Innovation

CRC is paving the way for climate adaptation through its unique business model innovation. This type of innovation is one of the most difficult to achieve, as it usually seeks to change the paradigm of an entire industry. It is even more of a battle for CRC because its philosophy beckons it to tackle every possible sector. As Founder-President Joyce E. Coffee says, “climate resilience can never be a silo.” Therefore, the ultimate goal is to create global equitable resilience against climate change. It is impossible to achieve this by only focusing on one sector. In other words, climate change is everybody’s problem.

The primary innovative solution comprises tailored managerial services that equip diverse organizations to combat climate change. Additionally, the team prioritizes creating equity through climate resilience. According to Ms. Coffee, this process involves a lot of listening. Her team at CRC gauges the unique abilities of each client organization and any climate resilience goals they may already have. They often meet with new client organizations that do not yet recognize their desire to work toward resilience and equity. CRC thus helps organizations realize their desires and capabilities to contribute to the environment and society.

Resilience Consulting has become a growing field, but it was almost nonexistent when Miss Coffee started her journey. According to Ms. Coffee, “the first innovation is to even look at resilience as a field.” The second innovative idea is rooted in her realization that the impacts of climate change and the quest for resilience can create wider wealth gaps. Now, her company has equipped hundreds of client organizations with managerial strategies to face climate change. Her vision has found a marketplace full of organizations seeking to better society and the environment through equitable climate adaptation. The company’s innovative business approach continues to create resilience against climate change, reduce inequality, and revitalize global partnerships for sustainable development.

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Inspiration

Joyce E. Coffee has been pioneering the field of climate resilience for over two decades. She realized that most people in her sector were focused only on mitigation and not on adaptation. Net zero is an ideal state achieved by cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible. Globally, professionals aim for the far-flung goal of net zero. Over 1000 cities, 1000 educational institutions, and 400 financial institutions have joined this Race to Zero (UN, 2022). They have pledged to take rigorous, immediate action to halve global emissions by 2030. The United Nations has set a goal to reach net zero by 2050. It is an admirable target that would be a big win for the environment, but the journey is distant and obscure. The world is currently not on track to achieve this goal.

Ms. Coffee states that net zero is an elusive target even for cities as well-resourced and well-intentioned as her home of Chicago. Many organizations fail to realize that climate change is not just a distant issue we hope to avoid. Climate change is affecting the world at this very moment. Ms. Coffee realized that it is not enough to reduce our environmental impact and recognized adaptation as "the other side of the climate coin." It is necessary to build resilience in our communities with the help of organizations in various sectors. The world needs to work toward not only avoiding the effects of further climate change, but also resisting its current impacts and preparing for its dangers in the future.

The CRC founder compares her inspirations to the adage "a stitch in time saves nine." She soon realized it would not be enough to protect wealth from climate change. She recognized that the poor are most vulnerable to climate impacts and may get left behind by climate programs. Organizations around the world need to focus on resilience that prioritizes social equity. So in 2016, Ms. Coffee founded Climate Resilience Consulting to find "solutions that allow for grace and agency."

Works Cited

UN. “Net Zero Coalition | United Nations.” the United Nations, 2022, https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/net-zero-coalition. Accessed 28 November 2022.

Overall impact

CRC’s innovative business practice creates a unique cross-sector influence. Its function as a Consulting company allows it access to clients that are government bodies, non-profits, and businesses in every industry. CRC helps its clients realize their capabilities and desires to create climate resilience. It taps into the power of every sector to fulfill its potential to save lives and livelihoods in the face of climate change. This focused mission and unique function collectively produce a pan-industrial impact.

The results are not easily measured with traditional metrics as they are highly nuanced. According to Ms. Coffee, the most tangible way to quantify the results is by measuring the "value change" achieved in client organizations. CRC has helped hundreds of client organizations on their journeys toward climate resilience. These organizations have been able to invest in efforts to create climate resilience and equity that would otherwise not align with the UNSDGs. In a way, CRC taps into these organizations and helps direct parts of their budgets toward helping the environment and society. These client bodies become new sources of resilience investment and develop organizational capabilities that help create climate resilience that is fair and equitable.

