EVENTS

LMI Research Institute Holds Executive Forum on November 2, 2005

“Achieving Sustainability in Government Operations: The Triple Bottom Line”

McLean, Virginia, November 15, 2005 – The LMI Research Institute held its third Executive Forum on November 2, 2005. Senior members of the federal infrastructure, logistics, natural resources, and energy communities gathered with industry representatives to discuss “Achieving Sustainability in Government Operations: The Triple Bottom Line.”

The triple bottom line refers to expanding traditional reporting to account for environmental and social performance in government policy planning and execution in addition to traditional financial accounting. The goal is government policy that focuses on longer-term impacts and leads to a sustainable economy. Forum participants agreed that we have not yet made the leap from reducing adverse environmental and social impacts to achieving sustainability.

Participants discussed the need to integrate the various requirements in current government policies and offer robust incentives for achieving them. These incentives should be carefully structured to produce the intended results, and their associated metrics should be simple and few. On the issue of funding, the participants agreed that better economic analysis of investments is needed.

They concluded that for organizations to embrace the triple bottom line, they need comprehensive, accurate information on sustainability efforts that have succeeded. Case studies, currently lacking, are critical for efficient adaptation of the concept to similar policy formulation and execution.

LMI established the LMI Research Institute in 2004 as a center of innovation that seeks to produce breakthrough ideas for advancing the science of government management. It strives to add rigor, precision, and greater predictability to all aspects of government decision making.

The Executive Forums are designed to bring together senior officials from government—political appointees, career civilians, and flag officers—to discuss critical management issues facing the federal government. The objective is to facilitate frank and open exchanges that eventually lead to long-term structural, management, and policy enhancements. We sponsor these forums as part of our commitment to helping government leaders make decisions that have a lasting effect.