12.12.2011

Something that's actually good

John Broder hits the nail on the head in his assessment of why the UNFCCC process is largely failing to deliver real results, year after year (via NY Times)

"Effectively addressing climate change will require over the coming decades a fundamental remaking of energy production, transportation and agriculture around the world — the sinews of modern life. It is simply too big a job for those who have gathered for these talks under the 1992 United Nations treaty that began this grinding process."

Broder even does that summary one better, with this line I never thought I'd see in a major newspaper:

"...the question of 'climate equity' — the obligations of rich nations to help poor countries cope with a problem they had no part in creating — is more than an “environmental” issue."

12.09.2011

Bonus gem

Here's a description of local impacts of the natural gas boom that really brings new urgency to the old message 'there's no such thing as a free lunch' (via the NY Times).

"The drilling boom started in communities like Atoka in Mr. Boren’s district. Mayor Charles A. McCall III was startled when local farmers began showing up at his family-owned bank with giant checks from gas companies. Signing bonuses that were once $200 per acre soared to $2,000 and eventually to $20,000 an acre, in addition to any eventual royalties. 'It was like a lot of people had won the lottery,' Mr. McCall said."

Real estate bubble anyone?

Gem of the day

With its core offering of cheap products sold in stores so big you need to drive around inside them, Walmart is a brand that knows value for money.

So how does the world's biggest retailer get value for money out of its political donations? Grist holds the gems:

"Over the last decade, Walmart has emerged as one of the country's largest funders of political campaigns. Its dollars skew heavily in favor of candidates who routinely vote against the environment...Walmart's largest donations have gone to some of the nation's most powerful climate-change deniers."

And I'll leave it to Grist to deliver the punchline too:

"Walmart talks big about sustainability, but doesn't put its campaign money anywhere near where its mouth is."

12.06.2011

Bonus gem

Paul Hohnen, formerly director of Greenpeace and now big thinker at-large, delivers a scathing (and accurate) critique of how some corporates have approached sustainability (via GSB):

"Sustainable development was viewed as a real issue by members of this group, but mainly in terms of how it could adversely affect core business. Sensitive to their potential media and market exposure, companies in this category went for high visibility attire, drawing attention to their "low hanging fruit" strategy. They made much of taking smart business decisions (increasing energy efficiency, ending gas flaring), without really explaining why this wasn't done years earlier. These achievements were then appropriately highlighted in advertisements and CSR reports. Despite broad commitments to sustainability, however, they continued to grow their core business in the knowledge that this was unsustainable in terms of planetary boundaries."

Zing!

Gem of the day

Here's a case study in the dysfunctional behaviour of the sustainability industry: blood diamonds. It's an issue where, unlike many grey areas in the sustainable development debate, there are clear rights and wrongs. And now this: Global Witness is withdrawing from the Kimberley Process, the weak mechanism responsible for international policing of the diamond trade to prevent the sale of blood diamonds.

Why?

"Global Witness had expressed concerns about how the Kimberley Process was operating for some time; it said the final straw was the decision last month to allow Zimbabwe to export diamonds from the Marange fields, where there have been reports of widespread human rights abuses by government security forces."

Right, because the process was simply that - a process, and one that wasn't close to effecting change.

But it wouldn't be a case study if Global Witness didn't get taken to task over its lack of willingness to be a team player, would it? For that quote we go to another dysfunctional intergovernmental body:

"Michael Mann, a spokesman for Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, wrote in an e-mail on Monday that the Kimberley Process 'may not be a perfect instrument, but it is the best we have, and therefore all parties, including civil society, should work to make it effective.'"

12.05.2011

Gem of the day

And now for something that's just plain cringe inducing. Coexist, the more progressive arm of Fast Company, shines a spotlight on a new website and mobile app called 'Slavery Footprint', which assesses our everyday consumer goods to deliver stats on forced labour in the supply chain.

Here's the Coexist reporter on his experience with the new awkward tool:

"It’s not easy to be a socially responsible consumer. Even if you buy mostly local products and diligently keep track of corporate environmental footprints, you may still be leaving a trail of slaves in your wake...After going through the process, I discovered that there are 101 slaves toiling away for me. That is actually a fairly low number."

Dear god.

Another non-environmental wonder

The Economist reports that in the senseless debate over legalising marijuana in Colorado,

'...some neighbourhood groups worry that Denver will turn into Amsterdam.'

Right - I really don't think there is any danger of a city like Denver achieving the same quality of life as one of Europe's oldest cities.

