Turning Sustainability Into Employee Engagement

Transcript - Turning Sustainability Into Employee Engagement

Rich Rininsland: On this episode of Team Building Saves the World …

Sara Espinoza: Climate and natural disasters have a real mental health impact. Spending time outside is good for employees’ health, and you can participate in these environmental education and volunteer opportunities, but you don’t have to give up your Saturday to do it, right?

I have heard NEEF referred to as a best-kept secret. We don’t want to be a best-kept secret.

Rich Rininsland: Hello, team. It’s me, your old friend Rich Rininsland, host of Team Building Saves the World. Did you know there’s a connection between your personal health and environmental health? On today’s episode, we’re going to be speaking with the president and CEO of NEEF, the National Environmental Education Foundation, Sara Espinoza, about steps your corporation can take to increase your environmental education and personal wellbeing.

But first, I have to share some love with all of my supporters at TeamBonding. If your team is ready to experience teamwork through the power of play, then visit teambonding.com to learn more. Now, team, let’s talk to a woman who has made a career connecting people to nature, Sara Espinoza Sara Espinoza, thank you so much for coming on the podcast.

I appreciate you being here.

Sara Espinoza: Thanks so much for having me, Rich.

Rich Rininsland: Now just so my team out there gets to know you quickly as well as they can, you are the president and CEO of the National Environmental Education Foundation, or NEEF. Correct?

Sara Espinoza: That’s right.

Rich Rininsland: Great. Why don’t you start off by just telling us where NEEF came from and why this became your central idea for what you wanted to run with in your life?

Sara Espinoza: Sure. NEEF, again, the National Environmental Education Foundation, we’re a non-profit organization. We were actually created by Congress in 1990.

Rich Rininsland: Okay …

Sara Espinoza: Under the National Environmental Education Act with a very broad mission to advance environmental knowledge and engagement for the American public.

And also as a sister organization to EPA, so we’re a separate non-profit, but we really exist to complement the environmental and public health mission of the agency. Our mission is to make the environment more accessible, relevant, and connected to people’s daily lives. And I will say, how did I end up here?

I have always really been interested in the environment and spending time outdoors. I had a very outdoorsy childhood, which I think helped send me in this direction. And one of the things that I really love most about NEEF is that we focus on lifelong environmental learning. So a lot of times I think when people hear about environmental education, they think of kids spending time outside.

Rich Rininsland: Yeah.

Sara Espinoza: And certainly that’s very important, and it’s a big piece of our work, but we also really believe that learning about the environment and connecting to nature is a lifelong endeavor.

Rich Rininsland: Wanted to expand very far beyond that 4H that we all grew up with way back in the day.

Yes. Fantastic. And just so everybody out there thinks that they’ve switched on to a different podcast, we all know this is a corporate-themed podcast.

Why is that nature connectivity so important now in the corporate world?

Sara Espinoza: So NEEF works with a lot of corporate partners and really what we see is a few connections. One is that nature and spending time outside, particularly volunteering opportunities, are really important and impactful ways for companies to connect with their local communities.

Rich Rininsland: Okay.

Sara Espinoza: Also, spending time outside is good for employees’ health, right? We know that spending time in nature can lower blood pressure. It can help manage stress. It can help with mental health. So there are a lot of kind of benefits there from a health perspective too, in terms of encouraging that connection and really spending time in the nature spaces that are around us.

Rich Rininsland: That’s amazing ’cause honestly, for anybody out there who might be thinking that, sure, that’s what everybody says, but it- I can actually attest to the truth of it. I just genetically am predisposed towards high blood pressure on my father’s side of the family especially. And my healthcare providers and everything were actually trying to use medication to get to get that under control and to get it all taken care of.

And one day, I went in, this is after a couple of months of running out of my medication and not getting a refill in time. But when I went in my nurse practitioner was like, “I’m really concerned about you. I wanna make sure because you haven’t had your pills that you’re doing okay.” But my blood pressure was way down.

And when she asked what I’ve been doing, has it been meditation, which I automatically already do, or so forth what has actually been getting me going, I got a puppy, and my dog is such an outdoor dog. She demands to be outside, but never alone, hates being alone. So if she goes outside, I have to go outside with her.

Long walks have become the events of the day for me. So for those of you out there who are thinking that this can’t help you, it helped me

Sara Espinoza: So let’s talk- that’s one of the amazing things about- Yeah … being outside is that usually we’re moving when we’re outside. And that’s good for us. Yeah.

Rich Rininsland: But we’re also thinking about, ’cause I did come up in a corporate setting. Most of my life was spent, in a cubicle at a desk doing a job like everybody else out there for a nine-to-fiver.

