AIS staff serve as sustainability mentors

Three colleagues from the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability served as Instructors of the 2024 Learn2Lead Sustainability (L2LS) program. L2LS is an annual multi-week hybrid learning program offered by SustainablePH, a non-profit organization that champions sustainability for the country. The program, now on its third cohort, covers multiple facets of sustainability management, and aims to build the skill sets of its participants.

Among the topics that are part of this year’s ten-week program are Materiality Assessment and Stakeholder Mapping, and Systems Thinking for Sustainability, with each topic having both an online video component and an on-site learning session at UnionBank Plaza.

Ms Marimar E Baticulon, Program Head for Organizational Sustainability, facilitated an on-site lecture and workshop for the Materiality and Stakeholders module on 24 August 2024. Both Dr Charlotte Kendra Gotangco Gonzales, former Director of AIS, and Mr Daniel C Ratilla, Program Head for Climate and Disaster Resilience, tackled the Systems Thinking module. Dr Gotangco Gonzales filmed a lecture which formed the online component of the module, while Mr Ratilla facilitated the on-site lecture and workshop on 31 August 2024.

Materiality assessments allow organizations to focus on relevant aspects of their operations. This is particularly useful for organizations such as private companies to focus on sustainability-related initiatives, and when they prepare sustainability reports. A similar process is done within the University when the Ateneo Sustainability Reports are prepared. Beyond sustainability reporting, materiality assessments can help inform organizations of sustainability priorities for their strategy and programs.

Systems thinking, also known as “deep thinking” or “big picture thinking,” allows organizations to contextualize their operations within a larger context. It is useful in identifying root causes of certain issues, recognizing system structures and feedback loops, and preparing for unintended consequences of certain actions. AIS has also previously conducted systems thinking workshops for a variety of stakeholders.