12.01.2011

Another non-environmental wonder

Michael Tomasky delivers a great gem about nominee Herman Cain and his book (via the Daily Beast):

"That book, it’s clear from page one, is not the product of a man who wasn’t serious about his candidacy. He thought that the presidency was his destiny. Actually, I wouldn’t be shocked if he still thinks it. I know—this makes no sense. But trust me. He believes he was called."

11.30.2011

Gem of the day

In the midst of the promising disruption from Occupy Wall Street, and against the backdrop of the unraveling of the entire global financial system, the FT management section - specifically loyal columnist Luke Johnson - has an insight to share with his readers:

"Should the chief executive be on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+?...More practitioners in business should be out there [in social media] describing their experiences and giving their opinions. It might help correct some of the misinformation promulgated by anticapitalists, and the general scepticism about wealth creators expressed by much of the media."

Breathtaking.

11.29.2011

Gem of the day

Tom Burke, former head of WWF, on his view of the world through the lens of 40 years of environmentalism:

"There's nothing wrong with the people in this world, only in the politics of it."

11.28.2011

Another non-environmental wonder

Patrick Brune, OWS spokesman, delivers a real zinger (via the Village Voice):

"We elected a person who ran on change and hope. And I don't see too much change and I don't have too much hope...the way things are right now, we can't use the government."

Bonus gem

Anna Simpson (via Green Futures) picks up on the drivers behind a car-dominated 'mobility' debate:

"The fact that Renault was sponsoring the event, produced by EcomobilityTV, is the easiest explanation for the ghostly presence of the car in a room of non-drivers. More often than not, we put our mouth where the money is. It’s wise to remember that the money may well be elsewhere in years to come."

Gem of the day

For anyone who has had the pleasure of driving down one of America's pot-holed highways recently, it's no hidden fact that the political system isn't the only thing crumbling around the USA.

There's a solution to this ailing infrastructure. And who do we have to thank for putting up the cash? No, not state and local governments.

China. Via the FT:

"China Investment Corporation, the country’s main sovereign wealth fund, plans to invest in the dilapidated infrastructure of developed countries, starting with the UK, according to Lou Jiwei, the fund’s chairman."

11.25.2011

Gem of the day

British Gas is tackling head-on what they call 'unfair' consumer perceptions of price-fixing with another beauty of a campaign. In a confrontational style reminiscent of Total Energy's 2010 CR report, BG is delivering answers to a set of 5 questions which include this zinger:



The alternative response is pretty obvious: it's the non-renewable part of fossil fuels, stupid.

11.23.2011

Another non-environmental wonder

The Pentagon has single-handedly redefined the benchmark for 'business as usual' with this stunner:

"Despite Threat of Cuts, Pentagon Made No Contingency Plans"

To top it off, here's a quote to put that dismal performance in context from someone who clearly spends too much time talking military matters around the Beltway:

"'The Pentagon has been cutting weapons programs by hundreds of billions of dollars for three years now,” said Loren B. Thompson, a consultant to military contractors. 'There’s not much left to kill that won’t affect the military’s safety or success.'”

Har har.

11.22.2011

Gem of the day

Wouldn't expect anything less from the CBI, but there's a slight issue with their position statement on Climate Change and Energy on their website:

"For UK business, climate change is no longer a threat to be feared, but an opportunity to grow the economy and lead the world – and by tackling it, we can make energy safer and more plentiful for all."

Was this written 50 years from now?


Something that's actually good

Unilever CEO Paul Polman's 10-second summary of sustainable development (via the GSB Hub):

"I use the term VUCA to describe the world – volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. It is very difficult for people to get a total picture. The food, water, energy nexus is so inter-related that it is for most people too difficult to know where to start and where to end."

Exactly.

11.21.2011

Gem of the day

Memo to the world from an airline CEO: successful business people are male.

"'Obviously the first-class passenger is a very senior person in his company, coming a long way around the world, and probably doing something very important for his business,' said John Slosar, the chief executive of Cathay Pacific Airways. 'He requires to be able to sleep, work on his speech, perhaps take a shower upon arrival, so he can hit the ground running.'”

Another non-environmental wonder

A great metric for determining whether your idea is worldchanging and powerful is this one:

If and when the iron triangle of business interest groups and policymakers think about launching an attack campaign against you.

This week's success: A written pitch to the American Bankers Association from a prominent Washington lobbying firm, Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford, proposing a $850,000 smear campaign against Occupy Wall Street. CLGC’s memo proposes that the ABA pay up to conduct “opposition research” on OWS in order to construct “negative narratives” about the protests and allied politicians.