Why aren’t corporations or haven’t corporations been taking this more seriously or into effect, and what has caused them to change that methodology now?

Sara Espinoza: I think employee wellbeing is becoming very important for a lot of companies, and also employees are coming to companies, current employees and future employees- wanting to know that’s a priority and wellbeing and also environment and sustainability for many people. So this is a way to connect those two things. And I think now a lot of companies certainly that we’re looking at or working with are looking at how to support- organizations and parks and public lands in their own communities with employee volunteerism and connectivity.

And again, that sort of nets those two things together, right? You have employees getting what they’re looking for in terms of opportunities to connect and volunteer and focus on their own wellbeing. And you also get those opportunities to spend a time outside, connect with nature places that are near you, and hopefully learn something about your local community and environment.

Rich Rininsland: Yeah, ’cause a large part of what you do is actually the environmental education aspect of it as well, isn’t it?

So how do we interconnect those two? What is it you’re trying to drive to actually get people more involved in an education side of it, as opposed to just local volunteering?

Sara Espinoza: So I think what we find and what a lot of companies are doing really well in terms of connecting employees to the environment, enviro- environmental education, is working with local parks and community organizations to identify what they need first from a conservation or volunteerism perspective, and then also build in time when employees are going out to these spaces to have some education from the experts in the community.

So to give you an example we have worked with International Paper to mobilize employees at Overton Park, which is a big urban forest in the middle of Memphis.

And they really needed invasive species removal. They were trying to clear a part of the park to do some reforestation. So we were able to get employees out there to do that invasive species removal, and at the same time, there was someone from the park there to talk to them about why they were doing that work, which makes it more meaningful at the end of the day to know that what you’ve done, you’ve gotten your hands dirty, but you’ve done something that’s really gonna help the staff at the park move forward their goals and take care of that space.

Rich Rininsland: Okay. And besides the fact that’s going to help out with the environment, For those people out there who might be thinking this just sounds like I’m doing more work throughout the day, let’s talk a little bit more if we can about the benefits that they’re going to be gaining by actually doing this volunteerism and learning as they go.

Sara Espinoza: So one is just connecting with other- employees connecting with colleagues, having an opportunity to do something meaningful together. We do know, and I’m sure that you hear this all the time, that a lot of companies will provide time for employees to volunteer. So it’s not something that has to be extra, and I think that’s a really nice benefit that we see, is that you can go out and you can participate in these environmental education and volunteer opportunities, but you don’t have to give up your Saturday to do it.

It’s something that’s really on company time. Yeah. And then, I think just also having the opportunity to connect to the spaces where you live. Oftentimes we find that people who go out once to a volunteer event discover a place that they didn’t know about.

They will go back to that place.

And going back to our earlier conversation about health and wellness, we’ve created a connection that really benefits them long term.

Rich Rininsland: Are there any other ways that you’re recommending to corporations to actually increase this? We can always get the employees started in a volunteer path, but- once that volunteering time might be up or they just let it accidentally slip away, how can the corporation keep them motivated, keep them moving in that direction?

Sara Espinoza: So some of the things we’ve seen and also tried are integrating more opportunities to think about the environment and environmental education during the workday.

Yeah. So not necessarily going offsite and volunteering, but how does this fit into my day job? Or how are some of my personal actions tied to some of the goals of the company, whether that’s reducing waste protecting water quality, whatever those things may be. So we did some work a couple years ago with 3M where we actually had an employee challenge.

They would submit a- actions that they were taking either at work or in their personal lives and share them with their colleagues, and there was a whole voting process to identify ways that employees could be contributing to some of the core sustainability pillars of the company. So those are some ways to integrate a little more, that’s not necessarily a separate event- but more integrating into what we’re doing day to day.

Rich Rininsland: Okay. This is always the big point of these interviews.

Why should the company even try this? What’s the benefit they get from benefiting their employees in this particular manner?

Sara Espinoza: Their employees are looking for this, right? A lot of people that are moving into the workforce right now, particularly- younger people are looking for purpose in their work. And oftentimes that is looking for ways to either give back in their community through the company that they work for, or to have opportunities to make recommendations and improve the place that they’re working. Oftentimes that can be tied to sustainability.

Of course, there’s other things that, that may come in there as well. But I really think it’s a competitive advantage in many ways- … to be able to provide these kinds of opportunities to employees when they’re coming to work. We spend a lot of time at work, so being able to have that agency is really attractive to a lot of corporate employees.

