Shareholders Press Oil & Gas Companies on Fracking, Climate Change, Environment, Labor, Community
Investor groups, coordinated by Ceres, announced they’ve filed shareholder resolutions with Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Chesapeake Energy, ConocoPhillips and 14 other oil and gas companies, “pressing them to disclose their plans for managing environmental and workplace challenges such as hydraulic fracturing, greenhouse gas emissions and woker safety.”
How to Engage Sustainability Natives
As future generations take the lead in determining our sustainable future and responsible business, how will their innate conceptions and expectations for a responsible economy inform our challenges and solutions?
Business Support for Communities Could be Waning
Consumer boycotts and pocketbook pressure has been effective in the past in changing corporate behavior. How do we keep the pressure on to keep companies incentivized to do the right thing?
In Times of Change, Go Slow to Go Fast
The following is a guest post by our friends at Saybrook University’s Organizational Systems Program (a 3p sponsor) – designed for students who want to understand the nature of organizations, collaborative practices, and transformative change. By Jay G. Cone, Ph.D. student in organizational systems, Saybrook University Three organizations I work with are undergoing restructuring. In [...]
UN Calls Sustainable Development a Top Priority
The UN High-Level Panel Global Sustainability released its report in Addis Ababa yesterday entitled “Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing.” The panel’s 99-page report, which will serve as an input to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in June, (otherwise known as the Rio+20 Summit) is a call to action, “to address the sustainable development challenge in a fresh and operational way.”
Recognizing Biases: How Our Minds Fool Us
My late grandmother, when criticized or misunderstood, would often say “we don’t see ourselves.”
While we don’t necessarily respond this way to our clients, customers, colleagues or employers, the truth is, they generally don’t – see themselves, that is, or even know what they are thinking. None of us do.
Lessons in Sustainability From Gandhi
January 30th 2012 is Gandhi’s 64th death anniversary and four days ago, India celebrated her Republic Day. It struck me that there are some sharp parallels between Gandhian philosophies and the sustainability movement.
Does Sustainability Increase Profits or Not?
A UN-backed survey conducted by Globescan and SustainAbility, of 642 senior executives, campaigners and academics found that the vast majority feel that pressure to deliver short-term financial results is impeding their sustainability efforts. Of course the sluggish economy has been a challenge, but do companies today really have to choose between profitability and sustainability or is this a false choice?
How to Leverage Collaboration to Make Your Business Thrive
Here are some tips for restructuring challenge campaigns to make them more successful.
Five Ingredients to Grow a Grassroots Green Team
Five ingredients and a little follow through’s all it takes to grow a grassroots green team, according to research.
From Detroit to Doha, Citizens Are Building a Greener Economy
My recent stay in Detroit and current trip to Doha have opened my eyes to how citizens are taking matters into their own hands and building more sustainable economies.
EU on Track to Exceed 2020 Carbon Emissions Targets
Reaching a 30% by 2020 EU emissions reduction target would be less than originally estimated, according to an EC study that also includes a plan that not only spreads the costs more equitably, but could benefit weaker member countries financially.
The Clif Bar Story: An Interview with Director of Environmental Stewardship Elysa Hammond
Forget the triple bottom line: the folks at Clif Bar manage for five separate objectives. Find out how they manage it.
Corruption and Sustainability: Like Oil & Water Do Not Mix
Recently, the Guardian ran a post addressing the question of why eliminating corruption is crucial for sustainability. A first glance the two topics might seem unrelated—the one about criminal behavior and the other about something like environmental responsibility.
Where exactly then, do the two ideas come together?
Leveraging Deficits: How the Best Corporate Citizens Drove Cross-Sector Collaboration During the Great Recession
With a “renaissance” in how companies, NGOs, and governments are collaborating to tackle some of our toughest challenges, this blog post looks in-depth at the specific new models and practices that are emerging in cross-sector collaboration.
