With the Trump administration questioning the legitimacy of climate change and threatening to dismantle the governmental programs designed to protect the environment, many are looking with hope toward businesses to take action.

Survey findings released today from the 2017 Sustainability Outlook Report: Sustainability in the Age of Trump show the majority of businesses (71 percent) continue to be committed to sustainability, reducing energy use, and improving overall performance of the built environment. What’s more, a large number of organizations (24 percent) increased their commitment to sustainability in the face of the new federal administration.

Lucid, provider of the most comprehensive business intelligence platform for building operations, and Urjanet, the world-wide leader for utility data surveyed a hundred energy and sustainability professionals. Survey responses reflect current attitudes and plans of sustainability professionals, facilities managers, and building operators.

Other key findings include:

Corporate respondents cited commitment to their corporate mission and to business performance as the two primary motivating factors for their continued focus on sustainability, with reporting compliance, industry recognition, and employee satisfaction close behind. 50 percent cite sustainability as part of their corporate mission.

46 percent of those surveyed believe their sustainability budgets will remain unchanged in 2017, and 29 percent of private company respondents expect an increase in budget.

73 percent of organizations expect their commitment to sustainability to remain the same in 2017, and 21 percent plan to increase their commitment.

“These results reflect a growing understanding in the private sector of the impact sustainability initiatives have not only on the environment, but on the bottom line,” said Will Coleman, CEO of Lucid. “Energy consumption and water consumption comprise massive costs for all organizations and cannot be ignored. Whether driven through government programs or private sector initiative, we see enormous momentum for sustainability programs nationwide. We’re committed to providing organizations with the most comprehensive building insights to help them make smart sustainability decisions that will stand the test of time.”

“What we see here in the survey results is very much aligned with the conversations we have and continue to have with our customers and partners,” said Sanjoy Malik, CEO of Urjanet. “The sentiment towards more corporate accountability with regards to environmental resource management is one that we will continue to support alongside our partners, like Lucid.”

SOURCE: Lucid/Urjanet Press Release, April 4, 2017