Rich Rininsland: And do you have them, for example are they doing things to improve their own corporate parks and the areas directly around their buildings? Is this methods you’re seeing that they’re using to keep the employees engaged?

Sara Espinoza: We have seen some companies do on-site activations. And also a lot of the work that we do is parks or public lands that are nearby. So very close to those corporate campuses where employees may already be going or spending their time, and it’s an opportunity to go and help those places improve.

Rich Rininsland: What are some other methods these companies can use?

There’ve gotta be so many different ways that no one’s thought of yet that hopefully you, you are going to be able to assist us with. All of these sound easy and simple to do. Let’s dig in a little bit deeper. Maybe they’ve already started something like this. What’s the next step they can take?

Sara Espinoza: So two things. One is that we have seen a lot of companies invest in youth-based programs in their communities. So NEEF has an initiative we call Greening STEM, which essentially gives young people opportunities to get outside and participate in real research where they live. So really grounded in local issues and environmental investigations.

And we are seeing a lot of companies invest in supporting those kinds of youth-focused projects in the communities where they are based.

And that’s not only a community investment, but oftentimes there are also opportunities for corporate employees to talk to students, to serve as mentors, to share career opportunities.

So it’s another way to connect back to the community. The other thing I would share that I think is really important is to think about non-wired and hourly employees that might be part of the workforce, and how they can be more engaged in sustainability and environmental initiatives.

Rich Rininsland: Talk some more about that. Yeah,

Let’s dig a little deeper into that.

Sara Espinoza: Yeah, so oftentimes they don’t have access to the same volunteering opportunities that salaried employees who are at a desk have. If you’re working on the floor, you’re doing shift work- … it’s a different setting.

Rich Rininsland: You have all the visual reminders, and you have the manager … talking to you, and so on and so forth. But yeah, what about those people who are still working from home?

Sara Espinoza: So we’ve also done some work with International Paper, also with Toyota. With International Paper, specifically around their non-wired workers, and how to get them more involved and engaged with the company’s sustainability goals, and really worked with the employees to design their own- Employee engagement projects.

How did they want to be engaged? Some of them did wanna go out and volunteer. Others wanted watershed education on site during all-hands meetings, or activities and tips they could take home and implement with their families. So providing some flexibility that allows everyone to engage is something that I think a lot of companies can do and do more of, really from an inclusivity perspective.

Rich Rininsland: Very cool.

Sara Espinoza: Yes.

Rich Rininsland: And what kind of ways are you seeing for corporations to actually incentivize their employees to doing this?

Sara Espinoza: That’s a good question. So as I said, a lot of times there will be time provided to employees to volunteer- … a certain number of days. Other times, there will be challenges or kind of internal little contests to incentivize, where maybe it’s recognition.

We saw that with the 3M project where- … the employees who had the most popular actions proposed got some recognition internally, and their actions were shared with the company.

Rich Rininsland: Okay.

Sara Espinoza: So some of those kinds of things can really offer some visibility and shore up participation.

Rich Rininsland: Is there anything in your studies that you’ve seen…

‘Cause we talk about how the younger generations, these are things, those who are coming into the workforce, these are things that they’re looking for. They want their corporation, as you even said to already be doing these things. How are those newer generations looking at purpose-driven work like this?

Like, why is this such a motivating factor for them?

Sara Espinoza: I think it’s about wanting to make a difference, and to have some agency in the impact of their work.

Rich Rininsland: Okay.

Sara Espinoza: I think what we find and even hear from young people who we see moving from high school into college and into the workforce- is that they’re wanting the opportunity to identify issues that are important to them when it comes to environment and sustainability, and have a voice in how those are showing up in their work- … and at the company. And to have opportunities also, I think, to engage with leaders, with sustainability experts, to understand how these issues- show up across the company, but also to have input in how they’re being addressed at the community level all the way up to the corporate level.

Rich Rininsland: And dare I say, ’cause my daughter, I had asked her, I have a 20-year-old now who’s gonna be graduating college in the next couple of years, and when she gets out there, I have asked her very specifically are there anything like this that she wants to get herself involved in.

And she said absolutely yes, and when I asked her why, she said, “I’m so sick and tired of the fact that my parents are of an age,” ’cause her mother and I are both Gen X, where- We did what we could and it didn’t seem to do anything. So they’re now facing not only the forebears generations who caused the negative environmental impact that we’re now discovering and continuing to discover, but also those like myself who I can still remember when they talked about how the ozone needed to be saved and we needed to…

This was, I’m from South Jersey in the ’80s. When they told us we couldn’t use Aquanet anymore, people went nuts. So we did what we could, but now they’re still being told now it’s life-threatening. Now it’s we’re at the too little too late moment.