Southwest Airlines’ Cabin Experience Evolves in a Sustainable Direction
Long known as a company not afraid to think out of the box, Southwest Airlines, one of the most successful airlines operating today, is stepping out ahead of pack again by retrofitting its aircraft cabins with sustainable materials that will also reduce fuel costs by cutting weight.
Why Designers Will Become the Next Gen of CEOs
Designers have been taking center stage in companies across many industries and leading them toward profitable outcomes, based on better customer experiences. Over the past five decades, we have evolved the contribution of design past those of pure aesthetics to include strategy, business models, the deployment of technology, leadership, and total business sustainability.
Activating Agency & Accountability in Your Organization
By Jeff Klein In the early 1990s I moved to Santa Fe, NM to work with some friends who were building Seeds of Change, the organic seed (and now food) company. Early on in my work there I became responsible for managing the warehouse, where the seeds were stored, packed and shipped, and where orders [...]
Is Bill Gates Really Batman?
It was Jon Stewart that first made the reference. He called Bill Gates “Batman” to his face on his TV show. Why Batman? I think he probably meant Bruce Wayne, Batman’s civilian identity: the eccentric millionaire industrialist, who is also a philanthropist, sworn to do good and serve a greater ideal of justice. Of course, [...]
The Rise of the Biobased Economy and How Your Company Should Respond in 2012
By Jacquie Ottman & Mark Eisen Our economy is slowly but surely heeding the signal that carbon is the new watchword. During the past few years, a steady stream of so-called “biobased” products have been making their way to retail shelves — compostable dinnerware made from corn, plant-based laundry detergents, and bamboo flooring among them. [...]
Germany Takes “Power to the People” Literally
Back in the 1960s there was a social uprising in this country. It grew out of the civil rights movement and the protests of the Vietnam War. It was powered largely by young people and other groups who felt alienated by a consolidating centralized power structure of business and government whose interests seemed largely out [...]
Deficit-Driven Economic Developments
The recession started a renaissance in how companies, NGOs, & governments collaborate. With governments and non-profits facing yawning budget deficits and business facing one of its biggest trust-deficits in history, organizations are coming together in unprecedented ways to tackle some of society’s greatest challenges. In fact, a distinct set of collaborative practices used by the “best corporate citizens” and their partners have emerged that others could adopt.
Vision. Stories. Pathways.
By Jeff Klein Promoting ideas has been a principal focus of my work for the past six years, beginning with my work as Executive Director of FLOW and continuing today with Being Human, Conscious Capitalism, and Working for Good among others. Ideas are powerful. Napoleon Hill noted that “Ideas are the beginning points of all [...]
EU Passes Law that Says: The Chicken Comes First
We’ve all heard the famous rhetorical question, “which comes first, the chicken or the egg?” Well, I’m here to tell to you that the answer is—it depends. If you’re the American egg industry, then the answer is clearly, the egg. In fact, they don’t give a hoot about the chickens and would do away with [...]
Tesla to Launch Electric SUV
People at the green end of the spectrum tend to roll their eyes at the very mention of the word SUV. Some have even alleged that the term stands for “supersized unconscionable vehicle.” Others have wondered if rising fuel prices will lead to the demise of their nemesis. It would be nice to think that [...]
The Crossroads of Sustainability, Business and Design is Change
As “change makers,” we encounter resistance to change on a regular basis, both internally and externally. Change is nothing new, but what is new is a growing understanding around why we resist it and what we can do to begin to soften that resistance.
Jeffrey Hollender: My New Year’s Resolution
In 2012, I resolve to be a better activist. Despite the fact that “The Protester” was recently named the 2011 Person of the Year, I hope we’re just getting started. I hope we’re awaking from the long, dark, inward-looking, me-focused sleep that began at the end of the 1960s as the Vietnam War came to [...]
Business Predators & Prey
Design strategy and Innovation are preparing businesses for survival. Many aspects contribute to a business succeeding. I believe these include intuition, speed, and agility.
