Lure
Guests and Cut Costs”. This article observes that currently a number of Hospitality operations
offer their guests the choice of opting out of Housekeeping Department services such as reusing
linen and towels during their stay in order to conserve the energy that may be utilized washing
and cleaning these items.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 8
The article also refers to other cost saving measures taken by Hospitality properties such
as “installing energy-efficient light bulbs and digital thermostats…using recycled water for
landscaping…displaying…cards in guest rooms about the energy saved by not changing sheets
and towels daily” (Zipkin, 2015) in addition to “introducing…farm-to-table cuisine in restaurants
to lower their carbon footprint, providing charging stations for electric vehicles and using kitchen
scraps for compost and even recycling cooking oil for experimental biodiesel fuel” (Zipkin,
2015). In the article a Hospitality Industry consultant states that “hotels have three reasons to
pay attention to conservation…corporate sustainability; better expense management; and
consumer interest” (as cited in Zipkin, 2015). Furthermore, Zipkin (2015) cites a 2013
TripAdvisor study that “found 79 percent of travelers placed an importance on properties that use
environmentally minded practices”.
In a telephone conversation with Professor Booth, he proposed that I should visit a
number of Hospitality properties and establish contact with some of their managers in order to
understand the nature of their organizations’ sustainability policies and practices. I had
previously shared with Professor Booth that for years I had been employed in the Hospitality
Industry and indeed I considered my career in that field as very spiritually and intellectually
rewarding. In addition, on a volunteer basis, for a period of seventeen years I taught customer
service, conflict resolution and other Hospitality related subject matters in a municipal
program/school established for training entering/inexperienced Hackney operators. I also had
written my Thesis document at the conclusion of my first Master’s degree on the “Nature and
Management of Conflict in the Hospitality Industry”.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 9
Professor Booth also indicated that in my interactions with the Hospitality Industry and
other organizations, in order to understand their sustainability oriented policies and practices, I
must focus on generating responses to the following four questions:
1. What is/are your most important sustainability goals?
2. What are some other specific sustainability goals that you are trying to implement in the
present or the future?
3. What is your management or leadership style concerning sustainability? Where are most
of your managerial interactions and leadership efforts being concentrated concerning
sustainability?
4. In addition to yourself, are you aware of other Hospitality businesses/operations or other
businesses that are exercising leadership in the field of sustainability?
(The above questions were posed by Professor Courtland Booth. Ardavan A. Shahroodi has
made minor syntax oriented revisions in these questions).
As I may have revised the syntax of some of the above questions, nevertheless, clearly
Professor Booth must receive full credit for their design and content in addition to being
acknowledged for his excellent and timely suggestion that I should focus my engagement efforts
towards establishing contact with the Hospitality Industry and other organizations. Here, while I
began thinking about Professor Booth’s proposal concerning contacting Hospitality properties
and other organizations, I also came to the realization that I must abandon the Consulting Case
Project approach (CCP) and adopt an Action-Based Project (ABP) model (Option One).
In an ABP Capstone Option, the object of the student is to “develop a project, lead others,
strive to achieve shared goals, and analyze the experience” (LDR 7980 Master’s Project
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 10
Capstone Course Syllabus, 2015, p. 2). In this light, the student “will select and create an
initiative in which… [they] may demonstrate the leadership knowledge gained in the degree
program and make a measurable positive impact within a group or organization of [their] choice”
(LDR 7980 Master’s Project Capstone Course Syllabus, 2015, p. 2). As I began thinking about
and designing my new ABP oriented Capstone in commensurate with the particular
characteristics of the Hospitality Industry and some other organizations, I contemplated visiting a
number of hotel properties in the Back Bay section of Boston.
Accordingly, on Monday, May 18, 2015, I proceeded to visit the following Hospitality
properties in the Back Bay section of Boston:
1. Sheraton Hotel Boston Back Bay: Spoke with and left the Sustainability Questionnaire
with a Human Resources Manager.
2. Hilton Hotel Boston, Back Bay: Spoke with and left the Sustainability Questionnaire
with the Front Desk Manager.
3. Westin Hotel Boston, Copley Square: Spoke with and left the Sustainability
Questionnaire with a Human Resources Manager.
4. Marriot Hotel Boston, Copley Square: Spoke with and left the Sustainability
Questionnaire with a Human Resources Manager.
5. Colonnade Hotel Boston, Back Bay: Spoke with and left the Sustainability Questionnaire
with a Human Resources Manager.
6. Fairmont Copley Plaza, Copley Square: Left the Sustainability Questionnaire with the
Concierge to be forwarded to the Human Resources Department.
7. Copley Square Hotel, Copley Square: left the Sustainability Questionnaire with the Front
Desk to be forwarded to Mr. Dean Crean, Director of Engineering.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 11
8. Lenox Hotel Boston, Back Bay: The hotel associates would not accept the Sustainability
Questionnaire. I was told to E-Mail the Sustainability Questionnaire to Ms. Deirdre
Bodi, Human Resources Manager.
All the aforementioned hotels are within walking distance of each other and as a result, I
was able to visit all the properties in a single day. In all the properties, I requested to speak with
their Human Resources Department (HR) in order to submit the four sustainability oriented
inquiries. Here, in four of the properties, I was able to meet and hand over the Sustainability
Questionnaire to a HR associate, while in three hotels due to the unavailability of the HR
personnel, the questions were left at the Front Desk or the Concierge Desk in order to be
forwarded to the HR Department. In one property, I was given an E-Mail address and told that I
may forward the questions to that particular HR associate.
This first day in the new ABP oriented phase of the Capstone proved to be extremely
important, in spite of my inability in securing concrete responses to the sustainability
questionnaire. Importantly, my interactions during this very crucial day resulted in a heightened
level of confidence in addition to helping me refine my message in describing my research into
the sustainability practices of organizations. This added sense of confidence may have also been
related to the very fact that here I was in the familiar surroundings of Hospitality establishments,
thoroughly understanding the particular service oriented organizational etiquette and culture of
the organization in addition to being very much acquainted with the responsibilities of different
departments.
Nevertheless, I also came to the realization that I may be able to reach a larger number of
Hospitality Organizations by first calling them on the telephone or communicating with them via
E-Mails as opposed to visiting them physically. In essence, due to the very service oriented
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 12
character and relational nature of these organizations, the outreach approach that had not been as
successful in regards to the four pioneering for-profit firms, may prove to be effective in the case
of Hospitality operations. An additional very important consideration promoting the call-first
approach that emanated from my interactions during that Monday, May 18, 2015, was a
realization that organizational associates would appreciate and indeed are entitled to the
opportunity to decline a research oriented outreach effort.
Indeed a potential lack of concern for the convenience, time and interest of others may
potentially derail the possibility of securing any responses during a research oriented outreach
effort when responders realize that the researcher is not respectful of their right in rejecting
questionnaire related requests. With these crucial lessons learned I thought about moving
forward with the ABP outreach strategy, devised a corresponding execution plan and proceeded
in the subsequent days to call and exchange E-Mails with a large number of Boston’s Hospitality
organizations.
In the ensuing days, I would mostly call the general number of the organization, request
to be connected to the Human Resources Department and subsequently describe the nature of my
Master’s Project outreach effort in understanding the sustainability policies and practices of
Hospitality organizations. Occasionally, I would also be directed to the Front Desk or other
departments in the property in the event HR associates were unavailable or invited to leave a
message describing my request to the Human Resources or Engineering Managers. In all my
conversations, I would request that the manager or the department responsible for overseeing
sustainability oriented efforts respond to the previously disclosed four questions that would
subsequently be forwarded to these organizations electronically. In being respectful of the time
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 13
and important responsibilities of these Hospitality associates and managers, I soon developed a
habit during phone conversations of initiating my comments by stating,
“Hi, I am not sure if you are able to help me with this (or if you can help me with this)?”
I thought this was important, because the above comment indicated my respect for the
judgment and understanding of the potential responders in the event they did not wish to become
a part of the ABP sustainability study. In the duration of the ABP sustainability outreach effort, I
spoke, sent E-Mails or left Voice Mails for the following Hospitality associates, managers and
organizations:
1. Taj Hotel Boston, Ms. Maureen Albright, Director of Engineering: Spoke on the phone,
exchanged E-Mails, received substantive responses to the Sustainability Questionnaire.
2. Four Seasons Hotel Boston, Ms. Catriona Eldemery, Human Resources Manager: Spoke
on the Phone, sent E-Mail.
3. Intercontinental Hotel Boston, Ms. Fabienne Eliacin, Engineering Administrative
Assistant: Spoke on the phone, met in person, received tour of the property, conducted
an interview, sent E-Mail, received substantive responses to the Sustainability
Questionnaire. Ms. Erica Connors, Human Resources Manager: Spoke on the phone,
sent E-Mail.
4. Omni Parker House Hotel Boston, Ms. Jennifer Chadwick, Human Resources
Coordinator: Spoke on the phone, exchanged E-Mails. Mr. Bill Mansfield, Director of
Engineering, Leader for Sustainability at Omni Hotels & Resorts: Left Voice Mail,
Exchanged E-Mails.
5. Boston Park Plaza Hotel Boston, Ms. K. McKenzie, Human Resources Manager: Spoke
on the phone, sent E-Mail.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 14
6. W Hotel Boston, Human Resources Manager: Left Voice Mails.
7. Marriott Hotel Boston Long Wharf, Ms. Megan Wooster, Human Resources Manager:
Left Voice Mails, Sent E-Mails.
8. Millennium Bostonian Hotel, Front Desk: Left Voice Mail for undesignated hotel
manager.
9. Boston Harbor Hotel Rowes Wharf, Human Resources Manager: Left Voice Mails.
10. Hotel Commonwealth Boston, Ms. Heather Southard, Director of Human Resources:
Spoke on the phone, exchanged E-Mails, received substantive responses to the
Sustainability Questionnaire.
11. Ritz Carlton Boston Downtown, Ms. Giliam Medina, Human Resources Manager: Spoke
on the phone, sent E-Mail.
12. Seaport Hotel Boston, Ms. Gilda Santos, Human Resources Manager: Spoke on the
phone, sent E-Mail.
13. Renaissance Hotel Boston, Ms. Maureen Gilmartin, Human Resources Manager: Spoke
on the phone, sent E-Mail.
14. Langham Hotel Boston, Ms. Theresa Neumann, Human Resources Coordinator: Spoke
on the phone, Sent E-mail. Mr. Bob Stone, Purchasing Department Manager: Spoke on
the phone, sent E-Mail.
15. Westin Hotel Boston Water Front, Mr. Peter Neville, Human Resources Manager: Spoke
on the phone, sent E-Mail.
16. The Residence Inn Boston Harbor Tudor Wharf, Mr. Brian Comeau, Human Resources
Manager: Spoke on the phone, sent E-Mail.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 15
17. XV Beacon, Mr. E. Smoller, Director of Operations: Spoke with an assistant on the
phone and was told to send the E-Mail to Mr. Smoller.
18. Wyndham Hotel Boston Beacon Hill, Mr. H. Mouhsin, Human Resources Manager:
Spoke on the phone, sent E-Mail.
19. Liberty Hotel Boston, Ms. Stephanie Fisher, Human Resources Manager: Spoke on the
phone, sent E-Mail.
20. Marriott Courtyard Boston Downtown, Ms. Robin Brewster, Human Resources Manager:
Spoke on the phone, sent E-Mail.
21. Verb Hotel Boston, Mr. Jeff Kiley, Director of Sales: Spoke with an assistant on the
phone, exchanged E-Mails, received substantive responses to the Sustainability
Questionnaire.
22. Boxer Hotel Boston, Front Desk: Spoke to undesignated associate at the Front Desk and
was told to send E-Mail to undesignated hotel manager.
23. Marriott Courtyard Boston Copley Square, Mr. F. Newton, Director of Engineering:
Spoke to a Front Desk manager and was told to send E-Mail to Mr. F. Newton, Director
of Engineering.
24. Hotel 140 Boston, Ms. S. Fuller, undesignated hotel manager: Spoke with undesignated
associate at the Front Desk and was told to send E-Mail to Ms. S. Fuller, undesignated
hotel manager. Automatic reply, Ms. Fuller was out of office.
25. Kimpton Onyx Hotel Boston, Ms. Roseanne Kwong, Human Resources Manager:
Spoke on the phone, sent E-Mail. This E-Mail was returned.
26. Ames Hotel Boston, an unnamed Human Resources manager: Left Voice Mail for
Human Resources managers.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 16
27. Club Quarters Hotel Downtown Boston, undesignated Front Desk associate: I was told
the hotel will not participate in the study.
28. Lowes Hotel Boston, an unnamed Human Resources manager: Left Voice mail for the
Human Resources managers.
29. Harbor Side and Charles Mark Hotels (same owner): I was told these hotels will not
participate in the study.
30. Hilton Hotel Downtown Faneuil Hall, Ms. Elaine Rousseau, Human Resources Manager:
Left Voice Mail.
In addition, during the above period, a number of other Hospitality establishments such as the
Eliot Hotel Boston, Battery Wharf Hotel Boston Waterfront and Midtown Hotel Boston were
also contacted. These outreach efforts did not result in any further communications. In the midst
of my outreach efforts involving the aforementioned Hospitality establishments, I also followed
through with some of the Hospitality properties that I had visited in-person on Monday, May 18,
2015. The following is a summary of these follow-through outreach efforts:
1. Sheraton Hotel Boston Back Bay, Ms. Jennifer Ollari, Human Resources Coordinator:
Spoke on the phone, Exchanged E-Mails. Ms. Ollari forwarded my request and the
Sustainability Questionnaire to Mr. Jeff Hanulec (this name was provided by a third
party), Director of Engineering, received substantive responses to the Sustainability
Questionnaire.