As a small business, CRC also has considerable agility and the ability to take risks that larger organizations cannot. In the long run, the company can influence organizations larger than itself to create long-term changes. These include international businesses, community groups, non-profits, and government bodies. CRC also seeks to influence larger climate mitigation organizations such as Are Still In, America’s Pledge, We Mean Business, and the Certified B Corp community. These climate groups are focused on mitigation, but CRC is slowly showing the larger community the need for equitable adaptation in the face of climate change.

Business benefit

Ms. Coffee states that climate resilience is still a growing field. It is unfortunate not only for the environment and society but also for individuals looking to contribute to resilience. It is difficult for entry-level applicants to find stable jobs that can contribute to the common good. The CRC founder recognizes her privilege and states it is far more difficult for aspiring BIPOC professionals to work in this field. Yet, it is still an opportunity to do some good. CRC’s innovation continues to pave the way by hiring diverse employees and enabling them to contribute toward resilience.

Employee satisfaction and retention are also a priority for CRC’s management. Ms. Coffee states that it is a struggle to be in the climate field because the state of the world keeps worsening. It is draining work that can severely impact the mental well-being of her employees. CRC’s innovative approach creates a spirited benefit for its personnel. Ms. Coffee states that amidst all the difficulties of her field, CRC prioritizes finding joy and hope. Employees need to keep working day in and day out against worsening climate conditions. The company’s innovative approach helps in this regard, as personnel get to work with organizations across the globe to create change. CRC’s employees know that despite the degrading climate and its present effects, they are helping save the environment and livelihoods.

Traditionally, non-profit organizations made up the bulk of the climate change field. However, CRC has found a way to turn it into a profitable business. Ms. Coffee, who has been pioneering this sector for 20 years, recognizes that there have been several new companies in the field. She has a positive attitude about this recent growth, although it means a rise in competition. She says, “I am grateful for colleagues, competitors, and critics who are experts in climate resilience.” She counts her competition as a blessing that will help her drive the sector to the next horizon.

Social and environmental benefit

Ms. Coffee mentions that CRC has been working on a government contract for community solutions. CRC’s innovative solution puts it in a unique position. This contract was only available to private companies, and CRC was able to secure its bid. Ms. Coffee then created an agreement that allowed her to enlist the help of community leaders and local organizations. Through such efforts, CRC empowers and enables local forces for good that would otherwise not have access to such funding.

Approaching consulting in the climate resilience field as a private business tackles several challenges for society and the environment. CRC helps not only mitigate multi-sector environmental footprints but also prepares for future dangers. More importantly, climate change is not a looming threat but a peril presently affecting the world. It is causing changes in rainfall that result in extreme weather events such as floods and droughts. It disrupts the economy, decreases insurance affordability, and increases the loss of life and property. The worsening air and water quality are increasing the spread of certain diseases like Lyme Disease.

Young children and the elderly are particularly susceptible to heat waves and diseases. These dangers disproportionately affect the poor, as they lack the resources to protect themselves. The official poverty rate in 2021 was 11.6%, with 37.9 million individuals in the US (Census, 2022). It is much worse globally, as 25% of the world's population live on less than $3.65 daily (Hasell et al., 2022). CRC worked with the National Weather Service on its warning messaging services in order to warn and prepare the poor against events like heat waves. Such efforts have saved countless lives, immeasurable through conventional metrics.

CRC has been actively helping hundreds of organizations tackle the dangers of climate change. It has served government bodies such as FEMA and the City of Chicago. In the academic arena, CRC has helped institutions like the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the University of Michigan. It has also served public companies such as Willis Towers Watson and Jacobs Solutions. These organizations now include adaptation and equity in their climate change programs because of CRC. This multi-sector approach not only mitigates the organizations’ environmental impact but also makes society resistant to the current effect of climate change.

Works Cited

Census. “Poverty in the United States: 2021.” U.S. Census Bureau, 13 September 2022, https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2022/demo/p60-277.html. Accessed 28 November 2022.

Hasell, Joe, et al. “Poverty.” Our World in Data, 2022, https://ourworldindata.org/poverty. Accessed 28 November 2022.

Interview

Joyce E. Coffee, Founder-President