By Hyuma Frankowski

Dec 2nd & 3rd marked the first TNS “Sustainability for Leaders, Level 1” course in Vancouver, Canada. Two gloriously sunny (gasp! In Vancouver?!), intense, learning-filled days that drew participants from Campbell River, to well south of the border as far as San Francisco.  Just as wide-ranging were their professional backgrounds; planners, educators, facilitators, engineers, marketing and communications officers to name a few.

Some were familiar with TNS’s approach and had even worked with the framework to varying degrees. One comment was that, through the course, the TNS framework had finally been “demystified”. Others saw immediate value in being able to introduce a systematic, science-based methodology and language into their practice. The relevancy and adaptability of the course material to virtually any field was evidenced by the way the participants absorbed the knowledge and immediately began thinking about how to apply it to their daily activities.

The coursed delivery was well timed as the recent bout of stormy west-coast weather had just passed and given way to a crisp couple of days.  Facilitators Sarah Brooks and Pong Leung took full advantage of the sun by sending participants out several times to enjoy the stunning scenery of False Creek for brief group discussions. Conversations were lively and engaging. Now, back in the classroom as the sun set and heads heavy with new information showed signs of fatigue, the coffee flowed freely and the participants were highly engaged once more.

Questions were unrelenting and challenging as participants probed for weak points, asked for clarification and explored possibilities.  The intellectual wrenches were out as they deconstructed the course material, steadily figuring how all the pieces fit together. The facilitators handled it in stride, drawing upon their considerable experience to both address fundamental questions about sustainability leadership and highlight the many subtleties of strategic sustainability planning. Most impressive was the speed at which participants absorbed the previous day’s information. They processed course material dense with new concepts and delivered it confidently back to the group during the notorious 15-minute presentations.

The course is designed to create an immersive and supportive learning environment. A variety of educational approaches is used, including familiar lecturing, presentations and group discussions, but also a series of hands-on and challenging exercises based on case studies. There was a very quick and memorable drawing exercise that, within a few minutes, tangibly demonstrated the communication challenges in a field as multi-disciplinary as sustainability advocacy. Much of the main learning happened in self-organized group sessions during which participants effortlessly switched between the roles of speaker, listener and facilitator.

These workshops are a great opportunity to meet others with similar goals but different backgrounds and approaches. As is often the case, many of the most interesting and engaging conversations happened in the interstitial social interactions when people decided to sit together for lunch or go for or a beer at the local watering hole. So, at the end of the day, don’t neglect to invest in some good old fashioned chin-wagging; sustainability leadership is about people, and your fellow participants are good people to know.