Building Sustainability That Works: A Candid Conversation with Alana Spencer of Clayco

If you’ve ever tried to integrate sustainability into the heart of a construction project rather than an afterthought, you know it can be tough.

Budgets are tight. Timelines are tighter. And too often, sustainability is treated like a “nice to have,” not a core business driver.

This week on The Canary Report, Michael Zalle sat down with someone who is proving that doesn’t have to be the case. Alana Spencer is the VP of Sustainability at Clayco, and she’s on a mission to make sustainability not just part of how we build, but part of how we think about building.

She’s doing it across hundreds of large-scale construction projects, not theoretical work but real-world change on live job sites with real dollars at stake. This conversation covers what it takes to make sustainability work at scale in an industry where cost, complexity, and competitiveness are always at play.

Get Sustainability Involved Early, Or Pay for It Later

One of the first points Alana made was simple but powerful:

“The best practice is to get sustainability involved at the forefront of every single project, typically in the pursuit phase.”

Why? Because that’s when the real decisions get made, the ones that determine whether sustainability can be integrated seamlessly, or whether it ends up feeling bolted on and expensive. 

At Clayco, Alana and her team do deep research on each client’s sustainability goals before the project even kicks off. They look at what’s publicly available and what the client has provided and then think creatively about how Clayco’s capabilities can help achieve those goals.

That early seat at the table also means aligning with the full project team,  internal and external,  to define clear sustainability responsibilities up front. By the time construction starts, everyone knows what they’re aiming for and how their piece contributes towards the bigger whole.

The result? Fewer surprises, better integration, and outcomes that drive both environmental impact and business value.

If It Doesn’t Pencil Out, It Doesn’t Scale

Alana shares advice she got from a mentor on integrating sustainability into the business DNA:

“If anyone questions the cost, it’s because they don’t see the value.”

It’s a mindset that has shaped how she frames sustainability today. Alana is clear: if you want leadership and project teams to embrace sustainability, you have to talk about it in terms of value, not just values. That means tying sustainability measures to dollars and cents, energy savings, water savings, available incentives, reduced operating costs, and long-term ROI.

Too often, sustainability is mentioned as a separate line item, which automatically makes it feel like an added cost. But when you present it as part of the core design and construction process, one that enhances building performance and saves money over time, you start to see real buy-in.

That’s how Clayco has been able to drive sustainable practices across thousands of projects, not by preaching, but by showing clear business value.

Start Small. Measure. Build Momentum.

A lot of companies still feel intimidated by the idea of building out a sustainability program, especially when they’re starting from scratch. Alana had great advice here, too:

“Don’t try to boil the ocean.”

Instead, she recommends starting with a simple framework (she often points to the UN SDGs), clarifying current consumption and baselines, and then setting realistic reduction targets that align with business goals. All the while continuing to track progress consistently.

At Clayco, they collect and analyze data monthly across hundreds of projects to see what’s working and what’s not. That transparency allows them to make course corrections quickly and helps leadership see the value of continued investment.

It also gives teams on the ground clear, actionable feedback, which helps build ownership and momentum. Over time, that creates a culture where sustainability is part of how projects are managed, not an afterthought.

Sequence Matters: A Smarter Approach to Sustainable Design

Alana walks us through her proven sustainability design framework, stressing that the implementation sequence must be right.

Here’s how she approaches it at Clayco:

1. Orientation
   First, they optimize building orientation to minimize solar heat gain. If you do this correctly, you’ll reduce the load your systems will have to handle.
   
   
2. Envelope
   Next comes the building envelope, which involves properly sizing windows, dialing in insulation, and ensuring the structure is as efficient as possible.
   
   
3. Systems
   Only after those fundamentals are nailed down do they size and select mechanical and electrical systems.
   
   
4. Renewables
   Renewables come last, after all the passive efficiency gains have been locked in. That ensures the systems are properly scaled and that investments in renewables deliver maximum value.
   
   

It’s a smart, cost-effective approach, one that helps avoid the common pitfall of oversizing systems or overspending on renewables when basic design decisions haven’t been optimized first.

Purpose Drives Participation

Moving beyond frameworks and ROI, Alana shares her insights on developing and nurturing Clayco's culture. She says one of the most rewarding parts of her role is seeing how purpose-driven people are when it comes to sustainability.

At Clayco, new hires often reach out asking how they can get involved. Teams on the ground get excited about helping track data or implement recycling initiatives. And across the company, people connect sustainability to broader values they care about, whether that’s health and wellness, inclusion, safety, or environmental stewardship.

When that sense of purpose is alive, it’s a lot easier to drive engagement and make sustainability a part of day-to-day project work. That’s when you really start to see a culture shift: when teams aren’t just complying with sustainability goals, they’re owning them.

Not Just Theory. Real Impact.

The conversation with Alana drives home the point that if we want change to stick, it has to work in the real world. That means meeting business needs, fitting into project realities, and proving value in ways leaders can understand and support.

And it means being honest about what works and what doesn’t when trying to drive large-scale adoption. 

If you want to hear the full conversation, and we think you should, check out the latest episode of The Canary Report:

🎧 Listen here:

Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3ZYXDSQ
Spotify: https://bit.ly/4mWPpEz
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/g_vrXr22

Let’s keep pushing these conversations forward, and building smarter, more sustainable businesses, one project at a time.

A Few Words About Alana Spencer

Alana Spencer is the VP of Sustainability at Clayco, and she knows how to turn sustainability from a buzzword into a real business driver. With 17+ years leading ESG, climate resilience, and corporate transformation efforts, she helps big organizations move from strategy to measurable impact. In the built environment world, Alana’s known for breaking down silos, getting sustainability, governance, and business goals to align. A Chicago native, she’s focused on the intersection of climate action and community well-being. And she’s the kind of leader you learn from by listening.

A Few Words About The Canary Report

Hosted by Michael Zalle, Founder and CEO of YellowBird, The Canary Report features the sharpest minds in workplace safety and risk management. Each episode dives into bold, real conversations that challenge outdated safety models and cut through compliance theater. You’ll hear from guests who bring a powerful mix of tech-driven insight, human-first experience, and hard-won lessons from the field.

Ideal for those leading safety initiatives in high-risk industries - or looking at safety from within the lens of the  insurance industry - this podcast delivers the insights you need to stay ahead. Tap into real world case studies, stay on top of emerging technologies, and get field-tested strategies that are redefining how safety programs are built and scaled.   

Real experts. Real outcomes.