So- we’re even talking about now corporations that are focusing so strongly on AI, so many of them, because that is a massive money-making opportunity.

But with it comes horrendous environmental impact. Can we discuss a little bit more about that, and how are the new generation coming in trying to get the corporations to make sure that those are still centermost in their mind?

Sara Espinoza: Yeah, I do think it’s a really heavy burden- on younger generations, and in fact, we hear that and we know that, Gen Z will say that the future is frightening.

And I think, that’s one of the reason many younger generations are looking for that agency, in their work, and that purpose to, to make a difference. On the AI question I don’t know if I have a perfect answer for you, but I can tell you that we’re thinking-

Rich Rininsland: It’s still so fresh.

I know it’s still so new …

Sara Espinoza: I know, it’s very, it’s fresh, but it’s moving quickly. And- it’s something that we’re thinking a lot about at NEEF, both in the context of, as you say, the environmental impact- … and how environmental education could play a role in helping people understand that, but then also use this technology that’s not going away in a way that is less environmentally impactful. And then also, how can some of these tools be combined with environmental education, particularly for youth, so that we’re creating a generation that has some knowledge of the impact, and how to use these tools responsibly. And I think that’s really where we are right now in, in thinking about the issue.

Rich Rininsland: Let’s talk a little bit more, if we can, not even specifically about AI usage and, the massive centers that are coming about to make sure that the AIs continue to function. Just public health in general. I don’t wanna terrify anybody out there, but can you give us some of the statistics for just environmental impacts that public health is seeing from the corporate side, and what kind of methods are being used to mitigate that?

Sara Espinoza: So I think there’s a number of things that we see. Some are really physical health impacts. So understanding how employees may be affected by extreme heat, air quality- … natural disasters that impact our communities.

Rich Rininsland: I was only giggling because it is so monumentally hot where I am right now.

Sara Espinoza: Oh, same.

Rich Rininsland: I’m sorry, go ahead. Go on.

Sara Espinoza: So I do think there’s a lot of thought right now an effort to provide employees with resources to manage some of those health impacts, and that can be everything from helping people who may be working outside for part of the day- we’re talking about the heat, how do you protect your health what are some of those steps, to mental health impacts.

So- … we’ve actually been doing some work youth focused, but it transfers on the link between climate change and mental health, and the fact that climate and natural disasters have real mental health impacts in young people. And there are ways to manage those mental health impacts and recognize the emotions that come up when we’re experiencing these events in our communities.

And a lot of that work really does transfer, in that the methods are really the same. You were talking about meditation earlier. Some of those strategies. We talk about using your senses. We talk about getting outside when you can to be able to decompress. A lot of those actions are really transferrable across the age ranges.

Rich Rininsland: Yep. I can still remember a time in my youth when I was working in a corporate park in a building eight hours a day at least, and the only people who got to go outside were the ones who were smoking, because they were the only ones who had the time. Yeah. You could take your lunch break outside certainly, but those smokers got an extra 15 minutes every hour or so that they could go out and just take care of this.

And while they’re not being the healthiest they can be for themselves, they get to at least be outside. So what do you want to hope for? Rather I should say, what do you hope for the future? What has gained enough momentum that you’re happy about, and how much further would you like to see this go?

Sara Espinoza: I think what I’m happy about and has gained a lot of momentum- … is just this really deep investment in communities that a lot of companies are making. Things are not necessarily happening at the corporate, national, or international level. But we’re seeing a lot more of our partners want to invest at the community level where they have an office, they have an employee base, and they have a vested interest in supporting that community, supporting the schools, giving them opportunities to experience environmental education projects- supporting their parks and public lands through volunteerism, through investing in improvements. So we also have had corporate partners like Toyota that have supported grant programs that improve accessibility of public lands. So really I think that effort to really be local is something that is really positive and also really- … resonates with employees, because that’s what- All of us know, right? Is where we live, where we’re based.

And I would just love to see more of that, and I think more investment also in building up the next generation of corporate employees.

That’s a big piece of our work, is giving young people those experiences that will keep them interested and engaged in STEM fields, and wanting to move into that pipeline. And really, that has to start middle school age or younger to generate the interest before they’re starting to specialize and move on to other things.

So I think there’s a real opportunity there too for companies to really strengthen their own pipeline and make sure that we have future employees who are knowledgeable about environment and sustainability, and ready to do those jobs.