2. Hilton Hotel Boston Back Bay, Ms. Gardner, undesignated hotel manager: Spoke on the
phone, sent E-Mail with the Sustainability Questionnaire.
3. Copley Square Hotel Boston, Mr. Dean Crean, Director of Engineering: Left Voice Mail
concerning the Sustainability Questionnaire that was left with the Front Desk.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 17
4. Lenox Hotel, Ms. Deirdre Bodi, Human Resources Manager: Sent E-Mail with the
Sustainability Questionnaire.
5. Westin Hotel Boston Back Bay, Human Resources Manager: Spoke on the phone
concerning the Sustainability Questionnaire that was left with the Human Resources
Department.
In conclusion of the ABP outreach effort involving the aforementioned Hospitality
establishments, I received five substantive responses to the Sustainability Questionnaire. Three
of these responses where prepared and provided by the responding Hospitality managers, namely
Ms. Maureen Albright, Director of Engineering, Taj Hotel Boston; Mr. Jeff Hanulec, Director of
Engineering, Sheraton Hotel Boston Back Bay and Mr. Jeff Kiley, Director of Sales, Verb Hotel
Boston. I was also invited to take a tour of the sustainability related operations of the Taj and
Sheraton hotels. However due to the limitations of time and my prevailing trait not to take
advantage of other parties’ kindness and generosity, I did not visit these Hospitality properties.
An additional substantive response was generated when I interviewed Ms. Fabienne
Eliacin, Engineering Assistant Manager, Intercontinental Hotel Boston. Ms. Eliacin is also in
charge of sustainability related practices in Intercontinental Hotel Boston. Here, I also received a
tour of the Intercontinental Hotel’s sustainability operations. Furthermore, I received a response
to the Sustainability Questionnaire from Ms. Heather Southard, Director of Human Resources,
Hotel Commonwealth Boston. In this response, Ms. Southard has responded to all the inquiries
in the Sustainability Questionnaire and graciously indicated that the sustainability practices of
her property are in the early stages of development. However, her candid and honest responses
are indicative of the type of leadership characteristics that must be appreciated and promoted in
all organizations. All five substantive responses and supporting material provided by some of
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 18
these Hospitality properties may be found in the Addenda section of this Master’s Project Final
Report.
Finally, in my interactions with Boston’s Hospitality Industry, I repeatedly came across
the name of an organization called “Boston Green Tourism” that in its Web site is described as,
“An association of 200 hoteliers and green product and service vendors who work
with hotels…include several government hospitality programs and non-profit
leaders…work towards a green, healthy and cost effective hospitality sector in
Boston and throughout the U.S.” (Boston Green Tourism, About US, n. d.)”.
I subsequently left a Voice Mail and exchanged E-Mails with Mr. Dan Ruben, the
Executive Director of Boston Green Tourism requesting his assistance in providing
responses to the four questions in the Sustainability Questionnaire. Here, Mr. Ruben also
submitted four substantive responses to the Sustainability Questionnaire that may be
viewed in the Addenda section of this Final Report.
Lastly, it must be emphasized that although my outreach efforts with respect to a
large majority of the hotels that I attempted to contact or actually contacted was not
successful, I was consistently treated with respect and dignity by the managers and
associates of these Hospitality establishments. In addition, the particular end of year
dates of the Spring Session created an obstacle in the conduct of the ABP outreach efforts
as they were conducted during the months of May and June, considered one of the busiest
periods in Boston’s Hospitality Industry due to college graduations. Consequently, it is
very understandable that all Hospitality establishments would need to focus their scarce
human resources on satisfying the immediate needs of their guests.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 19
All the same, the six substantive responses that were generated from Boston’s
Hospitality Industry together with an analysis of the particular approaches of the leaders
in these properties that are responsible for sustainability operationally offer very effective
lessons in leadership and cultural attributes necessary in promoting such practices
organizationally. The sustainability characteristics of these Hospitality properties
together with the lessons learned in leadership and organizational culture are discussed in
the next section.
Lessons Learned in Leadership, Organizational Culture and the Practice of
Sustainability Generated from Interactions with Boston’s Hospitality Industry and
Their Responses to the Sustainability Questionnaire
Energy conservation. In regards to the practice of sustainability, all six substantive
responses by leaders in the Hospitality Industry to the Questionnaire cited efforts focused
on reducing the usage of energy organizationally. Ms. Maureen Albright, Director of
Engineering, Taj Hotel Boston stated that one of her property’s most important
sustainability goals is to “reduce consumption of HLP [heat, light and power]”. In the
path of achieving this goal, Ms. Albright added , Taj Hotel Boston has already reduced
“electricity consumption” by “conversion to LED bulbs in guest rooms and Front of
House areas”, the usage of “Free Cooling to take advantage of outside temperatures to
cool building, rather than running chillers”, “whenever possible replacement equipment is
[to be] Energy Star rated” and the installment of the “water reuse system that takes steam
condensate (from heat exchangers) and uses this to pre-heat domestic hot water”.
In the current year of 2015, Ms. Albright stated, the Taj Hotel is planning to
replace a number of in-house pumps “that will bring an estimated 10,000 kWh savings”,
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 20
will replace “all Heart of House lighting to LED…220,000 kWh savings” and install
“controls on walk-in coolers which will bring an estimated 17,000 kWh savings”. In
addition, she emphasized, in the future the hotel property will “continue to look for ways
to reduce water, steam and gas consumption”. In relation to the important goal of
“energy and water conservation”, Mr. Jeff Hanulec, Director of Engineering, Sheraton
Hotel Boston Back Bay (largest hospitality property in Boston) observed that the
aforementioned Hospitality establishment’s future aspirations emanate from the parent
company, “Starwood’s commitment to energy and water conservation” [some of the
following information has been generated from a document titled “Sheraton Boston
Hotel: Making Boston a Better Place” provide by Mr. Jeff Hanulec and found in the
Addenda section of this Final Report].
Mr. Hanulec stated that Starwood’s “carbon footprint” reduction policy is
“demonstrated in our 30/20 by 20 reduction goal. 30/20 by 20 aims to reduce energy
consumption by 30% and water consumption by 20% by the year 2020”. He added that
the accomplishment of this goal includes both “required and recommended initiatives”
that are focused on “energy measures, capital expenditures, and preventive maintenance”.
Mr. Hanulec emphasized that,
“Energy and water conservation has been the cornerstone of Starwood’s
environmental policy since 2009. As the first global hospitality company to aim
to reduce energy and water usage per built hotel room, we ask all our owned,
managed, and franchise hotels to work towards our sustainability goals by
implementing reduction methods that do not affect the guest experience”.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 21
According to Mr. Hanulec [generated from the document titled “Sheraton Boston
Hotel: Making Boston a Better Place], Sheraton Boston Hotel’s continuing energy
conservation efforts include “high-efficiency LED lighting retrofits, implementation of
ECM [Electronically Commutated Motor] motors in all 1220 guestrooms and the
installation of high efficiency water fixtures in all of our 2014 renovated guest rooms.
Demand Control Ventilation”. These actions have resulted in a “700,000 kWh saving
year over year on higher business volumes”. Mr. Hanulec stated that the “City of Boston
recognized us as showing largest energy reduction in their portfolio of commercial
buildings”.
Energy conservation is also an important goal for the Verb Hotel Boston that
according to Mr. Jeff Kiley, Director of Sales (also responsible for sustainability efforts)
has currently installed “energy efficient lighting”, “low flow toilets and showers” in
addition to promoting “energy friendly transportation for employees and guests,
recommending and making available racks for bikes and schedules that accommodate the
train schedule”. In the future, Mr. Kiley added, the Verb Hotel is planning to install
“energy efficient heating/cooling”.
With respect to energy conservation in Intercontinental Hotel Boston, the
document titled “Green Initiatives” (provided by Ms. Fabienne Eliacin, Engineering
Administrative Assistant) found in the Addenda section of this Final Report has stated
that the establishment has currently installed “high efficiency plumbing fixtures”. The
“Green Initiatives” document reports that,
“All toilet flushes, taps and faucets, shower heads have high efficiency water
controls in each of Intercontinental Boston’s guest rooms. In the office areas, all
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 22
faucets have been conditioned with filters to assist in eliminating bottled water
consumption. In 2013, all the guestroom shower heads have been changed from
2.5 to 2.0 GPM [Gallons Per Minute]”.
Furthermore, in this property, “light sensors have been installed in all guest rooms and
office spaces to control electricity” (Green Initiatives document provided by Ms. Eliacin). In an
Interview conducted by the writer of this Final Report, Ms. Eliacin observed that an important
future goal of the Intercontinental Hotel is to be designated as a LEED (Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design) certified Hospitality operation in Boston that will require major
structural remodeling and significant operational alterations. The Green Initiatives document
also states that “since opening in 2006, Intercontinental Boston offers guests the option of having
their linen changed during their stay in an effort to help conserve water and reduce the effects on
our natural environment”.
An additional Hospitality establishment, Hotel Commonwealth Boston has stated that in
adopting energy saving measures, the property “offer guests the opportunity to have bed made
and not changed, towel reused”. Finally, Mr. Dan Ruben, the executive director of an
organization that promotes sustainability practices in the Hospitality Industry called Boston
Green Tourism has stated that his top “priority” goals “are to move the hotel industry to: Reduce
fossil fuel use/Reduce water, waste and toxins/Improve transportation efficiency”.
Recycling. The overwhelming majority of the respondents also included their present and future
recycling efforts as one of their most important sustainability goals. Here, Ms. Albright, Director
of Engineering, Taj Hotel Boston stated that her property follows a “Single Stream Recycling”
method that recycles “paper/plastic/aluminum/cardboard”. In 2015, according to Ms. Albright,
the establishment has,
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 23
“Added (2) 250 lb. Wet trash recycling units. These units can each take 250 lbs.
of wet trash (food) and convert it into less than 20 lbs. of 1st stage fertilizer.
Employees take this fertilizer home to use in their gardens. Future—perhaps
partner with local farms or parks to take and use this fertilizer in their areas”.
In addition, Ms. Albright observed that,
“All unused soap, and soap products, from our guest rooms are packed and sent
to a recycle facility. We partner with Clean the World Foundation. Clean the
World takes our used soap items, recycles the soap products and creates new bars
of soap that are sent globally to help fight the spread of disease. Clean the World
also recycles the plastic containers that are sent”.
According to Ms. Albright, Taj Hotel Boston’s recycling efforts also include
“batteries/electronics/light bulbs” that “are all packaged and sent to proper recycling
facilities” and “larger bulk items” that “are also kept out of the trash compactor, and are
picked up by outside company for scrap and proper disposal”. In describing the Sheraton
Hotel Boston Back Bay’s recycling efforts, the document titled “Sheraton Boston Hotel:
Making Boston a Better Place” supplied by Mr. Hanulec, Director of Engineering states
that,
“Our partnership with our waste collection vendors helped our team re-launch
our recycling program focusing on every aspect of the waste stream including
solid waste, organics, and hazardous waste and innovative programs like UTC
Mattress recycling which help put young adults to work. We’ve had 10%
increases[s] in our recycling year over year”.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 24
The aforementioned document also cites Sheraton Hotel Boston’s partnership
with the Clean the World Foundation that has resulted in the collection and recycling of
“2,602 bars of soap, 315 pounds of recycled plastic and 1,119 bottles of shampoo and
conditioner to clean the World [These are partial 2014 figures, the Historic Totals for the
Sheraton Hotel Boston Back Bay as of the aforementioned date are 22,063 bars of soap,
3,236 pounds of plastic and 11,507 plastic bottles according to the information provided
by Mr. Jeff Hanulec, Director of Engineering, Sheraton Hotel Boston Back Bay]”. The
document holds that “Clean the World’s goal is to collect and recycle soap and shampoo
products discarded by the hospitality industry everyday”.
Mr. Jeff Kiley, Director of Sales, Verb Hotel Boston who is in charge of the
property’s sustainability program also stated that “recycling programs” are one of the
most important sustainability goals of the establishment. One of the most comprehensive
recycling programs in Boston’s Hospitality Industry is being implemented in the
Intercontinental Hotel property. In an interview with the writer of this Final Report, Ms.
Eliacin who is in charge of that establishment’s sustainability efforts stated that in the
future, one of the goals of the Intercontinental Hotel Boston is to “continuously find ways
to increase the recycling rates of the property” and eventually become a “zero waste
operation”. Here, a document supplied by Ms. Eliacin titled “Green Initiatives” states
that “from 2007 to 2014 the Intercontinental Boston increased its recycling from 8% to
41%”.
The Green Initiatives document states that in its multi-faceted recycling programs,
the Intercontinental Hotel Boston recycles “vegetable oil from the kitchens,
paper/magazines/newspapers, cardboard, all glass and plastic bottles, cans and plastic
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 25
packaging (Co-mingling recycling), clean/used bed sheets, towels, in-room amenities,
pillows, unclaimed lost & found, batter[ies], light bulb[s], ink and toner”. The Green
Initiatives document also describes the operation of an,
“In-house centralized pulper which is connected to all kitchens…function is to
compress and grind-up organic matter, such as food scraps, paper napkins etc.
with water and then extract most of the moisture to produce a dry, organic pulp
that can be easily disposed. It eliminates a mass of trash and reduces waste,
transportation and disposal costs”.
