Do you know how to find your ikigai?

 

The Japanese concept of aligning passion, talent, and purpose could be the key not just to discovering what drives you, but to forging a personal connection to sustainability.

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That’s the essence of ikigai, the philosophy of discovering fulfilment by “exploring the overlap of what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.”

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This is exactly what gets Jay Crangle out of bed every morning: she thrives on working with people, loves creating impact, and the world needs more people making an impact. As Head of ESG at the Sustainable Business Council, Jay works with over 130 member companies to ensure that sustainability isn’t just a buzzword but a lived reality: “I work with our members to check if they are achieving their commitments, to make sure they walk the sustainability talk!” The Sustainable Business Council operates on three key pillars: leadership, climate action, and thriving people, accelerating the transition to a regenerative future, and working to make sustainability mainstream within New Zealand businesses.

 

Jay’s passion deepened when she studied in Canada, where she encountered Indigenous perspectives on the interconnectedness of people and the planet. “I understood how social and cultural well-being is inextricably tied to the well-being of nature. Our impact on nature, in turn, impacts us, and that there’s a ripple effect to our individual actions. We’re part of a wider ecosystem, and this idea is easy to lose when you work in the business world, behind a desk, where sustainability feels abstract and unrelatable.”

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How do you engage people in a concept that often lacks personal resonance? Jay’s advice is simple: ask questions. “There is no such thing as a silly question. Once you find out what matters to someone, and what they care about, it’s a lot easier to engage them in ESG as you can connect it back to their values and priorities.” Or perhaps the challenge is something else entirely: Morgenmuffel. Jay loves this German word, which perfectly captures the essence of someone too grumpy to function before their morning coffee. How does this relate to sustainability? “Morgenmuffel your way to sustainability victory by refusing to engage with stakeholders before 9 a.m. and certainly not until your second flat white.” But more importantly, she believes in playing to your strengths. “Maybe your superpower is storytelling, so tell the story of all the progress being made. Or maybe it’s spreadsheets, so map out your community’s annual emissions reductions in those tables.”

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Sustainability can be found anywhere if you’re curious enough. Even her toddler’s books, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, illustrate the consequences of overconsumption, but also the possibility for transformation. The same is true for climate change. “We are living in a hungry caterpillar world. It’s easy to be disheartened, to channel your inner caterpillar by eating too much and cocooning yourself in a duvet of denial. But, through small actions and big wins, we can transform this mess into a beautiful butterfly.”

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Her promise is to keep the conversation going, spreading positive news: “Be outraged. Be optimistic. Support businesses making good changes. Flog a children’s book metaphor to death. Know that your choices matter. Let’s call that the butterfly effect.”

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Read Jay’s answers for Blooming Sustainability and listen to her advice: step outside your bubble. Talk to someone who doesn’t live and breathe ESG. Ask them about their values or dreams, and share yours. You might just discover that you have more in common than you think.

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BLOOMING  Sustainability Questionnaire

Name: Jay Crangle

Company & Title: Sustainable Business Council, Head of ESG

Website & LinkedIn Profile: https://sbc.org.nz/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaycrangle/

 

* Guiding Values | Kaupapa 

A quote, personal motto or whakataukī that reflects your vision:  

I have recently discovered the German word “Morgenmuffel.” Like many German words, it succinctly encapsulates the idea of someone who is not a morning person and is too grumpy to function until they have coffee. Aka, it encapsulates me. While being a Morgenmuffel is not my motto, it is linked to my favourite quote: “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”

 

How does this relate to sustainability? Well, dear reader, it means you should play to your strengths. I firmly believe everybody – even my angry neighbour, still ranting about her Council-provided food waste bin 18 months later – has a part to play in leaving the planet better than we found it. Maybe your superpower is storytelling – so tell the story of all the progress being made. Maybe your superpower is spreadsheets (I’m looking at you, Shannil). Pivot those tables until you can map out the entirety of the business community’s annual emission reduction. Morgenmuffel your way to sustainability victory by refusing to engage with stakeholders before 9 am and certainly not until your second flat white.

 

Be curious. Ask questions. Not only will it help you learn, it may prompt the person you ask to think about the issue they’re facing differently. As a relative newcomer to corporate sustainability, I have embraced the idea that there is no such thing as a silly question.

 

I work in a membership body with members across all sectors, so I see many different challenges, from technological to financial to lack of buy-in at the top. The biggest challenge I see though, is also the biggest opportunity: a mindset shift. If we start considering people and planetary impacts on an equal footing with economic growth then we can unlock the enormous potential that sustainability represents for business.

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If you could mentor a rising change-maker in Aotearoa, what advice would you share?
Be curious. Ask questions. Not only will it help you learn, it may prompt the person you ask to think about the issue they’re facing differently. As a relative newcomer to corporate sustainability, I have embraced the idea that there is no such thing as a silly question. However, in my first week at the Sustainable Business Council asking whether a baked or a continental cheesecake were lower in emissions probably literally takes the cake.

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* Leading Change | Arataki

A key moment in your journey that shaped your path:  
Moving back to Aotearoa after 15 years abroad. I was struck by the contrast of the concrete jungle of London with the beauty of our taonga here, whether that taonga be the consistent ebb and flow of waves at my local beach, the cool shade of the bush or the resurgence of te reo. There are so many unique things to protect and ensure they flourish here – it made me inspired to do even more.