Rich Rininsland: And just to remind those companies out there that might be listening to this, these are the people who are already looking for this kind of possibility, and if your company is not going to offer them anything, chances are they’re not gonna wanna hire on with you.

Plus, if you have hired them on, they’re always gonna look for a reason to stay, so that employee retention becomes very important, as does their health. Sara, thank you so very much for coming on. I really appreciate you being here. Is there a way, ’cause this is not a political podcast in any way, shape, or form, and if anybody out there has mistook anything I have said as being from a political standpoint, it is not, except for now this.

… Is there any way that people out there who might be listening can help NEEF to continue what they’re doing? ‘Cause as you said, you were founded in the ’90s by the government, who I am certain is probably no longer supporting you.

Sara Espinoza: Actually still supporting us to some degree.

Yes. We still work with a number of federal agencies, so we are we are fortunate.

And similar to what you said, we are non-partisan. We do not do advocacy work. We really were created for everyone in this country. And I think support for our work, learning more about what we do, not only in the employee engagement space, but through our Greening STEM projects for youth, is really helpful for us.

NEEF, I have heard NEEF referred to as a best kept secret. We don’t want to be a best kept secret. We would like people to know who we are and know about our work. So opportunities like this, too, are a really fantastic way to share more about what we do, and have an opportunity to talk about the organization.

Rich Rininsland: Then I’m even more glad that you got to come on with us today. Thank you so much. Where can they go and find out more about you?

Sara Espinoza: So our website is NEEF, N-E-E-F usa.org. That is the best place to find us.

Rich Rininsland: Fantastic. Sara Espinoza, thank you again. My friends out there, please, a big round of applause for my guest, Sara Espinoza.

This was amazing. Thank you.

Sara Espinoza: Thank you.

Rich Rininsland: It’s so rare I get to talk about this side of the impact of corporate culture and so forth. So just finding out that, hey, nature, still an important part of everyday living. Did you have a good time?

Sara Espinoza: I did.

Rich Rininsland: Fantastic. Thank you. I hope you continue to say that, because it is time for my speed round.

Sara Espinoza: Okay.

Rich Rininsland: Now, I told Sarah all about it, everybody out there. But just to remind all of you, or for those of you who may not know the show that well, what this is it’s gonna be 60 seconds where I play some music, that keeps me in track of the time, and I’m gonna ask Sarah a bunch of silly, innocuous questions in an attempt to get to know her a little bit better.

Sarah, I don’t know how competitive you are, but if you are at all, we’re trying to beat 16 questions, asked and answered, in the 60 seconds. Okay. You think you can do it?

Sara Espinoza: I’ll give it my best.

Rich Rininsland: Yeah, don’t worry about it if you don’t. It’s fine. It’s just for fun. Okay. So I’m gonna hear you’re gonna hear some music rather, and then I’ll start asking the questions.

As soon as you hear the first question, let’s go. Ready?

Sara Espinoza: Okay.

Rich Rininsland: All right. Here we go. What’s your name?

Sara Espinoza: Sarah.

Rich Rininsland: Where are you from?

Sara Espinoza: Colorado springs.

Rich Rininsland: Do you have any pets?

Sara Espinoza: Yes, a dog named Minnie.

Rich Rininsland: If you could ask Minnie a question and get an answer, what would that question be?

Sara Espinoza: Ooh, where was she born?

Rich Rininsland: Who’s the funniest person you know?

Sara Espinoza: Ooh, that’s a good one

Ooh, probably my friend Amy

Rich Rininsland: Fantastic. Favorite family vacation spot?

Sara Espinoza: Costa Rica

Rich Rininsland: Pancakes or waffles?

Sara Espinoza: Pancakes

Rich Rininsland: What job would you be terrible at?

Sara Espinoza: Oh, I think probably a pilot

Rich Rininsland: Most adventurous thing you’ve ever eaten?

Sara Espinoza: Crickets

Rich Rininsland: What’s the most embarrassing thing in your music library?

Sara Espinoza: Oh my favorite ’80s song is We Built This City.

Rich Rininsland: If you could have any actor play you in the life of your movie, the movie of your life rather, who would it be?

Sara Espinoza: Ooh. I’ve been told Sandra Bullock. I don’t see it, but I’ll go for it.

Rich Rininsland: It doesn’t have to be a lookalike. It’s just about who you want it to be. That’s fine. You got 12, my friend.

Sara Espinoza: Okay.

Rich Rininsland: That’s really good. Yeah. Okay. That’s right about in the average, about where we get every episode. Thank you so much, Sarah. I so appreciate you being here.

Sara Espinoza: Thank you. I really appreciate the opportunity