The Green Initiatives document observes that “all food that is not allowed in the
pulper will be composted”. According to the Green Initiatives document, the
Intercontinental Hotel Boston has also “began a partnership with Global Soap (GSP), a
nonprofit organization with a mission to improve global health. Used soap is collected
from the hotel’s housekeeping department and shipped to GSP’s plant”.
In an additional recycling oriented partnership, Intercontinental Hotel Boston is
working with Clean the World Organization that is a “social enterprise with the mission
of saving millions of lives around the world” (Green Initiatives). Finally, in regards to
recycling efforts, Mr. Dan Ruben, executive director of Boston Green Tourism has
indicated in one of his responses to the Sustainability Questionnaire that the reduction of
“waste” in the “hotel industry” is one of the most important goals of his organization.
Other sustainability oriented present and future efforts and goals. In her responses
to the Sustainability Questionnaire, Ms. Albright, Director of Engineering, Taj Hotel
Boston has stated that “we currently have 6 bee hives on our roof. This is our 3rd year
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 26
and we have increased the number of hives year over year…We now use our honey in
cocktails served in our bar. We also use our honey in deserts”. In the future, Ms.
Albright is hoping to increase the number of hives to “10” in addition to “offer viewing
of the hives to guests, or perhaps even local schools to discuss the health benefits of
honey, discuss the plight of the honey bee and how having these hives is benefitting the
bee overall”.
Ms. Albright has stated that the Taj Hotel is “adding an herb garden on the roof.
The herbs we plant will be used by our Culinary team”. In addition, in the future, she
“would like to…work and partner with local farms to create a menu which features food
sourced within X miles of the hotel…promoting freshness and foods indigenous to the
region”. According to the Green Initiatives document, Intercontinental Hotel Boston also
accommodates and manages a “Roof Deck Apiary” composed of “six hives” whose bees
are “hard at work pollinating the flora of an approximate 4 mile radius of the hotel which
includes Boston’s expansive 21-acre green space, the Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston
Common and Public Gardens in the Back Bay and the hotel’s own waterfront floral and
herb gardens”.
In general, “two honey harvests take place annually” (Green Initiatives) and the
product is subsequently used in the hotel’s various eating and drinking establishments. In
an additional sustainability program in Intercontinental Hotel, “all unclaimed cell phones
are donated to an organization called, Cell Phones for Soldiers” that “turns old cell
phones into minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas” (Green
Initiatives). Furthermore, according to the Green Initiatives document, “Intercontinental
Hotel Boston uses an “eco-friendly all-in-one reusable laundry, duffel and hanging
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 27
garment bag”. Lastly, in Intercontinental Hotel Boston “guestroom keys are made from
bioPVC…proven to be biodegradable and environmentally safe. In addition…purchases
easily biodegradable items”.
According to Mr. Jeff Kiley, Director of Sales, in the Verb Hotel, sustainability is
also promoted in an important property goal of using “non-toxic chemical/cleaners” in
addition to “training and reminders regarding proper use and disposal of
chemical/cleaning supplies”. Finally, Mr. Dan Ruben, executive director of Boston
Green Tourism regards helping the Hospitality Industry to “serve environmentally-
friendly food” and “educate guests and staff about green practices and market their
properties as green” as important goals of his organization.
Leadership, culture, partnerships, community, volunteerism and charitable
endeavors in Hospitality Industry’s sustainability efforts. Ms. Maureen Albright,
Director of Engineering, Taj Hotel Boston, in one of her responses to the Sustainability
Questionnaire, describes her practice of leadership as “very hands-on with staff and
external partners”. This indicates that she views competence through personal conduct
and know-how as an important quality in leadership that promotes the indispensable
credibility of the leader. Kouzes and Posner (2012) hold that “Titles are granted, but it’s
your behavior that earns you respect…Exemplary leaders know that if they want to gain
commitment and achieve the highest standards, they must be models of the behavior they
expect of others” (p. 16). These authors add that “one of the best ways to prove that
something is important is by doing it yourself and setting an example” (p. 17).
Here, Kouzes and Posner (2012) contend that “leaders’ deeds are far more
important than their words when constituents want to determine how serious leaders are
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 28
about what they say. Words and deeds must be consistent” (p. 17). Moreover, the
imperative of service is reflected in an additional response of Ms. Albright where she
observes, “I would like to see us contribute more in our community”. Ms. Albright also
adds that, “I have a committee that assists in our hotel wide sustainability efforts, i.e.
Recycling processes, community involvement, etc.” Furthermore, Ms. Albright states
that,
“I work closely with outside Heat, Light and Power contractors. These people
are crucial when looking at projects in the hotel that can reduce consumption.
Partnering with Electric companies, water companies, etc. affords incentives
towards the projects that help to minimize initial costs to fund the projects”.
Here, Kouzes and Posner (2012) observe,
“On every team, and in every organization and community, others also feel
strongly about matters of principle. As a leader, you also must affirm the shared
values of the group…Exemplary leaders set the example by aligning actions with
shared values. Through their daily actions, they demonstrate their deep
commitment to their beliefs and those of the organization” (p. 17).
In view of Kouzes and Posner’s (2012) analysis, Ms. Albright’s application of
leadership begins with her action based posture as a competent and credible leader whose
words and deeds are in close alignment. With respect to matters involving the practice of
sustainability, Ms. Albright empowers and enhances the effectiveness of this approach to
leadership through partnerships with individuals and organizations internally and
externally in order to serve her Hospitality establishment and the larger community. As a
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 29
woman leader and a leader in promoting sustainability in her organization, Ms. Albright
“Model [s]” the Way” (Kouzes & Posner, 2012, p. 16) through individual competence
and establishing partnerships with all those who are impacted by her leadership inside
and outside the Taj Hotel Boston property.
Kouzes and Posner’s (2012) “Model the Way” (p. 16) approach to leadership is
also present in how Ms. Fabienne Eliacin, Administrative Assistant of Engineering,
Intercontinental Hotel Boston conducts herself as a leader of sustainability efforts in her
organization. In an interview with the writer of this Capstone Final Report, Ms. Eliacin
asserted that in order to exercise effective leadership, leaders must be an example to their
subordinates, followers and with respect to the community at large…leadership differs
from management in that leaders must truly and authentically embrace the intended
mission and elevate that mission to a higher plateau (In line with the format of the
interview with Ms. Eliacin, this is a paraphrase and not a direct citation of her
comments).
Ms. Eliacin added that competent leaders practice a participatory style of
leadership that entails following an open door policy and maintaining an open mind in
regards to all constructive ideas (paraphrase). This leadership temperament, Mrs.
Eliacin believes, will promote a positive sense of balance in the decision making process
(paraphrase). Mrs. Eliacin emphasized that the responsibility of leaders is to
continuously educate everybody in regards to the importance of sustainability standards
and practices in addition to enthusiastically support and expand charitable efforts on
behalf of their respective organizations (paraphrase).
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 30
The standard of “Model the Way” (Kouzes & Posner, 2012, p. 16) is also present
in the responses to the Sustainability Questionnaire and other supporting material
provided by Mr. Jeff Hanulec, Director of Engineering, Sheraton Hotel Boston Back Bay.
In a document titled “Sheraton Boston Hotel: Making Boston a Better Place”, the
establishment asserts that “the Sheraton Boston is involved in many different programs
and partnerships in an effort to continuously improve and grow our sustainability
efforts”. Here, in addition to sustainability oriented endeavors in regards to energy
conservation and recycling, the documents emphasizes that “our efforts in making Boston
a better place are not all about the bottom line and preserving our natural resources; we
also participated in many community service related efforts” such as “blood drives, bake
sale, donate 4 tons of food to local food pantry, dinner for the [underprivileged] elderly”
and other charitable campaigns.
The imperative of “Model the Way” (Kouzes & Posner, 2012, p. 16) implies a
leadership understanding and orientation that is also focused to “teach others to model the
values” (p. 87) of the organization. In this light, leaders must be cognizant of the fact
that,
“You’re not the only role model in the organization. Everyone should set the
example. Words and deeds have to be aligned at all levels and in all situations.
Your role is to make sure that your constituents are keeping the promises they
have made” (pp. 87-88).
Kouzes and Posner (2012) contend that in order to “teach others to model the
values” (p. 87), leaders and organizations must promote institutional standards by
“reinforce [ing them] through systems and processes” (p. 93). Accordingly,
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 31
“All exemplary leaders understand…that you have to reinforce the key values that
are important to building and sustaining the kind of culture you want. Key
performance measures and reward systems are among the many methods
available to you” (p. 95).
The aforementioned leadership values of educating, teaching, reinforcing or
rewarding are very much evident in the sustainability policies and practices of the Verb
Hotel Boston and the Boston Green Tourism organization. Mr. Jeff Kiley, Director of
Sales, Verb Hotel Boston who is also in charge of that establishment’s sustainability
efforts, in response to the Sustainability Questionnaire, has enumerated the following
organizational practices in order to “reinforce” (Kouzes & Posner, 2012, p. 93)
sustainability “through systems and processes” (p. 93): “Recognition of associates that
use energy efficient transportation to/from work and/or carpool”, “reminders of
employees to recycle” and “training and reminders regarding proper use and disposal of
chemicals/cleaning supplies”.
An important entity that has been teaching, reinforcing and thereby promoting
sustainability oriented policies and practices for a number of years in Hospitality
establishments is the Boston Green Tourism organization. In his responses to the
Sustainability Questionnaire, Mr. Dan Ruben, the executive director of the said
organization has emphasized that teaching and reinforcing of sustainability is indeed an
integral part of the leadership related mission and efforts of Boston Green Tourism. Mr.
Ruben enumerates some of the aforementioned teaching and reinforcing sustainability
oriented activities as:
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 32
. “Show how green practices/products help hotels advance their goals: cost
reduction, appeal to prospective guests, staff satisfaction, improved indoor air
quality”.
. “Teach hotels about the latest advances in the green industry”.
. “Provide a newsletter, workshops and training sessions”.
. “Post presentations and articles on the Boston Green Tourism Website”.
. “Use hotel case studies liberally. Show that and how other hotels are going green.
Be specific about what hotels are doing, why, detailed cost/benefit analyses”.
. “Advise hotels about how certain green certifications can help them”.
Most importantly, Mr. Ruben states that his teaching and reinforcing leadership
approach in regards to sustainability is to,
“Give honest analyses. Point out barriers, disappointing products, when to be
wary, etc. Be credible—not a cheerleader. Carefully screen products and
services based on environmental value, cost, quality and other features that
concern hoteliers”.
Renewed Sustainability Oriented Outreach to the Four For-Profit Pioneering Firms
As I conducted my ABP oriented sustainability outreach with the Hospitality
Industry and began interacting with and describing my Capstone to Hospitality
organizations, a heightened sense of confidence and enthusiasm convinced me to once
more contact the four pioneering for-profit firms who practice sustainability. With
respect to the Timberland Corporation, this renewed outreach effort did not generate any
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 33
meaningful communication. In regards to the Ben & Jerry’s Corporation, I was able to
speak on the phone with a pleasant Customer Service representative that typed the
questions from the Sustainability Questionnaire and promised to forward these inquiries
to other associates in the organization. This Customer Service representative stated that
she could not guarantee that I would receive a response from the intended employees.
In relation to the Seventh Generation Corporation, I spoke and exchanged a number of E-
Mails with a very helpful member of the Customer Service Team named Ms. Jan. She informed
me that Seventh Generation is a B-Corporation and thereafter forwarded the Sustainability
Questionnaire to their Corporate Consciousness Team. However, Jan stated that
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you do not hear back from them sadly. They are a two
person team who are absolutely strapped for time. They have worked incredibly
hard to provide the answers to your questions through our Web site in documents
like our Corporate Consciousness Report”.
I actually had already printed (from the company Web site) and studied the latest
(2013) Corporate Consciousness Report of the Seventh Generation Corporation that
indeed contained very important sustainability related material. I subsequently thanked
this conscientious employee in a Reply E-Mail for her follow-through and truthfulness.
In my interactions with the Patagonia Corporation, I spoke with and exchanged E-
Mails with Mr. Chipper Bro who identified himself as a Human Resources associate. Mr.
Bro did eventually provide a number of very concise responses to the Sustainability
Questionnaire that he forwarded to me via E-Mail. These responses have been added to
the Addenda section of this Final Report document.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 34
Lessons learned. As stated in the above paragraphs, both Patagonia and Seventh
Generation companies informed me that they are certified as a “B Corporation”. In a
corresponding Web site, under the title of “Why B Corps Matter” (bcorporation.net, n.
d.), the following description states “By voluntarily meeting higher standards of
transparency, accountability, and performance, Certified B Corps are distinguishing
themselves in a cluttered marketplace by offering a positive vision of a better way to do
business” (bcorporation.net, n. d.). The description adds that “Business, the most
powerful man-made force on the planet, must create value for society” (bcorporation.net,
n. d.) and that the B Corp organization and its affiliated “community” (bcorporation.net,
n. d.) are,
“Encouraging all companies to compete not just to be the best in the world, but to
be the best for the world. As a result of our collective success, individuals and
communities will enjoy greater economic opportunity, society will address its
most challenging environmental problems, and more people will find fulfillment
by bringing their whole selves to work” (bcorporation.net, n. d.).
Accordingly, in Patagonia Corporation’s responses to the Sustainability
Questionnaire, Mr. Chipper Bro who identified himself on the phone as being with the
Human Resources Department for a number of years has stated that, “We are a B-
Corporation. That means that all of our job’s purpose is to solve social and
environmental problems”. In responding to the question that asks regarding Patagonia’s
present and future sustainability goals, Mr. Bro states, “To cause no unnecessary harm in
everything we produce”. Finally, on reflecting on the particular leadership approach
concerning the application of sustainability organizationally, Mr. Bro observes that in,
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 35
“Every conversation we have in building product or processes all start with
sustainability”.
This Capstone Final Project Report does not necessarily promote the concept of
the B-Corporation model. Indeed in a free marketplace for-profit entities must have the
inherent and inalienable right to create their own business model based on their unique
perspectives, world view, vision and values. However, the objective here is to explore
how different for-profit and for that matter non-profit organizations may learn from each
other in the application and promotion of sustainable standards and practices.
The aforementioned descriptions of the B-Corporation found in the Web site of
that organization and the responses of Mr. Bro, the Human Resources associate from the
Patagonia Corporation offer us the following lessons. First, B-Corporations focus on
balancing the goals of “transparency” (bcorporation.net, n. d.), “accountability”
(bcorporation.net, n. d.) and “performance” (bcorporation.net, n. d.) in order to
simultaneously create value for the firm and for society. Secondly, this particular
business posture, it is argued, will promote “greater economic opportunity”
(bcorporation.net, n. d.) for all the stakeholders, “address…environmental”
(bcorporation.net, n. d.) challenges and enhances job satisfaction for the employees
(bcorporration.net, n. d.). In this light, Patagonia’s responses to the Sustainability
Questionnaire emphasize their adopted mission to “solve social and environmental
problems…cause no unnecessary harm in everything we produce” and crucially, place
sustainability at the forefront of all leadership efforts when “building products and
processes”.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 36
Sustainability Oriented Outreach to Institutions of Higher Education and the
Lessons that Were Learned in this Interaction
I received substantive responses from Northeastern University, Boston University,
Boston College and Harvard University to the Sustainability Questionnaire. These
responses may be viewed in the Addenda section of this Final Report. All responses
illustrate wide ranging and meaningful energy conservation, recycling/waste reduction
and community building/collaborative sustainability efforts on the part of these
institutions. Most importantly, in the promotion of sustainability these institutions and
their respective leaders are enthusiastic community builders. In this light, in regards to
her managerial interactions and leadership efforts, Ms. Carol Rosskam, Northeastern
University’s Sustainability Program Manager states that, “Fundamentally, I am a
community-builder”.
Additionally, in relation to the act of building supportive communities as a crucial
leadership vehicle in the promotion of sustainability, Mr. Robert Pion, LEED AP, Boston
College’s Sustainability Program Director observes, “My leadership style is one of
collaboration. Although it takes more time sometimes to achieve results, I believe that it
is important to have a solid base of individuals who help reinforce and sustain actions
and initiatives”. Here, Mr. Dylan Lewellyn, a sustainability leader from Boston
University holds that the “mission” of the sustainability program in BU is to “lead the
University in a more sustainable direction by integrating sustainability into the culture
and structure of Boston University” through “collaborative effort from students, faculty,
and staff who feel empowered through education about sustainability initiatives to lead
change across campus”.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 37
Mr. Lewellyn adds, “In the field of sustainability, the most powerful tools we
have to manage people and push for change are collaboration, networking, and
empowerment”. Finally, the Web site of Harvard University’s Office for Sustainability
reports that with respect “Governance” or leadership,
“Implementing Harvard’s sustainability goals requires an unprecedented level of
collaboration…The foundation of sustainability at Harvard is collaborative
decision making and a clearly defined administrative and organizational
management framework to engage and empower students, staff and faculty…This
governance structure was created to foster continuous improvement and
coordinated decision making, and to ensure that all stakeholders have a voice in
policy development through active participation in planning and implementation
efforts” (Harvard University Office for Sustainability, Commitment, n. d.).
In this light, Ms. Heather Henriksen, Director of Harvard University’s Office for
Sustainability observes that “Collective decision-making has had a multiplier effect on
us” (Harvard University Office for Sustainability, Commitment, n. d.).
Sustainability Oriented Outreach to Atlantic Wharf Boston and the Lessons that
Were Learned in this Interaction
A highly respected for-profit organization recognized as a leader in adopting and
promoting sustainable standards and practices in Boston’s commercial property market is the
Atlantic Wharf high-rise building. This pioneering organization that is owned by Boston
Properties “has been awarded Platinum certification under the U.S. Green Building Council
LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] rating system” (Atlantic Wharf Web
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 38
site, Sustainability, n. d.) and is considered as “Boston’s first green skyscraper” (Atlantic Wharf
Web site, Sustainability, n. d.). The particular design of Atlantic Wharf facilitates a usage of
“33% less energy than comparable downtown office towers and 42% less energy than a typical
existing office in New England” (Atlantic Wharf Web site, Sustainability, n. d.).
In addition, the Atlantic Wharf building is “designed to use 69% less domestic water in
the office tower compared to a typical downtown tower” (Atlantic Wharf Web site,
Sustainability, n. d.) and during its construction phase “utilized building materials manufactured
from recycled products” (Atlantic Wharf Web site, Sustainability, n. d.). In responding to the
Sustainability Questionnaire, Mr. Ben Myers, Sustainability Manager, LEED AP BD+C has
stated that,
“As one of the largest owners and developers of office properties in the United States,
Boston Properties continually seeks ways to promote our growth and improve our
performance by attracting and retaining tenants and controlling costs. The efficient
operation of our buildings in an environmentally responsible manner and positively
impacting the communities in which we operate are important components of this
strategy”.
In line with the aforementioned sustainability oriented strategy Mr. Myers has
enumerated the goals of Atlantic Wharf as “Reduce energy consumption (electricity, gas, district
heating/cooling)”, “Reduce potable water consumption (fixtures, toilets, process/cooling towers,
irrigation), “Increase waste diversion (recycling)” and “Reduce key performance indicator
intensities”. Mr. Myers adds that other present and future sustainability plans of the Atlantic
Wharf organization include “A comprehensive greenhouse gas reduction goal”, “A renewable
energy generation goal” and a “Green (LEED) certified (% portfolio) goal”.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 39
Mr. Myers also observes that “on an ongoing basis, Boston Properties reviews which
measures are the most effective in supporting” their overall “strategy and where the greatest risk
lies in not taking action. We focus our efforts on the areas we can control and make significant
impacts”. The lesson of the Atlantic Wharf organization is in the very fact that for-profit
companies may efficiently and effectively promote growth and control costs through adopting
genuine and authentic sustainability standards and practices. This indeed is a question of
leadership that adopts sustainable business strategies that are simultaneously in the interest of the
firm, corporate responsibility, host communities, society and the planet.
Leadership Development
What Leadership and Other Skills Did You Practice, Learn about and Develop During this
Project?
This Master’s Project was extremely difficult to design and implement. I was moved to
devote this Capstone to understanding how for-profit companies implement sustainability into
their organizational practices due to an increasing sense of alarm at the environmental dilemma
that is faced by our species. I came to this Project with limited background in environmental
sciences, ecology, biology, climatology and other natural sciences. Nevertheless, my studies in
political science, history, organizational studies, social psychology, leadership studies and
conflict resolution have convinced me that major structural changes must be adopted in an
expeditious manner in how humanity utilizes natural and mineral resources in order to avoid a
state of environmental catastrophe and the resultant never ending cycles of socioeconomic crisis.
As this is awareness on an intellectual level, on an emotional level, I am devastated by
the destruction of the natural habitats and the ecological equilibrium of our planet indispensable
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 40
for the survival of our own and all other species. Indeed we are at the edge of a precipice and a
sense of urgency must characterize all our organizational, economic and political decisions and
actions. This sense of urgency has also convinced me to dedicate the time remaining in my
working years and natural life to the promotion of sustainability in our society. Indeed, urgency
as a fundamental element of this project gave me the emotional and psychological resilience
needed to perform my Capstone related duties and necessary tasks.
In regards to organizational transformation, Kotter (2012) contends “establishing a sense
of urgency” (p. 23) requires “identifying and discussing crises, potential crises, or major
opportunities” (p. 23). This indeed is not only true with respect to organizational environments;
a similar dynamic is prevalent in relation to a state of economic, political, social or
environmental crisis. Consequently, I began this Capstone with a deep belief on an intellectual
and emotional level that our species is entering or we are actually presently in a state of crisis
rooted in an inability to control a voracious appetite for the extraction and consumption of
natural and mineral resources combined with an ever increasing global population that is only
aggravating this quandary.
I completed the initial phase of my research into patterns that have necessitated the
adoption of sustainable practices described in the Project Statement and Project Plan documents.
This research made me understand the disastrous ramifications of this state of crises for our
planet in addition to confirming a sense of urgency governing my Capstone related actions.
Kotter (2012) observes that “creating a strong sense of urgency usually demands bold or even
risky actions that we normally associate with good leadership” (p. 45). This sense of urgency
also convinced me that I must design an outreach effort that would entail contacting
organizations that I was unfamiliar with in order to understand their sustainability oriented
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 41
policies and practices. Under normal circumstance, in view of my extremely deferential posture,
I may have hesitated contacting and imposing on the valuable time of unfamiliar organizations.
In this light, I first attempted to contact four for-profit pioneering firms that practice
sustainability. This outreach effort was not successful. However, at this juncture, Professor
Booth suggested that as a former Hospitality Industry employee who is familiar with the
structure of such organizations, I must contact hotel properties that have adopted sustainable
practices as an effort to reduce costs, and/or address the environmental concerns of guests. At
the most fundamental level, I viewed this Master’s Project as a movement in ethical leadership.
Northouse (2013) observes that “ethics is central to leadership, and leaders help to establish and
reinforce organizational values. Every leader has a distinct philosophy and point of view” (p.
428).
Gini (1998) adds that “all leaders have an agenda, a series of beliefs, proposals, values,
ideas, and issues that they wish to put on the table” (as cited in Northouse, 2013, p. 428). Here,
my agenda for this Capstone was the understanding and promotion of sustainability on the
organizational and societal level and this I understood as being the ethical purpose of this
project. As I approached the Action Learning responsibilities of this Capstone, I implemented
the four principles of “respect, service…honesty, and community” (Northouse, 2013, p. 430)
recognized together with “justice” (p. 430) by Classical and the Age of Enlightenment
philosophers or modern scholars as “the foundation for the development of sound ethical
leadership” (p. 430). Nevertheless, I must emphasize that in this Capstone, I did not interact with
and learned from followers but leaders themselves that had adopted and practiced sustainability
in their respective organizations.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 42
In relation to the leadership principles and temperaments of respect and honesty, as it is
my disposition towards all people, I practiced an approach of authentic politeness and full
disclosure towards all people. In that spirit, I was perpetually focused on strictly adhering to the
rules (play by the rules) and not to take advantage of other person’s generosity, kindness and
time. During the first day of visiting Hospitality properties, I kept in mind that in general the
practice of solicitation is not allowed in hotel establishments. In each of the eight properties, I
requested to see and speak with the Human Resources Department (HR Department) in order to
first describe my research to an organizational entity that I believed must have the final say in
evaluating the participation of the establishment in a research study.
Nevertheless, in some properties, the HR personnel were not available and the
Sustainability Questionnaire was left with either the Front Desk or the Concierge Department
employees. In the five other establishments, I requested to utilize the back of the
house/employee entrance where the property’s security employees would first call the HR
Department and receive permission prior to allowing me to enter the building. I understood this
procedure as the most appropriate course of conduct allowing the respective authorities of the
hotel property the ability to thoroughly evaluate my request and thereby decide if they would
permit me to proceed to the HR Department.
In these five hotel properties, I first presented my NEU ID and Massachusetts Driver
License to the security personnel in the event they wished to record my identity. I subsequently
would describe the nature of my Master’s Project concerning the sustainability practices of
organizations and request to contact the HR Department. Once I would speak with a HR
manager, I also handed them the Sustainability Questionnaire and request their assistance in
providing responses describing the programs and practices of their organization. I continuously
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 43
concentrated on being respectful of organizational norms and practices regarding non-employee
contacts, communications and requests.
Subsequent to that first day of visiting hotel properties, I proceeded to initially call the
hotel establishments and again requesting to first speak to the HR Department of a given
property in order to describe my Master’s Project. In some establishments I was unable to reach
the HR Department. In other hotels, with the permission of the HR Department, I was able to
speak with or exchange E-Mails with those in the property that were responsible for the
sustainability practices of the organization. I must once again emphasize that regardless of the
success of these interactions, throughout the outreach Action Learning period, I was treated with
respect and dignity by the respective Hospitality establishments.
Furthermore, in addition to the Intercontinental Hotel Boston, the Taj Hotel Boston and
the Sheraton Hotel Boston Back Bay properties also offered to conduct personal tours of their
sustainability practices for the purposes of this Capstone. These invitations were forwarded to
me via E-Mail correspondence pursuant to receiving very thorough and useful responses to the
Sustainability Questionnaire from the Directors of Engineering of these establishments. Here,
out of respect for the valuable time of these Hospitality Industry leaders, I did not take advantage
of these offers in order not to be of any further impositions. In relation to the Intercontinental
Hotel Boston, during a phone conversation I interpreted that the respective sustainability oriented
manager, Ms. Eliacin, would prefer an interview session during which she will be able to
describe the specific characteristics of the program and her particular leadership approach.
All in all, whether in my interactions with Hospitality establishments or subsequently
with other organizations, I continuously endeavored not to impose on the valuable time of
sustainability leaders in addition to being respectful, humble, deferential, accommodating, self-
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 44
effacing, fully transparent, tolerant and patient. Beauchamp and Bowie (1988) emphasize that
“persons must be treated as having their own autonomously established goals and must never be
treated purely as the means to another’s personal goals” (as cited in Northouse, 2013, p. 431).
