Shannon Kobran
on the Awareness of Bluewashing
“Be sincere. Make sure you understand the full scope of the sustainability conversation before you make any plans.”
Shannon Kobran’s main driver is awareness: she is very aware of the problems, so she clearly wants to be part of the solutions.
She leads the SDG Academy team within the new Kuala Lumpur office of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), which is hosted by Sunway University. Previously, Shannon worked for a NYC-based non-profit that promotes global citizenship through cultural exchange between international students and local communities.
During an internship with the UNDP United Nations' Development Programme, Shannon evaluated and revised the pilot of UNDP’s award-winning Leadership Development Pathway, an online leadership development program aimed at improving the performance of UNDP managers worldwide. She also traces her interest in international education to the formative year she spent in the U.K. and the international friendships she built there.
The #inspirator who influenced her to take the sustainability route was Benjamin Von Wong, whose activism-based photography projects went viral. So, her journey started with a simple thing: second-hand clothes.
The passion she has when talking about the Star Trek TV series would definitely make you watch it: “the show isn’t perfect, and the various series are definitely products of their time, but Star Trek is and always has been more than just a cheesy sci-fi franchise. Each series holds a mirror up to the world that produces it, using the lens of science fiction to examine, and sometimes shame, contemporary society.”
Don’t forget to put Shannon’s book recommendations on your “to read” list: Pope Francis’s encyclicals Laudato si’ and Fratelli tutti - beautiful, thoughtful, and powerful calls to ethical action!
Read Shannon’s answers for #inspirators and stay away from “bluewashing”, aka pretending to be more in line with the UN agenda than you really are!
Thank you, Shannon, for being Aware!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Shannon Kobran
Company / Institution: UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
Title: Regional Team Lead for Asia, SDG Academy
Website: https://www.unsdsn.org/sdg-academy or https://sdgacademy.org/
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonkobran/
Country of origin: USA
Country you currently live in: Malaysia
Your personal definition of Sustainability: Acting in a way that acknowledges the interdependent and intergenerational nature of the economy, society, and the environment.
Main business challenge you face: Convincing people in power to make meaningful changes rather than greenwash their business-as-usual practices.
Main driver that keeps you going: Awareness. I’m aware of the problems, so I want to be part of the solutions.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: Sincerity.
The trait you most value in others: Openness.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: Exploring new cultures through travel and food!
The #inspirators who determined you to take the sustainability path:
One person who comes to mind is Benjamin Von Wong, whose activism-based photography projects went viral about eight years ago. One project in particular focused on the negative impacts of the fast fashion industry - and this, among other things, inspired me to choose second-hand clothes for the majority of my wardrobe. (Luckily, in NYC, where I lived at the time, there are many options for online and in-person second-hand shopping.)
A hint or starting point for companies or professionals that are taking the first steps in the sustainability journey: Be sincere. Make sure you understand the full scope of the sustainability conversation before you make any plans.
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you:
“Every little action counts.”
Yes, this is definitely true, and everyone should do what they can to make a difference. But the truth is, some people’s actions count more than others, especially when they are in positions of power to make big changes in policy, regulation, and industry. Recycling your plastic bottles is helpful, but transforming the bottling industry, incentivizing sustainable consumption habits, and improving recycling infrastructure is more impactful.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: If you stop trying, then you will always fail.
Books that had a major impact on you: Reading Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle in high school played a significant role in my decision to become a pescetarian at age 15.
Must-reads for any Sustainability professional: Pope Francis’s encyclicals Laudato si’ and Fratelli tutti are beautiful, thoughtful, and powerful calls to ethical action, regardless of your religious affiliation.
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again:
The Star Trek TV series (particularly The Original Series from the 1960s, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager from the 1980s-90s). Though I had a vague awareness of Star Trek as a child, I didn’t really become a fan until a few years ago, when I started learning about the franchise’s cultural influence. The Original Series features flip phones, advanced computers, and automatic doors; but in the 1960s, when the show debuted, those were all science fiction. The technology of the original Star Trek influenced many innovators who would go on to design gadgets that today we take for granted. But more impressive, I think, is Star Trek’s social progressivism.
During the height of the Cold War, Star Trek showed a future where American, Japanese, Scottish, and Russian men and women all served together. It featured American TV’s first Black woman in a position of authority, where she was valued by her colleagues for her expertise. The Original Series featured primetime TV’s first interracial kiss, and The Next Generation featured one of TV’s first kisses between two women, alongside a plot that examined complex questions about identity and gender. The show isn’t perfect, and the various series are definitely products of their time, but Star Trek is and always has been more than just a cheesy sci-fi franchise. Each series holds a mirror up to the world that produces it, using the lens of science fiction to examine, and sometimes shame, contemporary society.
Blogs / Websites / Podcasts etc. you visit frequently: Radiolab, Freakonomics, and podcasts that tell “hidden” stories from history.
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: I actually don’t listen to a lot of music!
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: I’ve been to Iceland twice, and both times I was struck by how calm and easygoing the people are.
Global Sustainability Voices you recommend us to follow:
Mariana Mazzucato
Trends in Sustainability we should keep an eye on: A negative trend, but watch out for greenwashing (institutions making themselves seem more environmentally-friendly than they really are) or “bluewashing” (institutions making themselves seem more in line with the UN agenda than they really are).
Best places for business networking (online or offline): Online courses! If you make an effort to be active in the discussion boards, they can be a great place to meet like-minded people from around the world.
Events we should attend: SDSN’s annual International Conference on Sustainable Development
Associations, business clubs, tribes you belong to – and why: I don’t currently belong to any - but I really value my relationships with friends and coworkers, who have diverse interests across the field of sustainable development and keep me informed about a wide range of things!
Sustainable Development courses / trainings / certifications that really teach us how to have an impact: The SDG Academy has more than 40 free online courses on sustainable development! My personal favorites are Ethics in Action, Living Heritage and Sustainable Development, Tech for Good: The Role of ICT in Achieving the SDGs, and Understanding Poverty and Inequality.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: Working in sustainable development, I get to see every day how committed people are to making positive changes for the future.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: Unfortunately, the people who are the most committed aren’t always the same people who have the most capacity to make change happen at the speed and scale we need.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Systems thinking, openness, sincerity.
Quote that inspires you:
“Together, all together, they are the instruments of change.”
(from the Booker Prize-winning novel The Bone People by New Zealand author, Keri Hulme)
Your own quote that will inspire us:
