Page 204 - A CHANGE MAKER'S GUIDE TO NEW HORIZONS 2

THE CHANGE MAKER’S GUIDE TO NEW HORIZONS

interrelationships, emphasising the need for collaboration and uniting organisations and even
nations in common action for the greater good. It is therefore pragmatic for any organisation

to explore the SDGs and use them as an opportunity to create checks and balances and

demonstrate sustainable credentials as part of what it is to be a sustainable organisation.

Adopting the SDGs may also offer global kudos and a “feel good” factor especially if the goals

adopted are “easily attainable” and the organisation is already doing the actions. But is it

enough? And is it also possible that using, incorporating and reporting on SDGs may be seen

by your clients and staff as a form of greenwashing? Greenwashing is a form of spin where
“green” public relations (PR) and marketing are deceptively used to promote the perception

that the organisation is environmentally friendly and/or working for a sustainable future.

For the SDGs to have real meaning and value, organisations need to rise to the challenge of

addressing the more demanding and stretching objectives, as well as scrutinisng these for
unintended consequences. Although SDGs can sometimes be used as a form of green-

washing, Nikos Avlonas (2018) states that “they refine complex concerns to easily

understandable concepts” and therefore are a reasonable platform for any organisation to
move towards an sustainable future and address the global challenges we face.

So, this leads us on to how you can use these frameworks. What is required to balance the

four principles and what might be the “core” actions that bring the principles together?

Sustainability and the Caplor House

As mentioned in Chapter 3, the Caplor House has a sheltering Roof that sustains it. The Roof

is a place to consider how best our learning, thinking and actions can help to ensure a
sustainable future. From the Roof, we use the lens of sustainability as our navigational tool

taking into consideration what we have found out from all the rooms of the House and our

awareness of learning from the foundation. We then plan our compass bearing and bring

together all the elements that we need to think about for our voyage, going forwards.

Organisations can similarly use the Caplor House model to develop ways of thinking and

working towards a sustainable future. The diagram below summarises some of the key actions

you might take in each of the rooms.

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