These scholars add that “treating others as ends rather than as means requires that we treat other
people’s decisions and values with respect; failing to do so would signify that we were treating
them as a means to our own ends” (as cited in Northouse, 2013, p. 431).
The aforementioned Kantian (1724-1804) driven mind set and values conducted my
personal behavior during this Master’s Project as I was always cognizant of the imperative that
these organizational leaders possess their own priorities and responsibilities and I must never
take advantage of their kindness and consideration in responding to the Sustainability
Questionnaire. Here, I was also mindful of my responsibility to be a guardian of the good name
of their persons and the reputations of their respective organizations. Similarly, I was ever
mindful of the necessity for honesty in strengthening “relationships” (Northouse, 2013, p. 436) as
opposed to dishonesty that “even when used with good intentions…contributes to the breakdown
of relationships” (p. 436).
In regards to the ethical leadership attributes of service and community, I saw the essence
of this Master’s Project as being an instrument of service to society by learning the sustainability
practices of organizations and sharing these standards with other entities. This activity will be
performed with those individuals and organizations that have responded to the ABP
Questionnaire intended to form communities of leaders who are focused on promoting
sustainability in the Hospitality Industry and other fields. As Senge (1990) contends, in this
Master’s Project, I saw myself as a servant and steward, all the while,
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 45
“Clarifying and nurturing a vision that is greater than oneself. This means not
being self-centered, but rather integrating one’s self or vision with that of others
in the organizations. Effective leaders see their own personal vision as an
important part of something larger than themselves” (as cited in Northouse, 2013,
p. 432).
Here, I understood an additional central goal of this Capstone as learning from the
practices and visions of different organizations’ sustainability leaders, combining this knowledge
with selective academic research and sharing the results with the participants. This was in line
with the definition of leadership as a “process whereby an individual influences a group of
individuals to achieve a common goal” (Northouse, 2013, p. 5) that would have been the
promotion and propagation of sustainability organizationally. Northouse (2013) observes that
“an ethical leader takes into account the purposes of everyone involved in the group and is
attentive to the interests of the community and the culture” (p. 437). Here, I viewed the
promotion of sustainability as the very purpose of this Capstone adopted to serve the “interests of
the community and the culture” (Northouse, 2013, p. 437).
What Noteworthy Successes or Issues occurred in Certain Leadership Interactions?
One of the most intellectually rewarding and spiritually gratifying experiences during this
Capstone was my phone conversation and E-Mail exchanges with Ms. Maureen Albright,
Director of Engineering, Taj Hotel Boston. Ms. Albright enthusiastically agreed to describe the
sustainability practices of her Hotel property by responding to the Sustainability Questionnaire.
Ms. Albright’s responses captures a comprehensive sustainability program that includes serious
organizational efforts related to the reduction of energy usage (heat, light and power
consumption), recycling procedures involving different items (Single Stream Recycling,
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 46
batteries, etc., larger bulk items, wet trash recycling), bee hives on the roof, cooperation and
partnership with internal (other departments) and external partners (electric companies, water
companies, other hotel companies) (please note the aforementioned information and most of the
sustainability oriented terms were provided by Ms. Albright).
These interactions convinced me that Ms. Albright is an authentic sustainability leader
who acts with the courage of her convictions in promoting sustainability in her organization.
The striking element of her leadership style was also her dedication to the future expansion of the
sustainability practices of the Taj Hotel Boston organization and efforts as she stated to
“contribute more in our community” (Ms. Maureen Albright). I observed that Ms. Albright’s
application of leadership resembled “Bill George’s [2003] Authentic Leadership Approach”
(Northouse, 2013, p. 258) that describes these types of leaders as having a,
“Real sense of purpose. They know what they are about and where they are
going. In addition to knowing their purpose, authentic leaders are inspired and
intrinsically motivated about their goals. They are passionate individuals who
have a deep-seated interest in what they are doing and truly care about their work”
(as cited in Northouse, 2013, p. 258).
An additional noteworthy success or issues that occurred in my leadership
interactions emanated from the access related challenges encountered during the initial
stages of the Master’s Project. Here, I believe what saved this Capstone was the practice
of being honest, frank and transparent with Professor Courtland Booth concerning these
access related obstacles. This expression of truthfulness helped me to benefit from the
vast experiences and knowledge of Professor Booth and in line with his recommendations
concentrate my energies on generating responses from my former employer; the
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 47
Hospitality Industry. Professor Booth’s invaluable leadership insight allowed me to
incrementally improve my confidence level in a familiar environment with a sense of
pride and deep knowledge of organizational standards and practices.
What New Questions and New Ideas About Leadership in General, and Your Own
Capacity as a Leader, Have You Identified? What Developmental Goals Are
Important for You Now?
In this Master’s Project, I have come to observe and learn that competence is an
indispensable leadership quality invaluable in enhancing the credibility of leaders who
are in charge of managing and promoting sustainability in organizations. Importantly, as
illustrated and practiced effectively by Ms. Maureen Albright, Director of Engineering,
Taj Hotel Boston, this exercise of competence must be intellectual and theoretical in
addition to as she has stated “hand on” and practical.
Additionally, this Capstone has underscored beyond a reasonable doubt that
honesty is always the most effective, efficient and productive leadership approach that
promotes what Walumbwa et al. (2008) refer to as the authentic leader characteristic of
“self-awareness” (as cited in Northouse, 2013, p. 263). Here, self-awareness “refers to
the personal insights of the leader. It is not an end in itself but a process in which
individuals understand themselves, including their strengths and weaknesses, and the
impact they have on others” (as cited in Northouse, 2013, p. 263).
In this Master’s Project, the process of self-awareness began while encountering
access related obstacles that I truthfully reported to Professor Booth. This expression of
full transparency resulted in the timely and most beneficial advice of Professor Booth that
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 48
brought me back to my organizational roots and strengths eliminating a debilitating
weakness in this Capstone Project. This expression of truthfulness emanated from what
Walumbwa et al (2008) observe as an “internalized moral perspective” (p. 264) that is a
“self–regulatory process whereby individuals use their internal moral standards and
values to guide their behavior rather than allow outside pressures to control them. It is a
self-regulatory process because people have control over the extent to which they allow
others to influence them” (as cited in Northouse, 2013, p. 264).
The existence and exercise of this internalized moral perspective controlling the
conduct of Professor Booth and me facilitated an environment that Walumbwa et al
(2008) describe as one of “relational transparency” (as cited in Northouse, 2013, p. 264)
where individuals are characterized as “being open and honest in presenting one’s true
self to others. It is self-regulatory because individuals can control their transparency with
others” (as cited in Northouse, 2013, p. 264).
Finally, this Capstone has proven to me that exposure to responsibility and the
performance of tasks has the potential to drastically increase the level of my confidence.
In this light, at the onset of my ABP Action Learning interactions with organizations that
practice sustainability I described the Capstone with hesitation, although this posture of
being unsure soon gave way to confidence based on practice, awareness and knowledge.
Crucially, the educational process related to further developing and improving my
sustainability oriented theoretical and practical knowledge will further enhance my
corresponding competence and confidence in this field in the years ahead.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 49
Research
What Literature Was Relevant to Managing the Project and Leading its Members?
What Models Did You Use form Prior Assigned Readings and Studies in the Degree
Program and from Your Own Research for Your Project?
In this Capstone, literatures in two separate fields of study were “relevant to
managing the project and leading its members”. The first field of study included
academic and other writings on environmental, population, resource and organizational
studies that have made sustainability as an indispensable imperative for the ensuing
welfare and survival of our species. The majority of this research was presented in the
Project Statement and Project Plan documents in addition to being very selectively
repeated in the following section in a logical fashion in order to illustrate the ensuing
crisis and the sense of urgency that must govern all our actions concerning the adoption
of sustainable practices in our organizations and society. The second field of study
included in this Capstone included writings on various models, theories and practices of
leadership.
The case for sustainability. The case of urgency for the adoption of sustainable
practices organizationally and in society is rooted in the inevitable looming crisis that is
besieging and jeopardizing the future of humanity. This state of crisis has partly emerged
from the very fact that “the world’s population, virtually static throughout most of
history, has grown to unprecedented size over the past two centuries, largely due to
advances in health care that developed in the industrial world, then spread to the
developing world” (Mor Barak, 2014, p. 78). Here, in particular, in the past 50 or at most
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 50
60 years these ironically positive developments in healthcare, sanitation and life
expectancy have led to the expansion of the world’s population dramatically.
Incredibly, in 1804, the world population stood at 1 billion whereas that figure by 1950
had increased to 2.5 billion and by the year 2000, approximately 6 billion people inhabited our
planet (Information Please/Pearson Education, n. d.). The world’s population is projected by the
U.S. Census Bureau (n. d.) to stand at 9.3 billion (as cited in Information Please/Pearson
Education, n. d.) by 2050. However, Mor Barak (2014, p. 79) has observed that the world
population growth “to over 9 billion” (p. 79) is reflective of fertility rates that are presently in
“decline” (p. 79). In the event these fertility rates do not decline as expected, “the United
Nations sees the world’s population growing…reaching 11 billion in total” (Mor Barak, 2014, p.
79).
A prime example of this dramatic increase in the world’s population is transpiring in the
continent of Africa that has witnessed “during the second half of the twentieth century” (Savitz,
2013, p. 33) an expansion from “230 million to 811 million” (p. 33) people. At the end of the
21st Century “Africa’s population is projected to triple again to 2.4 billion, with Nigeria alone
expected to hold some 730 million people—greater than the projected population of the entire
European continent” (Savitz, 2013, p. 33). Savitz (2013) holds that “with the world population
growing so quickly and with so many hundreds of millions of people rapidly increasing their
consumption of resources, including energy…the concentration of atmospheric carbon is
continuing to rise…driven in part…by the use of fossil fuels” (p. 35).
The increase of consumption on a global scale is further energized by the rapid growth
and inclusion of the economies of China, India, Brazil, Indonesia and a number of other
countries in the world trade and commerce network and structure. Here, McCormick (2014)
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 51
observes that “current consumption and production patterns in industrial countries are not
sustainable and cannot be extended throughout the world without exceeding most planetary
boundaries” (p. 5). In order to provide a solution to this global dilemma, a number of businesses,
organizations and foundations have proposed adopting sustainable commercial practices that
similar to the following definition offered by the World’s Business Council for Sustainable
Development (2005) aim at “meeting the needs of people today without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs (as cited in Wirtenberg et al, 2007, p. 11).
A further popularly recognized definition proposed by the Symposium on Sustainability
(2001) describes organizational sustainability as a “company’s ability to achieve its business
goals and increase long term shareholder value by integrating economic, environmental and
social opportunities into its business strategies (as cited in Wirtenberg et al, 2007, p. 11). Here,
Waddock (2004) holds that sustainability must be understood as “caring for the well-being of
others and the environment in such a way that value is created for the business” (as cited in
Glavas & Mish, 2015, p. 625). Glavas and Mish (2015) emphasize that “a firm’s sustainability is
manifested in the strategies and operating practices that it develops to operationalize
relationships with and impacts on stakeholders and the natural environment (p. 625).
In a classic understanding of sustainability, Coomer (1979) contends that “a sustainable
society is one that lives within the self-perpetuating limits of its environment. It is not a no-
growth society, but rather, a society that recognizes the limits of growth and looks for alternative
ways of growing (as cited in Bolis et al, 2014, p. 11). Finally, in a widely accepted declaration
on sustainability, the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED, 1987)
proposes that “humanity has the ability to make development sustainable, i.e., to ensure that it
meets the needs of the present generation without affecting the ability of future generations to
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 52
meet their own, in which every human being has the opportunity to develop in freedom, within a
balanced society and in harmony with the environment” (as cited in Bolis, 2014, p. 11).
The application of the relevant literature and models of leadership. The overarching
approach of this Capstone may be found in the theories of Transformational and Servant
Leadership. Burns (1978) describes Transformational leadership as “when one or more
persons engage with others in such a way that leaders and followers raise one another to
higher levels of motivation and morality” (p. 20). Nevertheless, in this Capstone, I
interacted with leaders who practice and promote sustainability in organizations. These
organizational leaders were definitely not followers in this project. Here, our
engagements were focused on promoting the sustainability oriented moral act of reducing
the usage of energy (heat, light and power) that would in turn decrease the extraction and
burning of fossil fuels leading to a reduction of pollution levels in the air that we and
future generations must breathe.
In addition these interactions concentrated on the promotion of the sustainability
oriented moral act of organizational recycling efforts that lead to a reduction in the
extraction of our precious natural and mineral resources together with a corresponding
potential decrease in the usage of fossil fuels that once again lead to a world with cleaner
air, land and water. Most importantly, as so many of these leaders have emphasized this
Capstone is deeply interested in the advancement of the moral postures of partnership
and community among those individuals and organizations that practice and promote
sustainability. Here, as one sustainability leader from Boston University has stoutly
observed in his response to one of the inquiries in the Capstone Questionnaire included in
the Addenda section of this Final Report, “In the field of sustainability, the most powerful
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 53
tools we have to manage people and push for change are collaboration, networking, and
empowerment” (…Boston University, 2015).
During the conduct of this Master’s Project, I saw my role as so often exercised
during my lifetime as a servant-leader. In a famous passage, Greenleaf (1970, 2008
Revised Printing) argues that Servant Leadership,
“Begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.
Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. He is sharply different from
the person who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual
power drive or to acquire material possessions…The difference manifests itself in
the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority
needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: do those
served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser,
freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?” (p. 15).