Zing!

Another non-environmental wonder

Arnold Schwarzenegger, profiled by Michael Lewis in the author's new book about the financial crisis (via the New York Review of Books):

'[Schwarzenegger] wears no bike helmet, runs red lights, and rips past DO NOT ENTER signs without seeming to notice them, and up one-way streets. When he wants to cross three lanes of fast traffic he doesn’t so much as glance over his shoulder but just sticks out his hand and follows suit, assuming that whatever is behind him will stop. His bike has ten speeds but he uses just two: zero, and pedalling as fast as he can….

'It isn’t until he is forced to stop at a red light that he makes meaningful contact with the public. A woman pushing a baby stroller and talking on a cell phone crosses the street right in front of him, and does a double take. “Oh…my…God,” she gasps into her phone. “It’s Bill Clinton!” She’s not ten feet away and she keeps talking to the phone, as if the man is unreal. “I’m here with Bill Clinton.”

“It’s one of those guys who has had a sex scandal,” says Arnold, smiling.'

11.18.2011

Bonus gem

The Economist's Global Energy Conversation webinar, happening now: a room full of white, middle-aged men and merely one woman, debating the various ways we can power our future.

How innovative.

And what's wrong with this audience poll, one of a few that are optional?

Gem of the day

Daniel Kahneman single-handedly destroys the assumptions we hold around bankers and the reasons for their success (via The Guardian):

'The findings of the psychologist Daniel Kahneman, winner of a Nobel economics prize, are devastating to the beliefs that financial high-fliers entertain about themselves. He discovered that their apparent success is a cognitive illusion. For example, he studied the results achieved by 25 wealth advisers across eight years. He found that the consistency of their performance was zero. "The results resembled what you would expect from a dice-rolling contest, not a game of skill." Those who received the biggest bonuses had simply got lucky.'

The point aligns nicely with the words of ol' Joseph Schumpeter (remember him?)

‘The monetary system of a people reflects everything that the nation wants, does, suffers, is.’

11.17.2011

Gem of the day

Here's two facts that illustrate the absurd divide between energy sources and government planning around infrastructure in the US:

1. Texas is in the midst of a terrible drought which is projected to last for at least the next decade, alongside declining water reserves and a growing population.

2. The gas industry in Texas uses a couple million gallons of freshwater to frack a single well. That's water that, sadly enough, can't be recycled for human consumption because of the additives it contains.

If only there was an unlimited energy solution available that didn't suck up water, and ways to convince people of the collective potential of using a little less water every day.


For the state with the greatest proportion of wind power in the nation, this is just sad.

11.16.2011

Something that's actually good

It's hard to pick out which parts of Naomi Klein's radically superb article in the Nation I like the most, but here's two for starters:
  • '...climate change isn’t “the issue.” In fact, it isn’t an issue at all. Climate change is a message, one that is telling us that many of our culture’s most cherished ideas are no longer viable.'
  • '... the [climate deniers] may be in considerably less denial than a lot of professional environmentalists, the ones who paint a picture of global warming Armageddon, then assure us that we can avert catastrophe by buying “green” products and creating clever markets in pollution.'

Gem of the day

Urgent incoming message to the sustainability community from the friendly professionals at PwC:

"Airline Sustainability Reports Need Improvement"

Thanks for the memo.

"Southwest Airlines, UPS, Delta, Air France KLM, Iberia, LAN Airlines and Lufthansa produced the best sustainability reports by airlines last year, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers analysis.[PwC] rated all seven reports as 'good,' meaning they scored 61 to 80 percent of possible points."

Right.

11.15.2011

Gem of the day

Social media is supposed to be great for giving people a voice and a space for debate, but with comments like this gem--responding to Naomi Klein's extraordinary piece in the Nation this week--sometimes I start to think the Internet was a big mistake. Cheers to the author of it for somehow managing to get the entire point of Klein's article wrong.

"You say a plan is needed. I agree, but a much larger plan than one limited to environmental protection. I call the larger plan I propose the POW! Plan. It's a homophone and mirror image of the "battle" plan that LF Powell, soon-to-be US Supreme Court Justice, fired off to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He was worried that liberals were ruining the free-enterprise system. His plan sparked the "corporate revolution" that became the fifth corpocracy in America's history."

Jesus. But there's another comment further down through the wreckage that really takes the cake:

"Seriously, who cares?"

