In Short: Systemic change towards sustainability relies on expertise, equity, and compelling storytelling. Sustainability experts play a pivotal role in guiding businesses and communities towards eco-friendly practices and policies. Equity ensures that the benefits of sustainability initiatives are accessible to all, addressing social and environmental inequalities. Moreover, storytelling serves as a powerful tool to raise awareness, inspire action, and create emotional connections with sustainability issues. By combining expertise, equity, and storytelling, society can drive meaningful and lasting change, fostering a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
In Detail : Finding sustainable solutions in today’s challenging world requires a combination of multi-faceted expertise, deep and inclusive collaboration, and inspiring communications. In 2009, George Chmael II launched the sustainability-focused consultancy Council Fire with the idea of meeting these requirements by bringing all facets of sustainability together in one place and drawing upon the lessons of history and ancient wisdom to drive modern results. In this way, Council Fire aims to help find solutions by fostering holistic, inclusive, and respectful engagement from a broad spectrum of interests including government, business, and civil society.
I recently talked to George about the approach of Council Fire and in particular work with both public and private organizations. Council Fire is a public benefit corporation and an early adopter of the B Corporation framework (first certified in 2010) with the overall vision of restoring our environment, supporting communities, and building an economy that works for all. He emphasized to me that Council Fire’s work is guided by transparency, authenticity, and a quest for mutual benefits. Effective collaboration requires a commitment to long term relationships and building trust through a “listen first” approach. Council Fire’s specialists have strong ties to the communities in which they operate and engage deeply with stakeholders on behalf of their clients.
I very much appreciated George’s optimistic outlook on today’s challenges. While he emphasized two undeniable facts: climate change is a dominant force shaping our future, and economic disparities hinder our collective response to the challenges posed by it, he is focused on learning the lessons of history and concentrating on the opportunities ahead. We discussed how reforming markets and infrastructure can unlock multi-trillion-dollar markets. For instance, meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) could unleash trillions in economic value and generate hundreds of millions of jobs within this decade. And, while mobilizing political will and resources to realize these prospects remains a challenge, he pointed to signs of progress and cited the Inflation Reduction Act in the United States as a step in the right direction.
One thing that came through in our discussion is that Council Fire’s approach is holistic, and it views success through economic, environmental, and social lenses. The company’s ethos is “redefining profit”, emphasizing that true success hinges on optimizing outcomes across these three dimensions. While the consultancy originally started with a reputation for environmental policy expertise, it has always guided clients to focus on addressing broader economic and social outcomes. Post-COVID, Council Fire has been greatly encouraged by the growing number of clients who are being much more holistic at the outset of their sustainability journey.
We in particular discussed Council Fire’s work with the Maryland Port Administration (MPA), and George illustrates how this engagement integrates technical, environmental, economic, and social aspects, with the MPA seeking mutual benefits for all stakeholders and the environment while pursuing the economic objective of driving waterborne commerce for the State of Maryland.