I would also observe that the sustainability managers in this Master’s project are
also servant-leaders who exemplify “the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that
other people’s highest priority needs are being served” (Greenleaf, 1970, 2008 Revised
Printing, p. 15). These highest priority needs are the necessity to reduce the usage of
fossil fuels, decrease in the extraction of the limited supply of our mineral and natural
resources, promotion of the organizational and societal efforts at recycling, cleaning of
our air/land/water in addition to the expansion of partnerships that strengthen the
prevalence of sustainable practices.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 54
In this light, these sustainability leaders have dedicated their energies so that those
they serve “become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, and more likely themselves
to become servants” (Greenleaf, 1970, 2008 Revised Printing, p. 15). This state of
health, wisdom, freedom and autonomy is related to environmental and ecological
conditions where sustainability oriented wisdom causes less dependence on fossil fuels
and other hazardous pollutants. This freedom and the resultant autonomy gained from a
reduction in the usage of fossil fuels in turn promote the health of individuals, peoples
and the planet.
Crucially, this Master’s Project and my future endeavors in the promotion of
sustainability in organizations will be characterized by what Greenleaf (1970, 2008
Revised Edition) identifies as the servant-leader quality of “gentle but clear and persistent
persuasion” (p. 30). Greenleaf (1970, 2008 Revised Printing) observes that “leadership
by persuasion has the virtue of change by convincement rather than coercion” (p. 31).
Project Composition: The Actions that I took as a Leader in Completing the Project
for Each Week and What I learned about Leadership in Taking those Actions
I largely devoted the first three weeks of the Master’s Project to educating myself
regarding the concept of sustainability by reviewing and learning from peer-reviewed
articles. The results of this research were partly presented in the Project Statement and
Project Plan assignments. In addition, during this period I extracted sustainability related
information from the Web sites of the four for-profit pioneering firms and other
organizations. This first phase produced very crucial value for this Capstone project by
improving my sustainability oriented knowledge-based competence. Importantly, this
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 55
intellectual foundation offered me the indispensable leadership quality that allowed me to
correctly and competently analyze organizational sustainability policies and practices.
During weeks four, five and six of the Capstone, I encountered significant
organizational access related obstacles that placed the successful implementation of this
Capstone Project in serious jeopardy. The important lesson that was reaffirmed at this
juncture involves the imperative for leaders to be honest, truthful and fully transparent
when they encounter hurdles and complications in their leadership journey. In addition,
leaders must be humble in order to possess the capacity to ask for help from those who
are wiser, more experienced and more knowledgeable than themselves when pursuing
their goals. These indeed are the leadership lessons learned from my interactions with
Professor Booth who gave me the invaluable advice to return to my occupational roots
and seek the input of the Hospitality Industry in moving forward with the Capstone.
A further lesson related to his period filled with challenges is a realization that the
practice of leadership frequently involves encountering insurmountable odds that may be
addressed through partnerships, community and authenticity. Here, a leader’s most
important task and decision are to consistently endeavor to move forward and seek the
help of others if necessary in order to prevent failure. In this light, this Master’s Project
experienced a rebirth in weeks seven, eight, nine and ten during which time I established
contact with and received responses to the Sustainability Questionnaire from a number of
Hospitality and other organizations. These interactions with the Hospitality and other
entities have continued during the eleventh and the twelfth week of the Capstone where I
have attempted to clarify certain items in the Sustainability Questionnaire.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 56
In week ten, I also began composing the Final Project Report of the Capstone and
continued this writing during weeks eleventh and the twelfth. Nevertheless, I was
prevented from performing any academic work during a full four day period due to a
death of a family member (my wife’s sister’s husband/brother-in-law) and associated
funeral/bereavement oriented matters and travel related tasks. In essence, the effective
execution of leadership during this Master’s Project required competence, humility,
truthfulness, authenticity, partnerships, community, diligence, hard work, persistence,
persuasion, conviction, resilience, improvisation and the capacity to listen and learn
from those leaders that possess more experience and knowledge.
Involvement
Engagement with Members of the Learning Group and Other Trusted Advisors.
Information on My efforts to Give and Receive Advice and Support.
Our Learning Group was composed of 5 students. As leadership is defined as a
“process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common
goal” (Northouse, 2013, p. 5), my fellow group members may be considered as leaders in
their respective occupations. Here, one group member was a member of the military that
I had the pleasure of having in a different class where together with two other students we
had worked on and written a team oriented research paper on the subject of leadership.
This group member was very much familiar with my work ethic and writing and placed a
great level of emphasis on the kind of writing that is concise and direct. When I
exchanged communications with this group member in our team’s Discussion Board
platform, I was always reminded of his very high level of intelligence and sheer
confidence.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 57
As our instructor, Professor Courtland Booth, from the very beginning of the
course had emphasized that our writing must be characterized by “clarity and brevity”,
the aforementioned group member also reminded me that my writing must adhere to
those standards. This individual also possessed solid organizational and leadership skills
and would take initiative in creating “Threads” in our group’s Discussion Board space in
order for group members to post their Capstone related assignments and reflect on the
work of fellow students.
An additional group member that had a very well-respected leadership related
career in the Healthcare field was extremely receptive to interpretations and comments
from fellow members. This cooperative leadership oriented temperament allowed me to
offer her some suggestions and advice regarding important writing in the field of
organizational change/transformation by scholars such as Kurt Lewin and John P. Kotter.
As her Capstone involved the topic of organizational change/transformation, I exchanged
a number of communications with her concerning culture, leadership and surveys
discussing the knowledge that together we had gathered in NEU’s MSL Program in
addition to sharing with this individual other experiences that I had accumulated in my
previous work related history and encounters.
Our Learning Group also included an individual that is employed in the Defense
Industry. The writing and group Discussion Board communications of this individual
who was employed in the Human Resources related leadership function of promoting
diversity among the vendors and suppliers of a Defense manufacturer illustrated that she
is a very competent leader. Accordingly, I really enjoyed reading her Capstone Project
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 58
Plan and Project Status Report that aptly projected her qualities as a confident woman
leader in addition to being a capable organizer and project manager.
The Learning Group also included a successful entrepreneur who has been an
accomplished speaker in the lecture circuit. This individual intended to eventually
publish the results of his Capstone in a book format. Due to his previous career and
research related experiences this group member advised me to reduce the number of
firms that will be studied in my Action Learning Capstone on organizations that practice
sustainability. In reflection and on the basis of the feedback to the Sustainability
Questionnaire that I was eventually able to secure from pioneering for-profit firms, the
advice of this group member was very correct and indeed very informative.
In regards to trusted advisors, I must emphasize that no other individual in this
Capstone has been more generous with their time, advice, interpretations and reflections
than Professor Courtland Booth. As stated previously, his timely, encouraging and
intelligent recommendation to first concentrate on garnering responses to the
Sustainability Questionnaire from the Hospitality Industry practically saved the goals of
this Capstone. In addition, throughout the length of this Master’s Project, Professor
Booth has exchanged countless E-Mails with me, responding to all my Capstone related
questions and offering invaluable advice and analysis. Nevertheless, it must be
emphasized that I take full responsibility for the degree this Capstone has accomplished
its goals in understanding sustainability practices in organizations.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 59
Final Reflections
How Has this Project and the Program Challenged and/or Supported Your Previous
Views of Leadership? What Have Been Your Key Learnings? How Is Your
Personal Model of Leadership Evolving? How Do You Intend to Continue Your
Leadership Development in the future?
During my career in the Hospitality Industry I took incredible pride in the service
that I could render to others. These others could have been guests, co-workers, superiors,
vendors or for that matter the host community through my voluntary teaching activities.
This enthusiastic expression of service was very much in line with my world view that
through service to individuals I am able to serve the larger humanity and God. Here,
service offered me great happiness and satisfaction concerning who I was and the
purpose that I must have in my life.
Service also offered me authority in the Hospitality Industry. I used this authority
to insist on certain standards of performance, fairness, respect, kindness, integrity,
compassion and generosity in our organizational environments. These personal attribute
and the commensurate positive feedback from our guests and co-workers convinced me
that the most effective and sustainable model of leadership must be characterized by
honesty, fairness, service and hard work.
This Master’s Project and the MSL program in NEU have strongly supported the
posture that I maintained in the Hospitality Industry. The key learnings that have been
strongly highlighted in NEU’s MSL program have been the inclusion of the
Transformational and Servant models of Leadership, the emphasis on the positive
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 60
dividends of team work, the promotion of honesty and ethical conduct as an
indispensable characteristic of leaders in addition to the importance placed on diversity
and gender equality that all have academically rationalized and given voice to what I
endeavored to achieve in the Hospitality Industry.
Indeed, the sustainability focus of this Master’s Project is a natural evolution of a
career dedicated to service and being conscientious of how my actions positively or
negatively effects the quality of the lives of those in my environment. This is also in line
with that poignant definition offered by the World’s Business Council for Sustainable
Development (2005) that regards sustainability as “meeting the needs of people today
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (as cited
in Wirtenberg et al, 2007, p. 11). Here, the aforementioned definition and the
corresponding emphasis on needs have as much to do with sustainability as it may have
to do with leadership.
Consequently, whether in leadership or the field of sustainability, the necessity to
acknowledge and respect the needs of others or the needs of the environment is of central
importance. As Burns (1978) would argue “this type of leader is attentive to the needs
and motives of followers and tries to help followers reach their fullest potential” (as cited
in Northouse, 2013, p. 186). In essence, this is how a state of needs equilibrium in
leadership may be transformative in the lives of both leaders and followers or how
sustainability may safeguard the prosperity of our existence while also preserving the
health of future generations. In pursuit of understanding this balance indispensable in
the exercise of both leadership and sustainability, I will focus my future scholarly and
career related development.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 61
Conclusion
This Master’s Project began with a humble dream to understand how sustainable
organizational practices may contribute to the welfare of both present and future
generations. In its initial stages, this Capstone encountered access related obstacles that
were overcome upon the wise recommendation of Professor Booth to focus outreach
efforts mostly on garnering responses from my former employer, the Hospitality
Industry. Here, I would like to express my deep gratitude to all those associates in the
Hospitality Industry and other fields that treated this outreach endeavor with dignity and
respect or provided substantive responses to the Sustainability Questionnaire. In the end,
the Action Learning outreach of this Capstone has observed that both leadership and
sustainability are most effective when the needs of leaders, followers and all stakeholders
are acknowledged and respected guaranteeing a balanced approach for all concerned.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 62
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Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 66
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Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 67
Addenda
Most Important: Please be advised that the following material in this Addenda section
have been prepared and provided by the responding parties and organizations. The
following material concerning the sustainability policies and practices of the following
organizations have not been prepared and provided by Ardavan A. Shahroodi. A small
amount of revisions have been made by Ardavan A. Shahroodi in order to conform to
uniform esthetic, formatting, grammatical and syntax standards. In addition, certain
sustainability related figures and statistics have not been included in this Addenda section
pending further verification by the corresponding organizations. Most importantly, as
stated previously, the reader must be fully aware that all the information, figures and
statistics in this Addenda section have been prepared and provided by individuals and
organizations that have responded to the Capstone’s Sustainability Questionnaire. As a
result, for the purposes of this Master’s Project, these information, figures and statistics
have not been independently verified either by Ardavan A. Shahroodi or any other third
parties.
Taj Hotel Boston, Ms. Maureen Albright, Director of Engineering:
(Note: The following organizational sustainability information and text has been prepared and
provided by Ms. Maureen Albright, Director of Engineering, Taj Hotel Boston. A small number
of syntax and formatting related revisions have been made by Ardavan A. Shahroodi).
What is/are your most important sustainability goals?
Reduce consumption in internal systems that produce Heat, Light and Power (HLP)
o Continue to take on projects that will reduce electricity consumption
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 68
Things previously done: Conversion to LED bulbs in guest rooms and
Front of House areas. Free Cooling to take advantage of outside
temperatures to cool building, rather than running chillers. Whenever
possible replacement equipment is Energy Star rated.
This year…replacement of pumps that will bring an estimated 10,000
kWh savings. Replacement of all Heart of House lighting to LED…this
will bring an estimated 220,000 kWh savings. Controls on walk in coolers
which will bring an estimated 17,000 kWh savings.
o Continue to look for ways to reduce water, steam and gas consumption
Things previously done: Water reuse system that takes steam condensate
(from heat exchangers) and uses this to pre-heat domestic hot water.
Reduce Waste to landfill
o We currently recycle as follows:
All unused soap, and soap products, from our guest rooms are packed and
sent to a recycle facility. We partner with Clean the World Foundation.
Clean the World takes our “used’ soap items, recycles the soap product
and creates new bars of soap that are sent globally to help fight the spread
of disease. Clean the World also recycles the plastic containers that are
sent.
Single Stream recycling – paper/plastic/aluminum/cardboard
Batteries/electronics/light bulbs – are all packaged and sent to proper
recycling facilities
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 69
Larger bulk items are also kept out of the trash compactor, and are picked
up by outside company for scrap and proper disposal.
In 2015 we have now added (2) 250lb Wet trash recycling units. These
units can each take 250lbs of wet trash (food) and convert it into less than
20lbs of 1st stage fertilizer.
Employees take this fertilizer home to use in their gardens.
Future – perhaps partner with local farms or parks to take and use
this fertilizer in their areas.
What are some other specific sustainability goals that you are trying to implement in the present
or the future?
