By Bennett
Indart & Henrietta Lacey-GutsellSustainability is the topic everyone is talking about. It’s not just at home, not just something the kids are working on for a school project but a very present topic we are living with both at home and at work. Sustainability affects us all. Whether it’s a need to reduce energy consumption, an increased focus on recycling or improving diversity at work, sustainability is a top priority.
At the recent WSJ TechLive conference sustainability was a topic of much conversation. Explorer, Robert Swan, initiated proceedings by talking about his decision to highlight sustainability by walking across the entire Antarctic landmass at 66 years old. It may seem extreme but his mission is clear. To raise awareness of climate change and the desperate need for humanity to take greater action in switching to sustainable technologies and renewable energy. By walking across this incredibly precious and remote part of the world Robert aims to show just how much damage climate change is creating in a landscape still otherwise untouched by humans. NTT DATA is proud to be supporting Robert in this mission.
Sustainable technologies have been in various levels of development for decades but in recent years, with the dawn of digitization, IoT and AI, have grown in sophistication. From hydrogen fusion to NTT’s innovative optical wireless network (IOWN) technology there is plenty of ambition to find suitable alternatives.
Yet ambition is simply to set a goal. Many companies have begun the process of setting goals by targeting carbon neutrality. This is a good starting point but without a clear understanding of what comes next and how to get there the goal risks becoming nebulous and another lofty ideal.
“Early in my career Professor Michael Hammer from MIT said one thing to me that really stuck, “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
NTT’s Bennett Indart told the audience, “Early in my career Professor Michael Hammer from MIT said one thing to me that really stuck, “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” And for me, it’s all about the data. There are sensors that can measure almost anything today and our lives are more connected than they ever were, but we need to move towards better management strategies leveraging this increasing abundance of data.
“Sustainability is a broad topic, and the area that many businesses are prioritizing is energy usage. In order to begin the sustainability journey, companies need to be able to track and manage their energy data so they can measure progress against corporate goals and commitments. Here are some simple steps businesses of all sizes can take to start their own journey.
“We already have a lot of the tools we need, now is the time to start your journey and make sustainable action a reality.”
“NTT has developed a dashboard called ‘Truth in Sustainability’ which is a method that allows us to display how a company is doing in terms of energy footprint. It can monitor carbon emissions, heat and air conditioning, water and use that to understand energy usage as a whole. With data analytics we can then trend that out to show future predictions as well as provide a simulation environment for testing alternative strategies.”
Concluding the session Bennett commented, “We already have a lot of the tools we need, now is the time to start your journey and make sustainable action a reality.”
Toastmasters International is a non-profit organization that provides teaching and education in public speaking and leadership skills. Adult programming is delivered through both public and company-sponsored clubs—like Toastmasters at NTT DATA.
Half of the world's soils have reached a level close to desertification because of agricultural soils. In our Asia-Pacific area, one of our VPs is raising awareness about this issue and possible solutions.
Companies that are more diverse and inclusive are 35% more likely to outperform. The mission of this NTT Ltd employee is to ensure greater equality and equity at work for all in the company.
Girl Scouts is a global movement that provides programs to help girls achieve goals and learn skills from coding to sustainability or becoming future leaders in science.
Luisa Swetlik, from NTT DATA Business Solutions, is helping to address the food waste problem in Germany collecting food that cannot be sold and sharing with the community.
Bill Zuck, from NTT DATA, was a victim of a troubled past but is now is working with Alternatives to Violence Program to build peace in the home, schools and communities.
Nathan Hart transitioned from the cybersecurity to the Global Risk & Sustainability Team at NTT Ltd and now enjoys organizing volunteer campaigns and promoting sustainability.
These are the stories of two employees at NTT in the UK leading the force for change as they look to educate others and provide a safe workplace for a diverse workforce.
Maurice Ripp, from NTT DATA DACH, encourages a more open dialogue around death and connect people as they learn to manage grief and the mental struggles that death can induce.
Gaurav Oberai NTT Ltd is a committed volunteer in a charity called The New Charis Mission to support the lonely elderly population in Singapore.
NTT Ltd UK&I last year took the initiative to set up a brand-new program called The Mental Health Avengers (MHA) to break down the stigma attached to mental health.
During the pandemic, Lisa Pendlebury from NTT Ltd, re-evaluate her life choices and began volunteering with The Beach Guardians, to hold the beaches clean from litter and plastic.
Monika Guida, from NTT Europe, promotes between NTT employees to plogging, a relatively new eco-friendly exercise that combines jogging or brisk walking with picking up litter.
Combining a commitment to building a more diverse workforce while fulfilling a business need to access a digital talent pool, NTT DATA UK embarked on a brand new hiring adventure.
Gadhu Sundaram, from NTT DATA, is fighting climate change at a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, restoring the natural ecosystem of an area in the south of India.
Employees at NTT DATA have been keen to join the NTT DATA / Environment / Sustainability / Technology (NEST) action group led by Fernanda Gallardo to make a sustainable difference.
Every year at NTT DATA Munich, the employees have the opportunity to make a children’s wish come true. Learn more about this inspiring initiative from Inga Simon.
