Engaging your team in sustainability - a fireside chat with Dr Niki Harre

Communicating sustainability well can create real buy-in and drive engagement and action. And it isn’t just about what you say - it’s about how people think, feel, and behave (especially the last one). This three-part Communicating Sustainability series from Sustainability 360 brings together insights from psychology, communication, and change management to help sustainability leaders connect with people in ways that inspire action and long-term change.

➊ The first session, Communicating Sustainability, Caroline Thalund explored how to talk about sustainability clearly and authentically - avoiding greenwashing and greenhushing while telling stories that connect both emotionally and rationally. Guest expert Jo Scott shared lessons from journalism and corporate communication on how to simplify complex ideas, use storytelling effectively, and make sustainability part of everyday dialogue.

➋ In the second session, Internal Communication for Impact, Caroline focused on building genuine engagement inside the organisation - using behavioural psychology and change-management techniques to move from isolated effort to shared responsibility. With guest expert John Eatwell, participants learned how to design communication and systems that motivate people, form habits, and make sustainability part of daily routines.

➌ This final fireside chat with Dr Niki Harre brings the series together by delving deeper into the psychology of engagement – why people act (or don’t) on sustainability, how peer influence drives behaviour change, and how to make new habits stick.

Join business sustainability specialist and Professor of Practice at the University of Canterbury, Caroline Thalund, in conversation with Dr Niki Harre, Professor of Psychology and Head of School at the University of Auckland. Together they unpack what really drives engagement with sustainability across an organisation – from leadership influence to peer networks and workplace culture.

They discuss:

• Why sustainability must be embedded across the whole organisation – not siloed in one department

• How to balance top-down leadership support with bottom-up energy from champions and peers

• Practical ways to maintain momentum, form new habits, and prevent burnout among sustainability leaders

• How to make sustainable behaviours part of everyday systems, processes, and culture

How it works

• Register via Humanitix to access the recording of this fireside chat between Caroline and Niki

• You’ll also receive a concise summary of key takeaways

• Plus, access to a comprehensive collection of practical resources from all three parts of the Communicating Sustainability series – including templates, examples, frameworks, and actionable tips drawn from experts in communication, psychology, and change management. Together, these materials provide practical guidance on how to communicate sustainability effectively, build engagement across teams, and embed sustainability into everyday business practice

About the speakers

Niki Harre

Niki is Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland. She was the sustainability lead for a recent curriculum review at the university, and, with colleagues, established a transdisciplinary three-course sustainability teaching module for undergraduate students. Niki’s research focuses on the psychology of sustainability, values, and civil discourse. She has led action research programmes in educational and health organisations focused on creating a sustainability culture. She is the author of Psychology for a Better World: Working with People to Save the Planet and The Infinite Game: How to Live Well Together. In 2026 her book Once there were Priests: A Year Exploring what the Secular World can Learn from Religion will be published by AUP.

Caroline Thalund

Caroline is the founder and CEO of Sustainability 360 (S360) and a Professor of Practice at the University of Canterbury. She has spent over two decades helping organisations embed sustainability into business strategy and operations, with a particular focus on behaviour and culture change. Through S360, Caroline works with companies across sectors to make sustainability part of everyday decision-making, now combining digital ESG tools (S360) with practical resources and workshops as well as pioneering solutions for B Corps. She also specialises in translating sustainability data into clear insights that help companies understand their impact and identify what to do next.