We currently have 6 bee hives on our roof. This is our 3rd year and we have increased the
number of hives year over year. (We started with 2). We now use our honey in cocktails
served in our Bar. We also use our honey in deserts. We use the honeysuckle at times in
our display for Sunday brunch. Each of the cocktails or deserts also showcase our honey
so that guests are aware that the honey is fresh and produced on site. I would like to
continue to add hives until we reach 10. This would give us the ability to create drinks,
foods and desserts featuring and showcasing the honey.
o Future…I would like to reach a point where we could offer viewing of the hives
to guests, or perhaps even local schools to discuss the health benefits of the
honey, discuss the plight of the honey bee and how having these hives is
benefitting the bee overall. The honey bee populations were in jeopardy of
extinction but are now seeing increases in the populations due to these City hives.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 70
This year we are adding an herb garden on the roof. The herbs we plant will be used by
our Culinary team.
Future – I would like to see us contribute more in our community. Possibilities:
o Offer tours and informational sessions about the honey bees and hives on the roof
o Work and partner with the community to offer support in perhaps the parks,
cleaning up, planting, etc.
o Work and partner with local farms to create a menu which features food sourced
within X miles of the hotel…promoting freshness and foods indigenous to the
region.
What is your management or leadership style concerning sustainability? Where are most of your
managerial interactions and leadership efforts being concentrated concerning sustainability?
I am very “hands on” with staff and external partners
I have a committee that assists in our hotel wide sustainability efforts. i.e. Recycling
processes, community involvement, etc.
I work closely with outside Heat, Light and Power (HLP) contractors. These people are
crucial when looking at projects in the hotel that can reduce consumption. Partnering
with Electric companies, water companies, etc. affords incentives towards the projects
that help to minimize initial costs to fund the projects.
I also try to speak with other hotels, or keep informed of what other hotels (in the US and
abroad) are doing in terms of sustainability and environment. Looking at ways to
implement new initiatives here at Taj Boston.
In addition to yourself, are you aware of other hospitality businesses/operations or other
businesses that are exercising leadership in the field of sustainability?
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 71
Langham Hotels, as does Taj Hotels (globally), are part of EC3 Global. EC3 Global is an
international environmental management group with a portfolio of over 1,300 hospitality
and travel clients in 70 countries. EC3 Global owns and manages the EarthCheck
program which is now the world’s leading environmental certification and benchmarking
platform for the travel and tourism sector.
Several hotels in Boston, such as the Fairmont and the Seaport, also have honey bee hives
on their roofs.
I belong to Boston Green Tourism…this is comprised of members from several hotels in
Boston that are focused on environmental issues, being “Green” in our practices,
reducing consumption, etc.
Intercontinental Hotel Boston, Ms. Fabienne Eliacin, Engineering Administrative
Assistant:
(Please Note: The following content is generated from an interview conducted by Ardavan A.
Shahroodi on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 between the hours of 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 Noon during
which Ms. Fabienne Eliacin, Engineering Administrative Assistant of the Intercontinental Hotel
Boston made the following observations. This document also includes a number of
interpretations and observations made by Ardavan A. Shahroodi that were made concerning the
comments of Ms. Fabienne Eliacin).
What is/are your most important sustainability goals?
The present sustainability goal is to continuously find ways to increase the
recycling rate of the property.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 72
In addition, continue finding avenues to partner with local non-profit agencies in
order to contribute ever more enthusiastically to their charitable endeavors.
Furthermore, continue engaging in community oriented efforts in partnership with
other local organizations in order to promote “planting, recycling and cleaning”
campaigns in the geographical vicinity of the Intercontinental Hotel Boston.
Additional goals are annunciated in the document titled “Intercontinental Boston Green
Initiatives”. The aforementioned document provided to Ardavan A. Shahroodi by Ms. Fabienne
Eliacin may be viewed at the end of this section on Intercontinental Hotel Boston.
What are some other specific sustainability goals that you are trying to implement in the present
or the future?
1---The goal of becoming a zero-waste operation. This is achieved through energetic,
thorough and comprehensive recycling and composting programs. All perishable food outlets
refuse will be converted into compost.
2---The goal of being designated as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) certified Hospitality operation in Boston. This requires major structural remodeling and
significant operational alterations.
Additional goals are annunciated in the document titled “Intercontinental Boston Green
Initiatives”. The aforementioned document provided to Ardavan A. Shahroodi by Ms. Fabienne
Eliacin may be viewed at the end of this section on Intercontinental Hotel Boston.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 73
What is your management or leadership style concerning sustainability? Where are most
of your managerial interactions and leadership efforts being concentrated concerning
sustainability?
The Intercontinental Hotel Boston’s sustainability efforts is currently being supervised
and led by Ms. Fabienne Eliacin, Engineering Administrative Assistant. Ms. Eliacin believes
that in order to exercise effective leadership, leaders must be an example to their subordinates,
followers and with respect to the community at large. Ms. Eliacin asserts that leadership differs
from management in that leaders must truly and authentically “embrace the intended mission”
and elevate that mission to a higher plateau. This entails ensuring that all members of the team
possess a thorough understanding of the goals that are to be achieved during the course and at the
conclusion of the mission.
Ms. Eliacin contends that competent leaders practice a participatory style of leadership
that entails following an open door policy and maintaining an open mind in regards to all
constructive ideas. This leadership temperament of openness is necessary, Ms. Eliacin holds, in
order to promote a positive sense of balance in the decision making process. In her experience,
in regards to highlighting the importance of sustainability, Ms. Eliacin asserts that leaders must
accept the reality that others may resists the introduction of such efforts organizationally. In
particular, Ms. Eliacin places optimum importance on the inherent responsibility of leaders to
continuously educate “everybody” (subordinates, followers, community, coworkers, colleagues,
guests, clients, patrons, customers, vendors, partners and suppliers) in regards to the crucial
significance of sustainability standards.
In addition to her sustainability oriented efforts and responsibilities in the Intercontinental
Hotel Boston, Ms. Eliacin works closely with a number of non-profit organizations. In this light,
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 74
Ms. Eliacin is one of the founding members and current leaders in a Boston-based charity that
works on behalf of the country of Haiti’s poor and dispossessed. This charity was created by a
group of Bostonians of Haitian descent for the purpose of raising funds and launching
improvement/rebuilding projects pursuant to the 2012 earthquake that ravaged that very
unfortunate country and created untold hardship for its wonderful people. In addition, Ms.
Eliacin is continuously searching for charitable opportunities that would allow Intercontinental
Hotel Boston to donate a variety of articles and items to non-profit organizations in the city of
Boston.
In addition to yourself, are you aware of other hospitality businesses/operations or other
businesses that are exercising leadership in the field of sustainability?
MassRecycle (non-profit), Greenovate Boston (non-profit).
The following document titled “Intercontinental Boston Green Initiatives” was provided
to Ardavan A. Shahroodi by Ms. Fabienne Eliacin. This document describes in detail the
sustainability practices of Intercontinental Hotel Boston:
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 75
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 76
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 77
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 78
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 79
Sheraton Hotel Boston Back Bay, Mr. Jeff Hanulec, Director of Engineering:
(Please Note: The following organizational sustainability information and text has been prepared
and provided by, Director of Engineering, Sheraton Hotel Boston Back Bay. The responses were
facilitated by an extremely helpful and effective Human Resources Department and Human
Resources Coordinator named Ms. Jennifer Ollari. A different third party has indicated that the
name of the aforementioned Director of Engineering is Mr. Jeff Hanulec. A small number of
syntax and formatting related revisions have been made by Ardavan A. Shahroodi. In addition,
Ardavan A. Shahroodi has not included certain recycling figures and statistics in the document
provided by Sheraton Hotel Boston Back Bay titled “Sheraton Boston Hotel: Making Boston a
Better Place pending further review and verification by the said Hospitality establishment).
What is/are your most important sustainability goals? What are some other specific
sustainability goals that you are trying to implement in the present or the future? What is your
management or leadership style concerning sustainability? Where are most of your managerial
interactions and leadership efforts being concentrated concerning sustainability?
Leaving Boston a Better place is a large part of the management culture at the Sheraton
Hotel Boston Back Bay. Our Owners and Management team are focused in several ways in
supporting sustainability goals while also benefitting running a successful business.
How this ties to our strategy?
Energy and water conservation has been the cornerstone of Starwood’s environmental
policy since 2009. As the first global hospitality company to aim to reduce energy and water
usage per built hotel room, we ask all our owned, managed, and franchise hotels to work towards
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 80
our sustainability goals by implementing reduction methods that do not affect the guest
experience.
30/20/20 Corporate Strategy:
As a fundamental element of our environmental strategy, Starwood’s commitment to
energy and water conservation is demonstrated in our 30/20 by 20 reduction goal. 30/20 by 20
aims to reduce energy consumption by 30% and water consumption by 20% by the year 2020. In
order to meet this goal, our required and Recommended Initiatives in Energy and Water
Conservation focus on efficiency measures, capital expenditures, and preventive maintenance.
The following document titled “Sheraton Boston Hotel, Making Boston a Better Place”
was forwarded to Ardavan A. Shahroodi by the Director of Engineering, Sheraton Hotel Boston
Back Bay. The document responds to the sustainability questions in italics delineated in the
previous page:
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 81
Sheraton Boston Hotel
“Making Boston a Better Place”
The Sheraton Boston is involved in many different programs and partnerships in an effort to
continuously improve and grow our sustainability efforts. Partnering with our electric and gas
utilities, we were able to secure over 250,000 in utility incentives to implement energy
conservation projects that will further decrease our utility consumption and increase guest and
associate satisfaction and comfort. These projects included high-efficiency LED lighting
retrofits, implementation of ECM motors in all 1220 guestrooms and the installation of high
efficiency water fixtures in all of our 2014 renovated guestrooms. Demand control ventilation.
Due to our efforts we saw a 700,000 KWH saving year over year on higher business volumes.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 82
As a Starwood Hotel we have proudly accepted the challenge of reducing our carbon
footprint through energy reduction per available room of 30% and water reduction of 20% by the
year 2020. We have the strength of a large selection of sustainability initiatives that impact our
consumption and improve our culture of sustainability. The Sheraton Boston Hotel is looked
upon as a leader in the local hospitality market in greater Boston, actively participating in Boston
Green Tourism, A Better City (ABC) Boston and Mass Recycles which provides invaluable
opportunities to stay abreast of local sustainability efforts, giving our city a competitive
advantage. In 2014 we were recognized as 2014 Northeast Business Leader for energy
efficiency, The City of Boston recognized us as showing largest energy reduction in their
portfolio of commercial buildings and Finally the Massachusetts lodging association awarded us
with their Good Earth keeping award for 2014.
Our partnerships with our waste collection vendors helped our team re-launch our
recycling program focusing on every aspect of the waste stream including solid waste, organics,
and hazardous waste and innovative programs like UTC Mattress recycling which help put
young adults too work. We’ve had a 10% increase in our recycling year over year. In addition,
another vendor we have also partnered with is Clean the World. Clean The World’s goal is to
collect and recycle soap and shampoo products discarded by the hospitality industry every day.
Through the distribution of these and other donated hygiene products to impoverished people,
Clean the World works to prevent the millions of deaths caused by hygiene-related illnesses
every day. The Sheraton Boston has proudly collected and recycled 2,602 bars of soap, 315
pounds of recycled plastic and 1,119 bottles of shampoo and conditioner to clean the World
[These are partial 2014 figures, the Historic Totals for the Sheraton Hotel Boston Back Bay as of
the aforementioned date are 22,063 bars of soap, 3,236 pounds of plastic and 11,507 plastic
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 83
bottles according to the information provided by Mr. Jeff Hanulec, Director of Engineering,
Sheraton Hotel Boston Back Bay].
Our efforts in making Boston a better place are not all about the bottom line and
preserving our natural resources; we also participated in many community service related efforts.
We hosted 2 blood drives donating over 75 pints of blood; we collected 250 toys during our
annual “Toys for Tots” toy drive. We collected $3,217.00 for the One Fund Boston by selling t-
shirts to our associates, allowing them to show their Boston pride. During Breast Cancer
Awareness Month we sold wrist bands donating a total of $850.00 to The Susan G Komen
Foundation and our Finance team held their annual bake sale rising $705.00 for the “Room to
Grow” organization. And lastly, to close out the year and begin the Holiday Season we held our
holiday dinner for the elderly at Little Sisters of the Poor in Somerville, MA. To wrap up the
fantastic year we held an interdepartmental challenge “Lend a Helping Can”, in which we were
able to collect and donate 4 tons of food to local food pantry. At the Sheraton Boston Hotel our
commitment to “Making Boston a Better Place” is second to none.
Verb Hotel Boston, Mr. Jeff Kiley, Director of Sales:
(Note: The following organizational sustainability information and text has been prepared and
provided by Mr. Jeff Kiley, Director of Sales, Verb Hotel Boston. A small number of formatting
related revisions have been made by Ardavan A. Shahroodi).
What is/are your most important sustainability goals?
The Verb’s most important sustainability goals are as follows:
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 84
1. Energy friendly transportation for employees and guests, recommending and making
available racks for bikes and schedules that accommodate the train schedule
2. Recycling programs
3. Non-toxic chemical/cleaners
What are some other specific sustainability goals that you are trying to implement in the present
or the future?
1. Energy efficient lighting (present)
2. Low flow toilets and showers (present)
3. Energy efficient heating/cooling (future)
What is your management or leadership style concerning sustainability? Where are most of your
managerial interactions and leadership efforts being concentrated concerning sustainability?
1. Recognition of associates that remind guests about recycling options (coming soon)
2. Recognition of associates that use energy efficient transportation to/from work and/or
carpool
3. Reminders of employees to recycle
4. Training and reminders regarding proper use and disposal of chemicals/cleaning supplies.
In addition to yourself, are you aware of other hospitality businesses/operations or other
businesses that are exercising leadership in the field of sustainability?
