National Geographic Society – Katie DeWitt – 2012

Goals

National Geographic (NatGeo) enlisted Katie DeWitt to ensure that its internal practices aligned with its public, environmentally proactive mission statement – “Inspiring people to care about the planet.”

Solutions

Working closely with NatGeo’s Chief Sustainability Officer, DeWitt drafted a formal sustainability policy to be included in “Mission 2015,” the organization’s comprehensive strategic plan. Her recommendations included energy, waste, water use and GHG emission reduction goals. DeWitt also recommended including an employee engagement strategy designed to motivate all 1,300 NatGeo employees to contribute to the reduction goals. The strategy is based in data gathered from best practice research and directly from employees by survey.

Potential Impact

Though NatGeo has historically conducted business with admirable environmental and social responsibility, the organization decided to formally incorporate both into its annual business planning after DeWitt delivered her final recommendations to the Executive Management Committee.