Josh Raglin - Chief Sustainability Officer at Norfolk Southern Corporation

Sustainable Nation

Josh Raglin has dedicated over 25 years in the fields of conservation, forestry, and environmental stewardship. As chief sustainability officer at Norfolk Southern, he leads efforts to transform the company’s sustainability strategy. He champions initiatives that integrate sustainability practices into daily operations to achieve efficiencies, control costs, generate revenue, and reduce environmental impacts. These efforts include close collaboration with department leaders company-wide, along with external stakeholders such as customers, investors, regulators, and communities.

Josh Joins Sustainable Nation to Discuss:

• Advancing efficiency of rails including the Locomotive Modernization program
• The economic and environmental benefits of shipping by rail, and the feasibility of making the switch to rail
• Benefits to customers from Norfolk Southern’s carbon calculator
• Norfolk Southern's five pillars of sustainability, specifically nature-based solutions
• Advice and recommendations for sustainability professionals

Josh’s Final Five Questions Responses:

What is one piece of advice you would give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers?

I would say network. You can't know too many people. The more you network, the more connections you make. Not only internally within your company but externally as well. That's going to increase your knowledge base. Many of our customers have just started their sustainability programs in the last three or four years, and so I can be a resource for them in helping them start their journey, and I really enjoy doing that.

What are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability?

I think it's the excitement, the corporate commitment that you're seeing, and where we've gone in such a short period of time. And it's voluntary. We're getting the support of all of our stakeholders. It's important to our customers, our investors, our regulators, and it's important to our employees as well.

What is one book you'd recommend sustainability professionals read?

It's actually one I just completed. It's called How the World Really Works, and it's by an energy scientist Vaclav Smil. He's written a number of books over the years, and he's not a pessimist, he's not an optimist, he's a scientist. He really does a great way of explaining the science, particularly when it comes to energy. I really highly recommend that to anyone.

What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in your work?

I would say probably my engagement with outside groups. I really enjoy engaging with conservation related groups or environmental groups and understanding our natural environment more and how Norfolk Southern can be a part of that. Whether it's employee engagement, whether it's financial support, or volunteering. A number of our employees, we volunteer on boards, we attend events, and it's not just about doing railroading, but it's also about how we can engage with the community to really make a difference.

Where can our listeners go to learn more about you and the sustainability work being done at Norfolk Southern?

I'm on LinkedIn, so if you look up Josh Raglin Norfolk Southern, you'll find me pretty easily. And our website is http://www.nscorp.com/betterplanet.