1. Yes, those listed as LEED Certified. Boston is full of businesses that fall in this category.
Hotel Commonwealth Boston, Ms. Heather Southard, Director of Human Resources:
(Note: The following organizational sustainability information and text has been prepared and
provided by Ms. Heather Southard, Director of Human Resources, Hotel Commonwealth
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 85
Boston. A small number of formatting related revisions have been made by Ardavan A.
Shahroodi).
What is/are your most important sustainability goals?
We honestly have not put a huge effort into sustainability goals. Our food and beverage
outlets associated with the hotel are much more focused on those areas. We offer guests the
opportunity to have bed made and not changed, towel reused etc.
What are some other specific sustainability goals that you are trying to implement in the present
or the future?
We have not put any specific goals in place at this time.
What is your management or leadership style concerning sustainability? Where are most of your
managerial interactions and leadership efforts being concentrated concerning sustainability?
As of now, the leadership style is not very present with regard to sustainability. Some
efforts from housekeeping leadership and room division leadership.
In addition to yourself, are you aware of other hospitality businesses/operations or other
businesses that are exercising leadership in the field of sustainability?
The InterContinental Boston has an amazing sustainability program focusing on all areas
of the hotel.
Boston Green Tourism Organization, Mr. Dan Ruben, Executive Director:
(Note: The following organizational sustainability information and text has been prepared and
provided by Mr. Dan Ruben, Executive Director, Boston Green Tourism Organization. A small
number of formatting related revisions have been made by Ardavan A. Shahroodi).
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 86
What is/are your most important sustainability goals? What are some other specific
sustainability goals that you are trying to implement in the present or the future?
My goals, in priority order, are to move the hotel industry to:
Reduce fossil fuel use.
Reduce water, waste and toxins.
Improve transportation efficiency.
Serve environmentally-friendly food.
Educate guests and staff about green practices and market their properties as “green.”
What is your management or leadership style concerning sustainability? Where are most of your
managerial interactions and leadership efforts being concentrated concerning sustainability?
I use the following strategies to move hotels to action:
Help hotels determine how greening their properties serve their unique goals and
clientele.
Show how green practices/products help hotels advance their goals: cost reduction,
appeal to prospective guests, staff satisfaction, improved indoor air quality.
Teach hotels about the latest advances in the green industry.
Provide a newsletter, workshops and training sessions for managers, green teams.
Post presentations and articles on the Boston Green Tourism website.
Use hotel case studies liberally. Show that and how other hotels are going green. Be
specific about what hotels are doing, why, detailed cost/benefit analyses.
Advise hotels about how certain green certifications can help them.
Connect hotels with excellent green product and service vendors.
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 87
Highlight local hoteliers who advance their properties. Have them give talks at our
workshops. Put them in the newsletters.
Give honest analyses. Point out barriers, disappointing products, when to be wary, etc. Be
credible—not a cheerleader. Carefully screen products and services based on
environmental value, cost, quality and other features that concern hoteliers
In addition to yourself, are you aware of other hospitality businesses/operations or other
businesses that are exercising leadership in the field of sustainability?
There are many. To name a few: green lodging certification organizations, Green
Lodging News, EPA, some states have green lodging programs, Lodging Magazine’s
conference.
Northeastern University Sustainability Program/Department, Ms. Carol Rosskam,
Sustainability Program Manager:
(Note: The following organizational sustainability information and text has been prepared and
provided by Ms. Carol Rosskam, Sustainability Program Manager, Northeastern University. A
small number of formatting related revisions have been made by Ardavan A. Shahroodi).
What is/are your most important sustainability goals?
1. Implementing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment that
Northeastern signed in 2007.
2. LEED certification for new buildings and major renovations.
3. Aggressive energy efficiency, conservation, and use of energy management systems,
recycling, composting, expanding of procurement of dining services items including local
produce and Fair Trade certified products, zero trans-fat, antibiotic-free poultry, pork,
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 88
and locally raised beef burger, sustainable seafood, cage free eggs, corporate
responsibility partnerships, active engagement with student groups, individual students,
staff, and faculty, and expanding community partnerships that further demonstrate nu’s
sustainability commitment.
What are some other specific sustainability goals that you are trying to implement in the present
or the future?
Please see our climate action plan which is linked from the sustainability website at
northeastern.edu/sustainability – see the long and short term goals and you can extract what you
want from that document!
What is your management or leadership style concerning sustainability? Where are most of your
managerial interactions and leadership efforts being concentrated concerning sustainability?
Fundamentally, I am a community-builder. That defines my leadership style and my
professional and personal goals. I have been immersed in ‘community’ since high school, in
various ways, and then formalized this work through education and experiential learning
(including special trainings and living/learning in community of 90 people). I believe it’s the
most important leadership style.
In addition to yourself, are you aware of other businesses that are exercising leadership in the
field of sustainability?
Many outstanding examples:
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 89
1. Levis Strauss (example – their Well Thread” program – see the You Tube link to
“redesigning with the whole life cycle in mind” by Paul Dillenger at the 2013 or 2014
sustainable brands conference in San Diego.
2. Patagonia is an outstanding leader in sustainability for a for-profit company!
3. see Mountain Equipment CO-OP in Canada – mec.ca – they fully integrate sustainability
into the company and you can learn a lot from them!
4. Schools of higher education that seem to be doing a great job fully integrating
sustainability: McGill University in Montreal, the entire University of California system
is doing great work, Appalachia State University, University of Edinburgh –in Scotland –
see their sustainable procurement efforts – fantastic! Yale University and their
sustainability program has helped reset the bar for us all. Here at northeastern, we can do
better in some areas and excel in others – But note that we are regionally known, and
often highlighted by local utilities for our excellence in cutting edge energy efficiency
and energy/water conservation work/successes.
Boston University Sustainability Program/Department, Dylan Lewellyn, STARS
Reporting, LEED Program Associate:
(Note: The following organizational sustainability information and text has been prepared and
provided by Mr. Dylan Lewellyn, STARS Reporting and LEED Program Associate in Boston
University Sustainability Program/Department. Ardavan A. Shahroodi has made no revisions
and alterations to the following text).
What is/are your most important sustainability goals?
The mission of sustainability@BU is to lead the University in a more sustainable
direction by integrating sustainability into the culture and structure of Boston University. To do
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 90
this we are focusing on reducing energy consumption and waste across campus. However
affecting change across the entire campus requires more than infrastructure upgrades and
administrative efforts. To accomplish these goals it takes a collaborative effort from students,
faculty, and staff who feel empowered through education about sustainability initiatives to lead
change across campus.
What are some other specific sustainability goals that you are trying to implement in the present
or the future?
Much of our bandwidth is currently being dedicated to developing a strategy for
renewable energy development and procurement both on and off campus. Feasibility studies are
underway for up to 4 MW of installed solar energy systems on the Charles River Campus and 1
MW of solar on the Medical Campus. The University is also exploring cost saving renewable
energy procurement opportunities through wind and solar energy developments in New England,
and farther afield through Net Metering.
What is your management or leadership style concerning sustainability? Where are most of your
managerial interactions and leadership efforts being concentrated concerning sustainability?
In the field of sustainability, the most powerful tools we have to manage people and push
for change are collaboration, networking, and empowerment. On campus, we have established a
network Sustainability Liaisons representing every school and college who meet with us
quarterly to share their challenges, solutions, and successes. Administrative staff have the
opportunity to participate in our Green Office Certification program which rates individual
offices based on daily practices involving energy conservation, waste reduction, recycling, and
communications. Both of these programs were implemented to raise awareness, educate campus
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 91
leaders, and build of network across campus. Off campus, sustainability@BU has developed
strong ties with organizations such as the Green Ribbon Commission and the Urban Land
Institute among others. These partnerships offer a chance for leaders to work together to
accomplish even more for their respective institutions and for the city as a whole.
In addition to your organization, are you aware of other organizations that are exercising
leadership in the field of sustainability?
Boston has many examples of organizations that exercise leadership in the field of sustainability.
The city itself had made great strides with its Climate Action Plan as well as the establishment of
the Green Ribbon Commission and the Greenovate Boston initiative. Outside of city initiatives,
there is also the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts which consists of many local
businesses and community leaders focused on building local, green, and fair economies.
Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) is not in Boston but is a
fantastic example of the collaboration between local leaders in the sustainability field.
Atlantic Wharf is a LEED Platinum certified building in the Waterfront District considered
Boston’s first “green” skyscraper.
Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy is where some of the world’s leading sustainable
technologies are developed in tested.
Patagonia B-Corporation, Mr. Chipper Bro, Human Resources Associate:
(Note: The following organizational sustainability information and text has been prepared and
provided by Mr. Chipper Bro, Human Resources Associate, Patagonia B-Corporation. A small
number of formatting related revisions have been made by Ardavan A. Shahroodi).
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 92
What is/are your most important sustainability goals?
We are a B-Corporation. That means that all of our job’s purpose is to solve social and
environmental problems.
What are some other specific sustainability goals that you are trying to implement in the present
or the future?
To Cause no unnecessary harm in very thing we produce.
What is your management or leadership style concerning sustainability? Where are most of your
managerial interactions and leadership efforts being concentrated concerning sustainability?
Again, every conversation we have in building product or processes all start with
sustainability.
In addition to yourself, are you aware of other businesses that are exercising leadership in the
field of sustainability?
Yes. We like the business model of New Belgium Brewery.
Boston College Sustainability Program/Department, Mr. Robert Pion, Sustainability
Program Director, LEED AP:
(Note: The following organizational sustainability information and text has been prepared and
provided by Mr. Robert Pion, Sustainability Program Director, LEED AP, Boston College.
Ardavan A. Shahroodi has made no revisions and alterations to the following text).
What is/are your most important sustainability goals?
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 93
Working with University constituents on reducing our carbon emissions and exploring
alternative energy options.
Helping the university community, especially students to appreciate and understand the
individual impact we all have on the planet and reinforce a commitment to change behaviors to
achieve that goal.
What are some other specific sustainability goals that you are trying to implement in the present
or the future?
I am working on strengthening the partnership with Student Affairs. Their office engages
students in various ways and I would like to have sustainability be a stated commitment in their
dealings with students.
What is your management or leadership style concerning sustainability? Where are most of your
managerial interactions and leadership efforts being concentrated concerning sustainability?
My leadership style is one of collaboration. Although it takes more time sometimes to achieve
results, I believe that it is important to have a solid base of individuals who help reinforce and
sustain actions and initiatives.
I spend a lot of time on recycling efforts, from running competitions, game day efforts and the
coordination of different departments to work together on mutually established recycling goals.
Last year our diversion rate was 44%, and we would like to continue to increase that percentage
and reduce our overall consumption of materials.
I also work with student leaders involved in sustainability groups on campus. I provide
guidance, some funding, and make available other resources that reinforce their activities.
In addition to yourself, are you aware of other businesses that are exercising leadership in the
field of sustainability?
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 94
My impression is that all colleges and universities are addressing sustainability issues, from
recycling, energy and water conservation, and in discussions about how to be more responsible
stewards of the earth’s resources. This is evident in many companies as well.
Harvard University Office for Sustainability:
(Note: The following organizational sustainability information and text has been prepared and
provided by Harvard University Office for Sustainability. Ardavan A. Shahroodi has made no
revisions and alterations to the following text).
What is/are your most important sustainability goals?
http://green.harvard.edu/commitment/our-plan
What are some other specific sustainability goals that you are trying to implement in the present
or the future?
http://green.harvard.edu/commitment/our-plan
What is your management or leadership style concerning sustainability? Where are most of your
managerial interactions and leadership efforts being concentrated concerning sustainability?
http://green.harvard.edu/commitment/governance
In addition to your organization, are you aware of other organizations that are exercising
leadership in the field of sustainability?
Within Higher Ed, check out AASHE http://www.aashe.org/
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 95
Atlantic Wharf Boston Properties, Mr. Ben Myers, Sustainability Manager, LEED AP
BD+C:
(Note: The following organizational sustainability information and text has been prepared and
provided by Mr. Ben Myers, Sustainability Program Manager, LEED AP BD+C, Atlantic Wharf
Boston Properties. A small number of formatting related revisions have been made by Ardavan
A. Shahroodi).
What is/are your most important sustainability goals?
As one of the largest owners and developers of office properties in the United States, Boston
Properties continually seeks ways to promote our growth and improve our performance by
attracting and retaining tenants and controlling our costs. The efficient operation of our
buildings in an environmentally responsible manner and positively impacting the communities in
which we operate are important components of this strategy. On an ongoing basis, Boston
Properties reviews which measures are the most effective in supporting this strategy and where
the greatest risk lies in not taking action. We focus our efforts on the areas we can control and
make significant impacts. Goals related to these efforts include:
1 Reduce energy consumption (electricity, gas, district heating/cooling)
2 Reduce potable water consumption (fixtures, toilets, process (cooling towers), irrigation)
3 Increase waste diversion (recycling)
4 Reduce key performance indicator intensities:
a. Site EUI (kBTU/SF-yr)
b. Water Intensity (gal/SF-yr)
c. GHG Intensity (MTCDE/SF-yr)
Leadership And The Practice of Sustainability In Organizations 96
What are some other specific sustainability goals that you are trying to implement in the present
or the future?
A comprehensive greenhouse gas reduction goal
- A renewable energy generation goal
- A green (LEED) certified (% portfolio) goal
What is your management or leadership style concerning sustainability? Where are most of your
managerial interactions and leadership efforts being concentrated concerning sustainability?
I’d rather discuss this question with you.
In addition to yourself, are you aware of other businesses that are exercising leadership in the
field of sustainability?
Kimco, Kilroy, Brandywine.
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