11.14.2011

Bonus gem

Did the man behind Schumpeter at the Economist talk to anyone in the sustainable development community before publishing this week's column, "Why firms go green"?

Witness this particular gem in which he effortlessly lumps together Coca-Cola, Unilever, Nestle and PepsiCo:

"...all of which have big ambitions in developing countries and use a lot of water. Each firm’s embrace of greenery has followed a similar pattern."

Dear Schumpter, please call Paul Polman. I daresay he would beg to differ. And remind yourself of the difference between Nestle's sustainability PR and what its chairman actually believes according to interviews.

Gem of the day

And now for the one of the most disappointing--yet unsurprising--news pieces of the month (via NY Times):

"EDF, the giant power utility and the world’s biggest operator of nuclear power plants, was found guilty on Thursday of spying on Greenpeace in a bizarre and convoluted computer hacking case."

Memo to EDF: everyone gets caught eventually (see Madoff, Bernie and Nixon, Watergate). And yes, Greenpeace is probably planning direct action against you for your planned nuclear expansion France. I'm so certain there are more productive ways to deliver sound stakeholder engagement than theft.

Moment of expert insight from the Times: "...the company is unlikely to welcome the renewed scrutiny." 

11.08.2011

Gem of the day

More often then not, what passes for news in the sustainability community can sound like material lifted from the Onion or the Daily Mash.

Here's a headline that serves up the proof (via the Guardian):

"Rio Earth Summit postponed after clash with Queen's Diamond Jubilee"

Thank god we've got our priorities in order. And also thank god there's a shadow energy & climate secretary who is clever enough to come up with this genius quote to shame David Cameron (who won't be attending, regardless of the jubilee):

"What a sad turn of events that David Cameron, who would hug a huskie for a press stunt just a few years, has now cold-shouldered the biggest environmental conference for 20 years."

'Environmental conference'? That's a surefire way of transcending that thorny, decades-old 'economy vs. environment' debate.

But wait! It gets even better. WWF actually takes the time to pander to David Cameron's mind-boggling inability to understand the significance of Rio +20:

"[WWF said:] Now it has been confirmed that the Earth summit is being moved specifically to accommodate the Commonwealth heads of government we would hope that the prime minister can find time in his busy schedule to attend the Rio summit."

Thanks for reading, David!

11.03.2011

Gem of the day

Grist has an excellent interview with Bruce Bradley, a veteran of what Bradley terms 'big food' (General Mills, Nabisco, you get the picture). Bradley's turned rogue after 15 years in the vortex but paints a remarkably sane and reasonable picture of why there are such deeply ingrained issues with the ways most of the food in the world is produced, marketed and consumed.

Gems are his top three things every consumer should know about the industry:
  • "Big Food is profit-driven. Don't be fooled into thinking a brand or the food company that owns it cares about you or your health."
  • "Think critically. Most claims and advertising by Big Food companies are meant to manipulate you, not educate you. Read your labels and do your research."
  • "There is no free lunch. Over the long-term, you always get what you pay for. Cheap food is very expensive once you add up the true costs -- like the taxes you pay to subsidize Big Food companies, health consequences like obesity or diabetes, the devastating harm to our environment, and the inhumane treatment of animals raised within the industrialized food system"

11.02.2011

Gem of the day

The NY Times reports on an extraordinary move by residents in Boulder, Colorado, to oust national corporate utility Xcel in favour of a locally accountable, greener utility.

Here's the gem, especially for anyone who has ever had the pleasure of encountering Office Space:

"'I can’t find the numbers for how Boulder is going to do it better,' said Bob Bellemare, an Xcel consultant."

10.28.2011

Bonus gem

Amory Lovins on fossil fuels:

"...ancient pond scum"

Zing!

Gem of the day

Walmart is a case study in what the Occupy Wall Street movement is trying to raise awareness of.

Last year, four members of Walmart founder Sam Walton's family made the Forbes list of America's 10 richest people.

The majority of Walmart's workers with children live below the federal poverty line. Walmart workers earn on average 12.4% less than retail workers as a whole, and many actually rely on welfare to survive.

That's the kind of mind-blowingly unfair contrast which means this business as usual can't last.

10.27.2011

Another non-environmental wonder

Memo from Herman Cain's office to staff, about travelling in the car with Cain (via NY Times):

"Do not speak to him unless you are spoken to."

Gem of the day

Quote of the day, from one of those generic reports summarising why corporate partnerships are oh-so-important, courtesy of a pharmaceuticals company that chose to remain anonymous:

"In a world where many of the challenges faced by people and communities are interrelated, it is increasingly inevitable that finding and implementing the solutions will require collaboration between corporates and NGOs, each bringing their particular strengths, expertise and networks to bear. Cross sector collaboration is the surest way we can make progress!"

