http://www.triplepundit.com/2008/05/keen-and-consciousness/ Business, Better. Since 2005 Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:18:23 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 http://www.triplepundit.com/2008/05/keen-and-consciousness/comment-page-1/#comment-10664 William Shutkin Tue, 27 May 2008 15:24:17 +0000 http://www.triplepundit.com/wordpress/2008/05/keen-and-consciousness/#comment-10664 Good point, but not fatal in my view. To paraphrase the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: 1000 mile journey begins with a single step. Perhaps part of the shift in consciousness is finding ways to bring old-school manufacturing back to the US on competitive terms with the developing world. A journey far greater than 1000 miles but not necessarily endless. Meantime, it's great to see China beginning, however incrementally, to step up to the plate in terms of labor and environmental standards. Like all developing economies, it's a long, steep learning curve, but not one unfamiliar to the U.S., a process we started about 200 years ago and are still engaged in. The key is to change the game from a race to the bottom to a race to the top, where the label "Made in China" no longer means sweat-shop conditions or, for that matter, a big GHG transportation footprint from China to the U.S. There's still a yawning gap between Future Consciousness and today's reality. Doesn't mean it's greenwashing, just that's it's still aspirational. Good point, but not fatal in my view.
To paraphrase the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: 1000 mile journey begins with a single step. Perhaps part of the shift in consciousness is finding ways to bring old-school manufacturing back to the US on competitive terms with the developing world. A journey far greater than 1000 miles but not necessarily endless.
Meantime, it’s great to see China beginning, however incrementally, to step up to the plate in terms of labor and environmental standards. Like all developing economies, it’s a long, steep learning curve, but not one unfamiliar to the U.S., a process we started about 200 years ago and are still engaged in.
The key is to change the game from a race to the bottom to a race to the top, where the label “Made in China” no longer means sweat-shop conditions or, for that matter, a big GHG transportation footprint from China to the U.S.
There’s still a yawning gap between Future Consciousness and today’s reality. Doesn’t mean it’s greenwashing, just that’s it’s still aspirational.

]]> http://www.triplepundit.com/2008/05/keen-and-consciousness/comment-page-1/#comment-10663 jff Tue, 27 May 2008 14:49:14 +0000 http://www.triplepundit.com/wordpress/2008/05/keen-and-consciousness/#comment-10663 I have and love a pair of Keens I bought last year, but I have to question their environmentalism when I saw "made in China" stamped on the tag. Is that "future consciousness"? I have and love a pair of Keens I bought last year, but I have to question their environmentalism when I saw “made in China” stamped on the tag. Is that “future consciousness”?

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