If you have an interest in sustainability, you’ve skimmed a dozen articles and subscribed to rAVe GreenAV. You’ve had a few conversations and read a bit about some of the upcoming standards. You’ve possibly even sketched a few notes about how you could be greener. Well, my friends, that is not enough. You know that I’m usually bouncing around in “rah, rah, rah” mode, giving you the pep and cheer to keep you motivated and excited about how you can adapt green practices. But as we kick off 2012, I want to talk about resolutions, a point of focus as we begin a fresh new year (resolution… focus… so nice to have an audience who might actually get the joke).

First, take a look at the definition. Resolution means “the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.” Think about resolve and having intent. If you are an employee who fervently nods along to your GreenAV newsletter each month, but then stash your green pom poms back under the desk (along with your ideas and passions on how to inspire sustainability in your workplace) and carry on with your day, now would be the time to get those pom poms out and shake them in the face of your management. If you’re unsure how to gain their buy-in, then you haven’t actually paid attention to what you read over the last year of my column. If innovation, cost-savings, employee morale and long-term growth aren’t appealing enough, then you might want to hunt for a new job. Just sayin’.

If you’re a manager who is toying with the idea, but you’re unclear about how to start… well, put the toys down and just get started!! I have produced no less than four columns about defining the steps to sustainability in the AV company. From writing a policy to communicating your green efforts to understanding standards, you have all the tools you need. It appears that what you would need is, um, resolve.

I know it seems a herculean undertaking, but if I did it, so can you. When I wrote the Sustainable Staging best practices, I was driven by a simple passion and a vision to make at least a small change in this world. It was NOT easy and it didn’t happen in a month, or even two. It took me a full year of research and writing to complete the guidelines. I didn’t always know what I was doing, but I let my instinct — and resolve — guide me.

The word resolution comes from the Latin resolutio — process of reducing things into simpler forms. I would suggest building some type of steadfast deadline and build calendar reminders for your goals along the way. I admit, I happened to be lucky that my second baby was due by a certain date, so I couldn’t not finish — but maybe you have some scheduled vacation or a yearly review or shareholders meeting that would make an excellent hard deadline for your goal. Additionally, if you can break this resolution down into simpler, measurable outcomes, such as joining a green association or achieving an educational goal or even writing that sustainability policy I talked about last month — you might find it makes your commitment that much more approachable and reachable. OK — rah, rah, rah after all, I guess!

Midori Connolly is CEO and Chief AVGirl of Pulse Staging & Events, Inc. in Escondido, California. She wrote the first-ever set of Sustainable Staging guidelines after discovering none existed. She is the vice-chair of the AV committee for the U.S. EPA’s Green Meetings Standards and regularly speaks and writes about corporate social responsibility and green practices in live events and meeting planning. Reach her at midori@pulsestaging.com