The United States Army does not make investments the same way a company does, because its purpose is to protect and serve. This complicates investment decisions when the benefits are unclear, hard to quantify, or have extended payoffs. In connection with one such investment, Marstel-Day Consulting and Darden Executive Education engaged Goldberg Strategic to synthesize private-sector approaches to measuring the ROI of sustainability and develop recommendations apropos to the Army’s requirements. Her Lean methodology and expertise in supply chains, value stream mapping, and change management made her the perfect choice.
Rebecca was able to leverage her personal network to speak with over 25 industry leaders, including Chief Sustainability Officers at Global Fortune 150 companies and leaders of global sustainability initiatives, like General Motors’ worldwide landfill-free production facilities. She synthesized the emerging themes and organized them into a framework she called “Success Factors for Sustainability.” She also developed a new investment rationale driven by mission success and recommendations. She presented her findings at the Pentagon to senior Army leadership.
Her resulting white paper was circulated to all U.S. Army bases. Portions were presented at a World Business Council for Sustainable Development conference. The content has been used at Yale University.