Communicating Effectively to Bridge the Great Divide
Throughout history there has been a great philosophical and fundamental divide in humanity. This divide affects our ability to communicate and find common ground with others of the opposite outlook
Google’s Green Czar Leaves for Facebook
In November 2011, Bill Weihl, left his post as the Green Czar at Google. Weihl oversaw much of Google’s $700M investments in clean energy and was a driving force behind Google’s Green Dream otherwise known as The Impact of Clean Energy Innovation. Now, it seems that Dr. Weihl, a former Computer Science professor at MIT, [...]
Current Engagements
Where We’re Going
Have your event listed here.
Webinar: Feb 17Greening Stonyfield Farm: As a consultant with Stonyfield Farm for the past 12 years, Switzer Fellow Tim Greiner will discuss efforts to broaden and deepen sustainability within the company. He will discuss the company's efforts to track its environmental impacts, barriers the company had to overcome.
Webinar: Feb 29Product Scorecards for Sustainability: Product scorecards that detail and evaluate environmental and sustainability aspects of products are increasingly adopted by leading companies. This webinar covers the best practices in this area and a case study by Seventh Generation.
NY: Mar 19-20Wall Street Green: The longest running and most comprehensive environmental market event in the industry. The Wall Street Green Summit covers cutting edge content, industry developments and features the practitioners and the leaders of tomorrow.
Bay Area: Mar 22-23GRI Certified Training: Demand for sustainability experts is growing rapidly as companies look for proven professionals. For companies, GRI trained employees mean faster implementations and better use of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework. Join our partner ISOS group for this two day session. Early bird discounts apply!
SF: Mar 26-28Cleantech Forum San Francisco: The 2012 Cleantech Forum San Francisco will mark the 10th anniversary of Cleantech Forums, the annual gathering of the global clean technology innovation community. Our theme this year is “The Power of Global Partnerships,” an exploration of how strategic relationships are playing an ever more important role in the future of clean technology. For a $300 Discount use code "VIPofTriplePundit " More Info.
SF: April 10-12 Navigating the American Carbon World: The must-attend event for professionals in the carbon landscape. Over the past decade, NACW has consistently provided informative content, thoughtful discussions and outstanding opportunities for collaboration.
Have your event listed here.
Webinar: Feb 17Greening Stonyfield Farm: As a consultant with Stonyfield Farm for the past 12 years, Switzer Fellow Tim Greiner will discuss efforts to broaden and deepen sustainability within the company. He will discuss the company's efforts to track its environmental impacts, barriers the company had to overcome.Webinar: Feb 29Product Scorecards for Sustainability: Product scorecards that detail and evaluate environmental and sustainability aspects of products are increasingly adopted by leading companies. This webinar covers the best practices in this area and a case study by Seventh Generation.NY: Mar 19-20Wall Street Green: The longest running and most comprehensive environmental market event in the industry. The Wall Street Green Summit covers cutting edge content, industry developments and features the practitioners and the leaders of tomorrow.Bay Area: Mar 22-23GRI Certified Training: Demand for sustainability experts is growing rapidly as companies look for proven professionals. For companies, GRI trained employees mean faster implementations and better use of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework. Join our partner ISOS group for this two day session. Early bird discounts apply!SF: Mar 26-28Cleantech Forum San Francisco: The 2012 Cleantech Forum San Francisco will mark the 10th anniversary of Cleantech Forums, the annual gathering of the global clean technology innovation community. Our theme this year is “The Power of Global Partnerships,” an exploration of how strategic relationships are playing an ever more important role in the future of clean technology. For a $300 Discount use code "VIPofTriplePundit " More Info.SF: April 10-12 Navigating the American Carbon World: The must-attend event for professionals in the carbon landscape. Over the past decade, NACW has consistently provided informative content, thoughtful discussions and outstanding opportunities for collaboration.Have your event listed here.
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