Folks to Follow: Sustainability on Twitter
In an ocean of advertisements, rabble-rousers and videos of dogs riding skateboards, it can be hard to distinguish an original thinker from a retweeting robot. Still, 11 years in, Twitter remains a valuable forum for ideas and discussion, especially for an increasingly ubiquitous space like sustainability. You just need to know where to look. Below, The Works provides its curated list of CSR professionals to follow – thumb-typing thought leaders for the sustainable geek on the go.
Wesley’s Picks
Wesley Gee leads The Works’ sustainability practice. He provides guidance in stakeholder engagement, materiality and performance measurement, communications, and reporting. Follow him @wesgee.
John Elkington (@volansjohn)
Wes calls John the “Number One Grand Daddy of Sustainability.” Still not sold? John co-founded SustainAbility, coined the phrase “triple bottom line,” and regularly speaks at big-time events like the World Economic Forum. So, there.
What John’s tweeting:
Paul Hawken (@paulhawken)
Author of the revolutionary book, The Ecology of Commerce, Paul is a man of opinions: Lyft is a leader. Jackson Browne is his hero. China is two-faced. Trump has the moral weight of a lentil. You may not agree with all of his ideas, but you will absolutely know where Paul stands.
Jim Harris (@jimharris)
As the former leader of Canada’s Green Party (2003 to 2006, to be precise) Jim injects a unique perspective into your social media. He tweets a lot of about innovation: FinTech, disruption – and how AI can confuse Chihuahuas with blueberry muffins. It’s a problem, Jim, we’re with you on that.
What Jim’s tweeting:
Frances Edmonds (@francesedmonds)
When Frances began guiding HP Canada’s environmental initiatives, computers still used floppy disks and “sustainability” was just a buzzword. Now she’s a guiding light across the corporate world and online. Follow Frances for insights on everything from electric cars to forestation.
Kate’s Picks
In addition to running In Scope, Kate heads up Business Development activities for The Works. Her areas of expertise include digital marketing, community management and analytics implementation. Follow her @KateHeronWorks.
Mike Barry (@planamikebarry)
As Director of Sustainable Business at Marks and Spencer, Mike offers heaps of content on food security, the circular economy and the impact of waste to his over 14,000 followers. And he isn’t afraid to bridge the gap between sworn enemies.
What Mike’s tweeting:
Aman Singh (@amansinghcsr)
Based out of New York, Aman is the Editor in Chief at Futerra, writer for numerous outlets and CSR strategist. She’s also a funny and unwavering optimist – a breath of fresh air for industry often wrapped up in the negative.
What Aman’s tweeting:
Hannah Jones (@hjones_nike)
To quote Hannah, Nike’s Chief Sustainability Officer and VP, Innovation Accelerator: “Form and function are more than elements of design. They are the fundamentals of a social and environmental revolution that harness beauty and performance to essentially disrupt the status quo.” What she said.
Chris Coulter (@cdjcoulter)
Chris is one of the world’s brightest minds when it comes to advancing transparency and getting corporations to build trust. He believes ensuring a sustainable future will be a “war of ideas,” and we’re happy to follow him into battle. Read our interview with him here.
Don’t forget: you can find us on twitter at @theworksdesign. We talk about sustainability, branding, investor relations and corporate communications. And sometimes, we’re funny.