I think I can one-up that--how about...

"Cross-sector collaboration seizing the low-hanging fruit to deliver shared value to key stakeholders."

10.26.2011

Gem of the day

And now for a word from the dark side of all things networked technology, via the Politico vortex:

Google received 29 percent more government requests for user data in the U.S. during the first six months of 2011 compared to the last half of 2010, the company reported Tuesday. The company complied with 93 percent of the 5,950 government requests for user data it received during that time frame.

Nice to know Google and the US government are such good friends.

10.25.2011

Gem of the day

You can't beat this kind of introduction to the story of a strategic business decision gone terribly wrong (via NY Times):

"Reed Hastings was soaking in a hot tub with a friend last month when he shared a secret: his company, Netflix, was about to announce a plan to divide its movie rental service into two — one offering streaming movies over the Internet, the other offering old-fashioned DVDs in the mail.

"'That is awful,' the friend, who was also a Netflix subscriber, told him under a starry sky in the Bay Area, according to Mr. Hastings. 'I don’t want to deal with two accounts.'

"Mr. Hastings ignored the warning, believing that chief executives should generally discount what their friends say."

10.24.2011

Bonus bonus gem

Futerra co-founder Ed Gillespie on the [ab]use of terms like "paradigm" in communications around sustainable development:

"Paradigm shift can be OK I think if it REALLY IS a paradigm shift."

...and another comment on the same issue by an anonymous person:

"Paradigm shift. If I hear that one more time with little action to back it up I might not be responsible for my actions."

Bonus gem

Yet another ranking system for comparing apples to oranges in terms of corporate sustainability delivers head-scratching results, unsurprisingly (via Tomorrow's Company).

American Express comes in last, way behind companies like Chevron. Go figure.

Gem of the day

Great 1940s-inspired quote from Leon Panetta on how he sees his role at the Pentagon fitting into America's wider future (via NY Times)

"'The real test for the country, as well as for the administration,' he said over a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon in his Pentagon office, 'is going to be whether or not ultimately we can’t deliver on trying to solve the economic issues, but also deliver on the issues that I’m involved with in terms of war and peace.'"

And what huge global issue really underpins that test, Leon? Maybe he should cast his eyes over this.

10.21.2011

Gem of the day

"After trying to mollify its critics in recent years by offering better health care benefits to its employees, Wal-Mart is substantially rolling back coverage for part-time workers and significantly raising premiums for many full-time staff."

Ironic use of Walmart's iconic marketing language in the NY Times.

10.20.2011

Gem of the day

The third sector grew out of the need to counterbalance the extraordinary influence of the private sector on economy, society and environment.

Which is why it's not surprising that:

a. Most NGO models don't work very effectively (see 1970s tactics: write to your congressman? sign a petition?)
b. When NGOs try to harness the ways of doing business that, well, most businesses use, but with a goal of affecting positive change, they often get into awkward territory

Maybe the best way to rethink sectors is the reality that everyone is an activist now.

Something that's actually good

As usual John Elkington has something remarkably sane and witty to say about what needs doing on the global stage (via Guardian Sustainable Business):

"...the IMF is unlikely to find a way of anaesthetising entire countries ahead of major institutional surgery, but one key to success in what lies ahead will be find ways to switch off our business-as-usual mindsets for long enough for genuinely sustainable alternatives to strike root."

To which I'd substitute "business-as-usual" with either "our way of living, thinking and working" or "the traditional systems our world as we know it are grounded in."

10.19.2011

Another non-environmental wonder

The GOP race is really starting to be a go-to source for gems. As reported by the Guardian:

"Perry also hit out at Cain, telling him his tax plan - 9% income tax, 9% corporate income tax and 9% sales tax - would not fly. Earlier today, the non-partisan Tax Policy Centre said Cain's plans would mean tax rises for 84% of the population. Cain denied it, saying the candidates were confusing apples with oranges, but failed to explain the distinction."

10.17.2011

Another non-environmental wonder

Hermain Cain, as quoted on the Daily Show last week (bless you Jon Stewart):

"If you don't have a job, and you're not rich, blame yourself."

And Jon Stewart on John Boehner (seriously, God bless you Jon Stewart): 

"I don't have the facts to back this up, but John Boehner cries because his nose is an onion."

