Universities are not generally known as hotbeds of modesty, but you’d never guess that by looking at university sustainability websites.

One of the most common flaws is a lack of focus on what the university is doing, and how its institutional values and educational commitments influence its approach to sustainability. Instead, many sites speak in generalities about what sustainability is (I’ve lost count of the number of sites that quote the U.N. definition on their home page or in another prominent position), why it’s important, and what people can do about it.

The problem is, there are countless resources online for that kind of information, and generalities on why it matters don’t engage people in sustainability initiatives. When key audiences come to a university site they want to know what actions the university is taking, how those actions relate to the university’s mission and community responsibilities, and how people on campus can participate. That’s why, as I said in a previous post, the best sites put school policies, goals, and strategy front and center.

If you’re going to define sustainability, do it in terms of what it means to Whatever U. Describe why efforts in each sustainability area are important in Whatever U’s context (cold winters, water shortages, etc.). Tailor tips to campus goals and your specific audiences (there’s little point in telling students who live in dorm rooms how much carbon they can cut by weatherizing their home). And cite your achievements—they tell people that your sustainability message is more than talk.

The more analyses I read about how this or that technology won’t deliver the kind of energy (or whatever) we need, or can’t deliver enough of it, the more I think the primary challenge we face in pursuing sustainability is not technology—it’s how we think about solutions. (I’m not alone; there’s a recent book on the topic, The Power of Sustainable Thinking, by Bob Doppelt. If you’ve read it, please chime in.)

The negative conclusions of these analyses are often based on the assumption that we can’t—or won’t—change the way we do things. Because we don’t want to, or powerful interests don’t want us to, or it’s just not convenient. But, as venture capitalist Vinod Khosla points out in a recent interview, radical social change is hardly unprecedented (he cites the mobile phone, e-mail, and personal computers), “It just feels improbable before it happens.”

The upshot for communicators is, we need to make change seem possible as well as desirable. We need to make change seem exciting, fulfilling, status-enhancing—whatever it takes. (And yes, those are all emotional concepts, because our “rational” rejection of change often comes from an emotional fear of it, played upon by those with an interest in maintaining the status quo.) Not so long ago, a lot of people were chanting “Yes we can!” We need to keep chanting that—about more than a presidential race.

We’re really proud of our clients, Greenbelt Alliance and the Bay Area Open Space Council, for their success with the publication “Golden Lands, Golden Opportunity.”

The San Francisco Chronicle’s Sunday editorial says, “The case for a regional approach to land use has rarely been spelled out so eloquently.” The piece quotes the report liberally, which tells us that “Golden Lands” is doing exactly what’s intended. The Chronicle also used the report as the basis for a February 4 news article, “Report Urges Preserving Bay Area Outdoors.” An editorial in Monday’s San Jose Mercury News supported the report’s goals as well, and it’s being covered in publications across the region.

Thinkshift worked with the two organizations and graphic designer Karen Parry of Black Graphics to develop “Golden Lands” as a core communications tool for use with the media and policy makers at state, regional, and local levels. The report, based on two years of intensive research and analysis involving land experts across the nine-county Bay Area, argues that  saving Bay Area open spaces, parks, and agricultural lands will benefit the entire state and is essential to maintaining the region’s social and economic vitality.

Thinkshift developed a fledgling idea into a full creative concept, refined messaging, outlined the report, identified content needed to tell the story and make the case, and wrote most of the copy. Focus and consensus-building were critical: the project brought together stakeholders from about 30 organizations.