Maintaining Momentum for Sustainability Actions

Whether we are chasing a 2030 emissions reduction goal, or working towards meeting a global standard, implementing sustainability efforts within our organisations is a long-term effort that requires many consistent small steps.

As with many things in life that require enduring commitments, working on continuously improving our sustainability practices means having to deal with the challenge of staying motivated over a span of time, including when you face resistance, experience setbacks, and feel frustrated at the pace of progress.  

We hear it all the time: Sustainability is a journey. While it may sound a bit like an empty catchphrase, it's true, and in fact, continuous improvement should be a key part of how we define success when we embark on our efforts to become more environmentally conscious and socially responsible.

Take the First Step

The first step to becoming more sustainable, for many, is the hardest one to take. The idea may feel overwhelming or unachievable. You may feel discouraged by seemingly impossible challenges - from climate-related disasters to the plastic pollution crisis.

But the first step is also the most important to take, and it’s important that we don’t make it harder than it already is for ourselves.

Our advice? Stop waiting until you have everything in place for a perfect start. Just get started with the basics to better understand where you are, so you can set targets for improving your performance over time.

Understanding sustainability, setting goals and communicating about them, consulting staff and community members ... These are all great initial steps, which can be low-cost investments.

Don’t Stop After the Initial Phase

In the first few weeks or months we may be full of new ideas and excitement about our sustainability goals. Our team members and stakeholders may also be active in supporting our efforts.

But then ... we all get busy, and after a while, it becomes hard to maintain momentum with our sustainability actions. In peak seasons, our staff don’t have time to support sustainability initiatives when their plates fill up with their main job responsibilities. Our partners and community stakeholders become less actively engaged after a few meetings or calls, as their day-to-day obligations take priority.

And then what?

Even if we have ambitious goals and genuine commitment to becoming more sustainable, those alone will not ensure sustained energy, consistent time investment, and ongoing enthusiastic support.

So how do we sustain momentum in the long term, because sustainability IS indeed a journey? To turn our goals into concrete action steps, and to turn those into lasting change, we need both changes within individuals and organisations prioritising sustainability steps, and systems change moving the needle at the industry level.

Start with Ourselves

To ensure a sustainable future of travel and tourism, we need different kinds of transformation at different levels. Systems change at the destination level to redefine what tourism means for people and places. Mindset shifts at the organisation level to refocus on meaningful goals.

And all of those start with transformation at the individual, personal level for each of us as a professional and as a traveler.

So one key aspect of maintaining momentum for sustainability actions is for each of us to reflect on how we can, as individuals, create positive change and be part of tourism’s sustainable transformation. For that, keep learning, sharing, and networking. Not only as a regular reminder that you're not alone in your sustainability journey, but also as a way to explore new ideas and find inspiration from others.

Make It a Team Effort

Whether we think of the climate crisis and our roles in it, or the social and economic inequalities that exist locally and globally, most of the time the need for change is clear. What may not be as clear is how. Not having all the right answers, though, does not need to stop us from demanding change and advocating for improvement.  

And one small step that we can all take right now is to start talking to each other, so we can learn from our experiences, spread solutions and lessons, and break down silos that are preventing progress. Within our own team, across our organisation, and throughout our networks.

Also - importantly - make a point to celebrate your achievements. No matter how small or big, seeing the positive impact you are creating as a team is a great way to keep everyone engaged and motivated.

Make Sustainability a Part of Business

Lack of time and lack of money. These are among the top reasons why working on sustainability steps is challenging for organisations. The fact is, we will always be busy and money will always be a challenge.

That’s why we need to flip our thinking. Rather than thinking of sustainability as an additional goal that requires separate stakeholder buy-in, make your sustainability commitments a part of what you do and who you are. This does not mean publishing a sustainability policy (although that is an important and effective step). It means incorporating sustainability into decision making at all levels, making sustainability goals an integrated part of the core business.
 
Destinations and industry networks, moreover, can facilitate change by creating and amplifying solutions through partnerships, and encouraging relationship building within, across and beyond the tourism value chain.

Work on Maintaining Hope

When discussing any aspects of sustainability issues and impacts, it’s easy to feel distress and a sense of powerlessness. While remaining critical and realistic is important, we should not give in to feeling hopeless.

According to many leading activists and social movement champions, an effective antidote to hopelessness is focusing on concrete and meaningful action steps. While maintaining awareness of the big picture, we can all - as individuals and organisations - work on developing and improving our own sustainability steps.

Collectively and in the long-term, our ongoing action leads to change. And focusing on progress is a great way to build constructive hope, which can power even more action and support engagement.