Gem of the day

Out of all the awkward points that could possibly be raised about the 2011 Newsweek Green Rankings, here's one that simply proves how useless such ranking systems are (via Joel Makower):

"Nike’s fall — from #10 in 2010 to #243 this year — was perhaps surprising given its apparent environmental leadership on a number of fronts."

And the reason for this groundbreaking drop? The replacement of one of last year's key inputs of the ranking--a reputation score--with a "disclosure" score. So we can't trust the sustainability community to weigh in accurately on how green they think a company is?

But wait! Not only that, we clearly can't trust the data crunchers themselves:

"We also learned that [Nike's] footprint is slightly larger than we were aware, as they outsource more than we knew before."

Right.

10.13.2011

Gem of the day

Chris Tuppen has an intriguing article in the Guardian today, discussing how companies decide which sustainability issues are most material to their businesses. He ends up asking this question:

"Where there is a great deal of divergence between a company and stakeholder views, does it mean these companies are out of touch with their stakeholders, or is it that they have too many different types of stakeholder to be in tune with all of them?"

He suggests the answer lies in truly integrating sustainability into business strategy, with better and more effective reporting to follow.

Or, to look at it more systematically, this points to a much bigger--and more awkward--question. Most of the world's most profitable corporations fit into Tuppen's second potential state--because their supply chains stretch all the way around the world, they have far too many different types of stakeholders.

So couldn't you say some corporations are simply too big to be sustainable?

10.12.2011

Gem of the day

Australian political opposition leader Tony Abbott sure knows how to make something as dull as a carbon tax good fodder for the 24-hour news cycle. His quote on its passage yesterday (via NY Times):

"We can repeal the tax, we will repeal the tax, we must repeal the tax. This is a pledge in blood. This tax will go."

10.11.2011

Gem of the day

Business schools are typically the last place you would ever look for new perspectives, creativity and truly critical thinking. Which is why this article in Fast Company discussing how b-schools are moving to add courses in ethics and other such intangible considerations is hardly a surprise.

Consider this gem:

"MBA programs are teaching more social, environmental, and ethical content than ever. Four-fifths now require students to take a business and society course, compared to just 34% in 2001."

A 'business and society' course? What is this, the 1970s? Well, yes, if you're so unlucky as to be enrolled in an MBA program.

Which is why the last gem in the article is so damning:

"Business schools are good at creating a 24/7 experience that really shapes the minds of students. The intensity of the degree, and the cloistered experience, is also why they are so influential."

All in favour of the status quo, please raise your hands.

10.10.2011

Gem of the day

Can anyone tell me what's wrong with this headline (via JustMeans):

"World's Top Corporations Confirmed to Participate in Global Discussion"

Here's one hell of a sell-in quote which the CEO of the Globe Foundation, which is bringing these so deliciously powerful stakeholders together, provides:

"It’s not often, if ever, that this many high-caliber international executives and sustainability experts can be found under one roof at one time."

Thank goodness these folks will *finally* be given the chance to have their voices heard in the sustainability debate!

10.07.2011

Gem of the day

Apparently a panel of researchers put together by the Bipartisan Policy Center has drafted a report where they achieve a real sustainability communications milestone: attempting to rebrand "geoengineering" as "climate remediation." (via Climate Progress)

Ah, the power of a catchy little turn of phrase. And this one has just the same ring to it as "energy mix", "clean coal", "ethical oil" and "compassionate conservative."

10.06.2011

Gem of the day

Loving Joe Romm's shout-out to Steve Jobs (via ClimateProgress):

"Not directly relevant to energy and climate — but with an iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and Desktop Mac, I will miss him."

10.05.2011

Gem of the day

It's incredible that someone like Adam Brandt, from the department of Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford University, can get an analysis of the debate over oil sands so wrong in two ways (via New York Times):

1. Title his response in the NY Times Room for Debate as "What's the alternative?" Really?

2. Completely miss the biggest barrier to moving beyond fossil fuels in his take on the situation (nonstop pressure and a united front of misinformation about what's possible from coal, oil & gas companies, not to mention their political allies). "Clearly, the oil sands are not the ideal way to meet our energy needs. Yet here we find ourselves in a state of inertia because of depleting conventional resources, technological challenges to cleaner alternatives and weak polices on greenhouse gases."

10.04.2011

Bonus gem

A real groundbreaking zinger of a headline (via the old PR faithful Environmental Leader):

"Consumers Value Environment Less than Economic Development"

Gem of the day

You just have to love this ConocoPhillips advert which implies that the opposite of environmentalism is "pragmatism".

