Donald Bonk interviews Joylette Portlock, CEO of Sustainable Pittsburgh, as part of the podcast series Pittsburgh Tomorrow. This interview was conducted before COVID-19. The transcript is shortened and edited for the sake of clarity.
View the episode archive here. View Joylette Portlock’s profile here.
“We are working on a broad definition of sustainability with an emphasis on social justice and environmental protection, as well as economic prosperity, and we are looking at activities that are at the intersection of all of these things.”
Donald Bonk: Welcome, Joylette. We are happy to have you. Can you tell us your background and how did you get to this point?
Joylette Portlock: I’m a scientist and I have a PhD in genetics. I’ve worked in the space between scientists and technical experts throughout my career, and the public really needs the information to better understand it. Working in science communication and, more recently, with regional decision makers on some rather complicated topics that are very important to our future together.
Bonk: Can you tell us a bit about your role in Sustainable Pittsburgh?
Portlock: Sustainable Pittsburgh is a 21 year old organization and I’ve been here in my role for a little over a year. We have been working all the time to promote sustainability practice and policy in the larger region with 10 counties. We work with decision makers and leaders in politics. We work to create communities. We manage a number of benefit programs that enable employees to take their organization to the next level in sustainability.
Bonk: So you’re helping them measure what they’re doing?
Portlock: We help you measure, really understand and deal with the breadth of sustainability. People have different definitions for this word.
Bonk: Can you give us an example of a few?
Portlock: Sometimes you will talk to people and they have a definition of sustainability that is purely ecological. We say sustainability and they think green. Some people, they say sustainability, and they think completely financially.
We are working on a broad definition of sustainability that puts an emphasis on social justice and environmental protection, and economic prosperity, and we look at activities that are at the intersection of all of these things.
There are several steps a company and community can take to improve their overall sustainability profile. We act as a tool and resource for people. We also manage a variety of different types of networks that allow people to connect, learn from one another, and share information.
Bonk: Best Practices …
Portlock: Yeah, best practices and all that great stuff, which is a wonderful learning opportunity.
Bonk: The wisdom of the crowd, right?
Portlock: Exactly. One of them are the CEOs of the Sustainability Council of Executive Leadership, which we host and who are led by executives who use the wider business community to promote sustainability in the region.
When we look at the bigger picture, we are working with leaders from business and society in the field of politics. We work to create and nurture communities of people who practice sustainability. We work a lot to talk and communicate about these topics, and some of this translation work is working to make our regional narrative the way we can be. And we are a source of expertise on sustainability issues.
When we go down to the micro level, we have a number of performance programs that can be used to certify companies at various performance levels in relation to sustainability and to reflect their progress. We have the Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurant program that you might have seen after you’ve gone out to eat. On eatsustainably.org you can find a map of the 150 restaurants that have been classified as sustainable. We are also in the process of creating jobs of all kinds.
Bonk: We’re going to dive into the future now. What would make Pittsburgh the best city in the world, or the ideal city? You have this blank canvas; it’s all yours. How are you?
Portlock: Well, that’s a bit difficult to answer because, as with anything, we’re not starting with a blank canvas. But I think the answer to your question, what would make the city its best, is what Sustainable Pittsburgh has been working towards throughout its existence, namely that the city and region have a strong economy that everyone lives in Potential, engaged, and thriving in a clean and healthy environment.
Bonk: If you had an opportunity to really do something transformable in the city and at the same time change the narrative – a moon shot idea – what would it be?
Portlock: There are some interesting ways our narrative can move in really exciting and positive directions. One of these concerns our equity considerations. You are probably familiar with the number of challenges the region – but specifically the city – faces with diversity and justice, especially if you are looking for racial justice and opportunity for the people.
A change in this story would have a huge impact on the real life experiences of people here, on access to these economic opportunities, and on the perception of the city and the region as a whole.
Bonk: Such a human potential focus, right? If you allow everyone to reach their natural full capacity, there are ripple benefits. Not only is it helpful to them; it also helps change the region.
Portlock: Right. Focusing on justice considerations will lead to a prosperous region. Some of these problems have been around for a long time. We have known that for a long time. That’s why it’s a moon shot: In many cases, these are structural problems that have to be dealt with and which take some time to resolve. But I think that if we overcame it, they would fundamentally change Pittsburgh’s future and the narrative we tell about this place.
I have another moon shot. How do we construct an economic development narrative for the region that is practical and based on a diversified economy that would help us create jobs, meet climatic challenges and build long-term thriving communities?
Bonk: We sort of spread our risk by having different things on which we depend for our economic future. And if I understand you correctly, you have different energy sources that are more sustainable.
Portlock: Right. We have to think very seriously about what our future looks like and what sustainability means. It’s about how we build our communities, our businesses, our economy, and our people in a way that is durable and resilient.
To do this, it is important that we recognize some of the facts that lie before us. Clean energy jobs are being created five times faster than the general government unemployment rate. There are nearly 12,000 of these green energy jobs in Allegheny County.
Bonk: Now let’s move on to a question that is more practical. I like to think about the fact that 1990 and 2050 are equidistant from each other. We have three decades ahead of us as we are seated here in 2020. Can you come up with a practical idea, two, or three for the next three decades?
Portlock: It’s an interesting finding that 1990-2050 is away. Sure, I can try.
The first really practical idea we should adopt is knowing that as a species – and my background is in biology – we do our best work together. People achieve great things when we work together. Right now we have an unprecedented opportunity to capitalize on partnerships and immerse ourselves in the collaboration that takes us to the places we need to be to build or build the team.
One of the best things about Pittsburgh, by the way, is that so many people are putting so much dedication and investment into making this a better place. It is really important. That was a big part of my experience. It is one of our real strengths as a city and as a region.
Second, I think that practically all companies, regardless of size and type, can view sustainability as a fundamental strategy for success. This may look like a lot of different things and a lot of different places, but having a comprehensive view of your organization or community and what it really takes to achieve that long-term success is a real strength.
Bonk: That’s part of your mission at Sustainable Pittsburgh: to help people ask these questions and, as you said, turn them into practical use.
Portlock: Right. We currently have the opportunity for all workplaces to carry out a confidential basic assessment on a large number of sustainability issues.
Third, when you think of 2050, it can’t help but remember the climatic challenge. Working on a regional strategy as part of the global solution to climate change is also something that we need to consider in practice.
Bonk: Is there anything else you would like to tell us about Pittsburgh or the future?
Portlock: Pittsburgh is a great place. I am originally from a small town in Delaware. That was a great education to grow up in a small town and end up in a place like Pittsburgh. A lot of the things I love about Pittsburgh are the things I mentioned earlier: the collaborative spirit, the strong sense of place, and people’s ability to work together and achieve great things. It’s about the character of Pittsburgh. It’s so valuable and something we should consider to be the capital it is and one of the things we use to create this more sustainable future.
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