To ensure the Guidebook is easy to follow each section has been consistently designed and is composed of several key components described below:
- Introduction: the introduction frames the common challenges associated with the capacity or process defined within the section. It includes a made-up scenario that highlights a relatable situation in which the challenges described are having a negative impact. Finally, the key topics that will be covered within the section are outlined.
- Lesson: the key concepts and finer details core to the REFOCUS Sustainability Model are covered within the lesson. For each capacity within the Program Setup, the lesson starts with required knowledge and finishes with critical actions.
- Harbourfront Centre Case Study: most educational case studies deliver a polished, best-case scenario type story. REFOCUS was developed based on what was learned from the successes and, even more importantly, the failures that Harbourfront Centre experienced. The finer details of how Harbourfront Centre struggled and triumphed are very candidly shared. The case studies are designed to be relatable and even more so, empowering. Each story demonstrates how employing effective approaches to building a sustainability program (as defined by REFOCUS) will make amazing and unexpected outcomes possible, even when the effort is much less than perfect.
- Self-Assessment: an interactive self-assessment will help you perform a basic evaluation of your sustainability program and to identify opportunities for improvement and translate learning into action. The rating scale used is by no means scientific but will help to diagnose which aspects of your sustainability program require the most attention. Once submitted, the responses captured are recorded within your user profile, in addition to any instances in the future when you complete the self-assessment again.