10.03.2011

Bonus gem

"There are limits to growth...declared the Club of Rome at the beginning of the 1970s. Their analysis could hardly have been more off target."

Gem of the day

When you come across a bank Chairman's statement on sustainability like this one, it's no wonder that the finance industry is so terrible at understanding anything that's at stake around these issues except cold hard cash (or caring about people in general). Note: Highlighting is Chairman's own special touch:

"It gives me great satisfaction to be able to state that, notwithstanding the economic situation that is still characterised by persistent uncertainty and market volatility, the Group continues to show robust growth, with an especially strong increase in life insurance collection. The choice of directing the latter towards more financially-rewarding products and the high performance obtained from investment management, combined with the rigorous cost control, has allowed us to achieve a growth in net results that ranks among the best in the sector. This was possible thanks to the positive technical result also in the non-life segment, despite numerous catastrophic events."

Right.

9.30.2011

Bonus gem

Word on the street is that the folks over at BAE Systems are letting a few people go. It's a shame the weapons business isn't doing so great this year. Their take, unsurprisingly (via BBC News):

"BAE would not comment on the job cuts, but said it had reviewed operations to ensure it was performing 'efficiently'."

Gem of the day

This statement sure makes me feel comfortable (via The Ecologist):

"We believe water is turning into the new gold," said Ziad Abdelnour, president of US private equity firm Blackhawk Partners, to Reuters last month.

9.28.2011

Gem of the day

I wonder what's wrong with this quote and the influences on its source (via Grist):

"Processed foods have become the default for everything negative, and their benefits are often taken for granted," says Ms. Loving, whose employer, the International Food Information Council, has a board of trustees that includes representatives from Dannon Co., General Mills, Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, and Mars, Inc. Processed foods, she adds, "represent sources of important nutrients for consumers and should be eaten along with fresh fruits and veggies."

9.27.2011

Bonus gem

Here's an idea for how we can put more Americans to work: hire them to burn off wasted natural gas in states like North Dakota, where oil companies claim they "cannot afford" to pay for the infrastructure they need to capture and sell it (via NY Times).

Ingenius.

Thankfully because it's the New York Times there are two NGO responses integrated into the article, which give us:
  • The generic there-should-be-functioning-regulation-around-this-issue approach: “ 'It’s time for the regulators to take a hard look at the impacts of flaring and make sure that available solutions to the flaring problem are required before there is any further widespread expansion of the practice,' said Amy Mall, senior policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
  • The 1970s-inspired industry vs. environment trade-off: "Wayde Schafer, the Sierra Club’s North Dakota conservation organizer, said that the industry needed to slow down development if it could not protect the air. 'You can do it fast or you can do it right,' he said."

Gem of the day

Commentary like this makes me dizzy with its total lack of bigger picture understanding.

But then again, what else can we expect from narrow-minded vortexes like the Cato Institute?

"Can we be certain that there will eventually be a viable market for solar power or that solar panel manufacturing is in fact characterized by very large economies of scale? No, we can't."

Did we ask questions like this during the Industrial Revolution? No, we didn't. And are we hoping solar power can exclusively take the place of fossil fuels, rather than a mix of energy efficiency and other renewable energies? No, we're not.

9.26.2011

Gem of the day

What is there really to say about a transparency index which manages to place BP in 6th and De Beers in 8th?


The authors of the index claim that it is "the only ranking of corporate sustainability performance website transparency in the world which is completely applicable across sectors, industries and geographies, enabling a true comparison of corporate commitment to transparency."

Oh so that's the problem--this index is based on CR reporting alone, and focuses exclusively on quantity of information, not quality.

Even so, it's tough to understand how a company like BP, which failed to report even estimates of the Gulf oil spill last year, could achieve this kind of success on a transparency ranking.

Another non-environmental wonder

Here's an uplifting story from the dark halls of Washington's revolving door (via FT)

"Months before AT&T unveiled its $39bn bid for T-Mobile USA, Deutsche Telekom’s US mobile arm, the biggest US telecoms operator sought to sweeten regulators by sending 1,500 cupcakes to the Federal Communications Commission’s offices in Washington...James Cicconi, AT&T’s head of public policy, had served under George Bush senior and Ronald Reagan and had a reputation for getting what he wanted."

9.23.2011

Bonus gem

The networking event Green Mondays sent me a reminder of an upcoming event today with this headline:

"How Resource Scarcity has Shaped Nissan's Core Business Strategy"

Apparently this is because, in the heady winds of 2011, Nissan's R&D strategy--yes, that's right, research, not actual car sales--will be focusing on electric vehicles.