 

What’s the main challenge you face in driving sustainability within your sector? 
I work in a membership body with members across all sectors, so I see many different challenges, from technological to financial to lack of buy-in at the top. The biggest challenge I see though, is also the biggest opportunity: a mindset shift. If we start considering people and planetary impacts on an equal footing with economic growth then we can unlock the enormous potential that sustainability represents for business.

 

An area you need more support with: 
I struggle with wanting to do everything, everywhere, all at once. Such as wanting to persuade all people, all of the time, about the wonder of Oz, and also taking action on sustainability. Basically I am the Michelle Yeoh of Tāmaki Makaurau. Working at an organization with such a diverse number of member businesses means a diverse range of needs that need to be met. It can be hard to not want to say yes to all the great ideas they have and to focus instead on the few most impactful things that will really shift the dial on sustainability in Aotearoa.

 

An Indigenous perspective you admire and want people to be mindful of:  
I studied in Canada for a bit and in between eating all the poutine ever produced in Ontario I learnt about First Nation people’s views on the interconnectedness of people and the planet. This means that social and cultural well-being is inextricably tied to the well-being of nature. I connect with the idea that our impact on nature, in turn, impacts us, and that there’s a ripple effect to our individual actions, both at a community level and on the natural environment. It’s a reminder that we’re part of a wider ecosystem – a concept that’s easy to lose when you work in corporate sustainability and are often behind a desk, asking yourself if that Team’s message you just sent really will come across as passive-aggressive or are you just overthinking it.

 

Your best approach for engaging stakeholders in meaningful dialogue about ESG:  
It’s the same advice I have for a rising change maker: ask questions. Once you find out what matters to someone, and what they care about, it’s a lot easier to engage them in ESG as you can connect it back to their values and priorities. Interestingly, it’s the same approach I use when persuading my toddler to go to bed. His priority is playing with Thomas the Tank Engine. If I connect going to bed with the promise of a bedtime story about said steam train the likelihood of a meaningful dialogue is increased (although not guaranteed).

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 * Surfing the Green Wave | Kakariki

Books, podcasts, courses or other resources that profoundly shaped your approach to sustainability:  

What I really want to say is the podcast “Outrage and Optimism” because some sustainability professionals I admire/am secretly slightly intimidated by really rate it. But the truth is, after a broken night's sleep with a little one I often lack the attention span for a full 47 min episode. So, my honest answer is twofold.

 

TED Talks Daily (bite-sized chunks of inspiration). And The Good Place. For those of you who haven’t bawled like a baby at the finale, part of the premise is that every choice has a consequence and everything is interconnected. This resonates with me because I too believe everything is interconnected, and if we were more mindful of this, we would be more mindful of our actions and perhaps better able to recognize that the current way in which the world is operating serves few at the expense of many.

 

Events in Aotearoa or globally that you think are must-attend: 
I’m biased but I am a big fan of the Climate Change and Business Conference, run in partnership by my organization and the Environmental Defense Society. It’s the who’s who of who works in climate change in Aotearoa. Plus they do a mean cheese scone at the afternoon tea breaks which is the primary KPI by which I judge all successful events.

 

Globally, I always get FOMO when GreenBiz is on and I see the photos posted by SBC’s global network organization the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. It’s partly because of the comedy inherited in their fantastically American-sounding session titles (“Outdoor Group Coaching Session: The Power of Unity”, or, “The Might of Partnerships: Building Tomorrow's Energy Market, Today”). But mainly because it’s a one-stop shop for all things ESG, and I firmly believe we all have a lot to learn from global insights, even if they come with a side of American slang, Y’all.

 

A sustainable initiative or project in Aotearoa that deserves more attention:  

I bumped into the lovely Adele Rose, CEO of 3R, outside our Wellington office. We enjoyed some bants in the lift about people being taller than we expected in real life (it was the first time we had met in person). Anyway, I love 3R’s Tyrewise scheme. It’s our first product stewardship scheme designed to manage the environmental impact of end-of-life tyres. I love it because we all use tyres. They have a terrible impact on the environment. 3R have swooped to counterbalance this and find an opportunity in waste. Now I have one less thing to feel guilty about when I drive.

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If your work could plant one seed of change for the future, what would it be?  
I’m pretty salty that Ellen DeGeneres turned out to be a “meanie beanie” (insult of the week from my toddler, courtesy of daycare) as she referred to the seed of change I’d plant daily. Which is: be kind to one another. In a world where you can be anything, be kind. If we start with kindness, we’ll flourish.

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The leader(s) you endorse for a future edition of Blooming Sustainability: 

• Alyx Pivac - Director - Kaitiaki Collective

• Hone Heke Ngapua-Rankin - Director - Te Pūheke

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* One actionable takeaway for our readers to make a change today for a brighter tomorrow:
The verbose Morgenmuffel in me is finding it hard to share just one takeaway, so here’s my patented “5-point plan for counteracting Trump through individual action” that I’m sharing with friends.

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1. Be kind (counteract hate)

2. Talk to strangers (counteract loneliness)

3. Celebrate diversity (counteract nationalism)

4. Be helpful (counteract selfishness)

5. Be informed (counteract falsehood)

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If I really had to pick one thing though, I’d say talk to someone outside your bubble who doesn’t live and breathe sustainability about their views, and yours. You might find out you have more in common than you think.