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Overview
The leading Health Care Services Corporation (HCSC), parent company to Independence Blue Cross Blue Shield and recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Large Employers and Fortune’s Most Innovative Companies, partnered with The GREEN Program to accelerate its sustainability journey. The Fortune 500 company sought to unify its interdisciplinary sustainability team with a shared, foundational education to spark progress toward its ambitious sustainability goals.
Challenge
- Unified Learning: The sustainability team, representing diverse departments across the organization, needed consistent, foundational sustainability education to align efforts and drive collective impact.
- Actionable Knowledge: The company wanted to bridge theory with practice, ensuring employees could translate learning into meaningful, company-wide sustainability actions.
Our Process
- Strategic Collaboration: We engaged with the company’s sustainability leadership to deeply understand their strategic objectives and corporate sustainability plan.
- Custom Program Design: Developed a tailored, 2-week virtual course titled “The Ethics of Sustainable Development,” focused on connecting ethical frameworks with real-world business challenges.
- Interactive Learning: Integrated real-world scenarios, workplace-relevant projects, and thought-provoking discussions to maximize engagement and practical application.
- Capstone Integration: Designed a custom capstone project aligned with company goals, empowering each participant to directly contribute to the company’s sustainability initiatives.
Action & Outcomes
- Innovation in Action: Throughout the course, the cohort developed four sustainability projects during the course, each presented to senior leadership. All four projects received funding to pilot across the company—a testament to the leadership’s commitment to transforming education into action.
- Real-World Impact: One year later, a Capstone Project focused on the company’s composting and circularity was reported: “These collaborative efforts resulted in a whopping total of 71,348 lbs of food waste being diverted from landfill – that’s equivalent to over 3,500 trees being planted, nearly 57,000 miles undriven, or roughly 50,000 pounds of CO₂ prevented from entering our atmosphere.”
- Professional Recognition: Participants were awarded a co-branded Certificate of Completion, adding value to their professional portfolios and reinforcing their role as sustainability champions within the company.
Employee Testimonials
“Having this development opportunity is really amazing. Thank you for bringing this opportunity to me. This has been helpful in connecting CSR and sustainability, so we can make an impact in the future.”
— Margaret S., Corporate Social Responsibility and Strategic Communications Manager
“I’m a project manager so the capstone project was my favorite part. By understanding and learning the process, I see how we can use this capstone process for a lot of scenarios moving forward.”
— Shane G., Architecture & Facilities Project Manager
“Thank you! You brought passion back to my job and sparked a lot of passion in my colleagues. If there is a part B to this, I’m all in. This course has opened my eyes, and getting into the corporate sector is critical. There is a lot more education that needs to be done.”
— Deanne W., Design & Architecture Senior Team
Looking Ahead
Buoyed by the program’s success, the company is continuing to invest in sustainability action with a thriving sustainability team. The GREEN Program is excited to support their ongoing journey—helping to amplify their positive impact on both people and the planet, and turning commitment into lasting change.
Are you ready to empower your team and drive sustainability impact in your organization? Connect with The GREEN Program to design your custom learning experience. Contact our team at info@thegreenprogram.com today!