‘Time to fundamentally shift the way we live’

Leith Sharp, director of Harvard University’s Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership, visited Concordia in November to speak about the challenges and opportunities related to integrating sustainability into the curriculum, research and operations of a university.

Sharp, who has 18 years’ experience greening universities worldwide and is founder of Harvard’s Green Campus Initiative, has helped take Harvard to the forefront as a global leader in campus sustainability.

Sharp advocates that it is time to fundamentally shift the way we live in the world. She maintains that our current approach of aiming for micro-efficiencies and shaving pounds off the toxic waste in our consumption patterns will not bring about the change required for a sustainable society. The interdependence of sectors, or in a university setting, of departments, is crucial for innovation to actually happen, she contended.

“If you really want to know how an organization functions, try to change it,” said Sharp. She added that innovation will not happen with one great idea as a multitude of great ideas exist already; it will require an army of change agents that create collective shifts.

Sharp said most people believe humans are innately averse to change, which is not the case. Instead, people have an aversion to instability and risk; they assume change equals instability and risk. “People are actually invigorated by change when it occurs with adequate stability and low risk. Risk is often a fear that I am not capable of doing this thing you want me to do. We need to be proactive at creating contexts that eliminate social risk and tap into creativity. Competence and warmth is what really engages people.”

The event was co-hosted by the Department of Environmental Health and Safety, Sustainability Action Fund and Centre for Teaching and Learning Services.