Ecoaching

Ecoaching is a coaching approach that explicitly integrates sustainability and ecological thinking into personal and organizational development. It uses coaching conversations, goal setting, and accountability to support behavior and culture changes that reduce environmental impact while enhancing resilience and well-being.

Practitioners help clients articulate values-aligned goals, assess current practices, and design action plans. The process applies systems thinking, stakeholder engagement, and reflective learning, and often draws on behavior-change models to promote durable habits. Measurement may include sustainability metrics, carbon footprints, resource efficiency, and progress toward organizational targets.

Applications include corporate sustainability programs, educational initiatives, nonprofit capacity building, and individual coaching for climate action or sustainable living. The approach is used to address areas such as energy use, transportation, procurement, waste reduction, and culture change.

Outcomes reported or anticipated include increased motivation and coherence between values and actions, practical improvements in environmental performance, and enhanced organizational adaptability. Limitations include varying levels of evidence for specific claims and a risk that coaching is effective only when there is genuine commitment and resources; success depends on coach competence, organizational support, and clear metrics.

Relation to other terms: ecoaching overlaps with coaching for sustainability and green coaching. It is distinct from e-coaching (online delivery); in the present sense it refers to ecological or sustainability-focused coaching.