During his more than three decades in real estate, David Pogue served many roles, but environmental expert was never one of them.
That didn’t stop his company, Los Angeles real estate brokerage CB Richard Ellis, from naming him the company guru of all things eco- friendly nearly two years ago. Pogue suddenly found himself in charge of making the company and its projects more energy efficient and environmentally conscious, an abrupt switch from his previous property-management responsibilities.
“I’m an outsider, a real estate guy trying to become an environmentalist,” said Pogue, the company’s national director of sustainability. “But I believe in what I do, that it’s something bigger than myself.”
As companies grapple with climate change, try to attract eco-conscious customers and develop alternative energy agendas while complying with regulations, a new kind of administrator is moving into the executive suite to help out.
Sustainability officers and green supervisors, some say, are successors to the diversity managers and innovation specialists of the 1990s — with their focus equal parts corporate responsibility, public relations and profit.
“Our clients expect this,” Pogue said. “A company of our size doesn’t have the luxury any longer of not participating.”
After attending a rigorous series of conferences and cramming in hours of reading on the so-called green industry, Pogue settled into the position. His efforts include connecting CB Richard Ellis with programs such as Energy Star from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Department, and the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design building code.
Positions such as Pogue’s are often placed in the upper echelons of companies, where they are highly visible and directly overseen by the chief executive. At Coca-Cola Co. and Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc., chief executives Muhtar Kent and Ryoichi Ueda, respectively, have adopted the sustainability officer title as well.
Other companies bundle in extra duties, such as dealing with the supply chain. At Levi Strauss & Co., Michael Kobori works on labor standards and general green issues as vice president for social and environmental sustainability.
“Ten years ago, the position I have didn’t exist,” Kobori said. “Now, we are seeing a new generation of business leaders who have grown up with sustainability. There is actually a career path in this field for someone at a corporation.”
Some companies, eager to cash in on the eco-enthusiasm, have been accused of hiring sustainability officers who are little more than figureheads. Instead of greening the business plan and inspiring the staff, critics contend, these executives end up isolated, ineffective or overburdened.
“There’s a danger in creating a chief sustainability officer, because it places all the responsibility of that issue onto one person,” said Kobori. “We’re successful when sustainability gets embedded in all the roles in the company.”
