by Shane Henson — December 7, 2011—The latest trends among sustainability executives and professionals, including their compensation, the size of their budgets, and the level of optimism about whether their company’s green initiatives can really make a difference, were recently revealed in the 2011 GreenBiz Salary Survey. The survey was conducted by John Davies, who heads up research efforts for GreenBiz Group as vice president of GreenBiz Intelligence, which provides independent and unbiased research regarding green strategies and business operations.
For the survey, Davies contacted members of the GreenBiz Intelligence Panel. Findings include:
- More executives have jobs that are fully dedicated to sustainability. According to the survey, 86% of large companies now have at least one full-time person spending all of their time on sustainability, compared to 81% last year.
- The primary tasks of sustainability executives is helping senior management develop a sustainability strategy that is aligned with their company’s overall strategy, and much of their focus in also on energy efficiency and facilities management as their companies look for ways to reduce energy costs in a sustainable way.
- Many executives have bigger budgets and more staff to work with. According to the report, while those with no budget or one under $100,000 dropped a combined 10 points in 2011 when compared to 2010, companies with budgets ranging from $100,000 to under $10 million saw a combined increase of 11 points compared to last year.
- The primary tasks of sustainability executives is helping senior management develop a sustainability strategy that is aligned with their company’s overall strategy, and much of their focus in also on energy efficiency and facilities management as their companies look for ways to reduce energy costs in a sustainable way.