I did a double-take, mostly because of the company's clear focus (like all other brands in the automotive industry) on selling millions of cars in China. In 2010 Nissan sold 1 million cars, to be exact-- an increase of 36% over 2009. And they plan to sell another 1.15 million in 2011. Not exactly the most resource efficient or sustainable strategy.

Green Mondays goes on to say:

"If you wind back most of the next-generation Sustainability strategies, including Nissan, PepsiCo, M&S and Siemens, you find its an awareness of resource scarcity that takes it into the boardroom."

Double standard? I think so.

Gem of the day

The twisted vortex that is the world of "management", mostly centred on business schools and their refined, efficient graduates, has always loved a good analogy. Historically it was the old-fashioned baseball game--a business as a "team" playing the game to win it. Then there's the obsession with airplane-inspired terminology--are you "on board"? Are you "on course" and "on track"?

So it's not surprising that the management debate has taken a big trend and harnessed it for its own purpose, however awkwardly. That's right, I'm talking about the so-called "Arab Spring" and the extraordinary role social media is playing in putting political power in the hands of a newly networked global public.

Here's old-timer Gary Hamel, management guru, on how this trend could apply to the business world: "I don’t think it’s crazy to ask if your CEO is the next Mubarak."

But wait! It gets even better. Some actual corporate leaders are willing to take the analogy even further. “The elites—or managers in companies—no longer control the conversation. This is how insurrections start.” Says Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, Inc. “This isn’t just about Arab spring. This is about corporate spring.”

Wow (all via Forbes).

Another non-environmental wonder

Michelle Bachman really takes an oil industry-inspired approach to her defensive Q&As. Witness this gem from the GOP debate on Thursday, where she was asked to explain her claims that the HPV vaccine has "dangerous side effects" (via NY Times)

“I didn’t make that claim nor did I make that statement,” she said.

9.19.2011

Another non-environmental wonder

Ingenius new book title from Jim Moore that's sure to win some independent supporters (via Politico):

"Moore is the co-author, with Jason Stanford, of the forthcoming 'Adios Mofo: Why Rick Perry Will Make America Miss George W. Bush,' one of at least three new books about the Texas governor."

Gem of the day

Something stinks over at Cisco. We've known since 2008 that the company is proactively selling services to China as tools for suppressing human rights. Despite that hullabaloo, the company is taking on board even more sketchy projects. And it takes journalists with real courage to deal with it, which is why only Private Eye has actually reported on the situation.

Take this Wall Street Journal article tepidly exploring whether Cisco's intention to help build a citywide surveillance network in Chongqing could potentially be used to monitor democracy movements:

"An examination of the Peaceful Chongqing project by The Wall Street Journal shows Cisco is expected to supply networking equipment that is essential to operating large and complicated surveillance systems... The company has previously said—including in a June blog post by Cisco's general counsel, Mark Chandler—that the company strictly abides by the Tiananmen export controls and doesn't supply any gear to China that is "customized in any way" to facilitate repressive uses."

Good to know Cisco's got their legal team as the official public representatives of the project. That already tell us a lot.

Now an official lawsuit is being filed by members of the Falun Gong sect, who claim Cisco's technology is being used to persecute them in China.

So what does the company have to say?

"Cisco does not operate networks in China or elsewhere, nor does Cisco customize our products in any way that would facilitate censorship or repression," the company stated.

9.15.2011

Gem of the day

There's a lot of great things going on in the world today. Al Gore's 24 Hours of Climate Reality project launches around the world, and it's the 40th anniversary of Greenpeace changing the world.

On that note, as probably the last global NGO that works with big business to force radical change and bears witness to the entrenched battles we're fighting, Greenpeace is one of our only real hopes for a sustainable world. From literally stopping the oil industry in its tracks to winning attention from those ever-elusive "consumers" on complex issues like toxics in the supply chain, to fighting for the oceans, the world is truly a better place because of Greenpeace.

I can't say the same thing for many other organisations working on sustainability.

Here's to 40 more years.

Another non-environmental wonder

Actually it is semi-environmentally relevant. More proof that Sarah Palin's lifelong affair with the oil and gas industry is much more personal than we could ever have dreamed in the zaniest satire (via Philadelphia Daily News):

"McGinniss also claims that Palin smoked dope in college and once snorted lines of coke off an oil barrel"

It just doesn't get any better than this.

9.13.2011

Bonus gem

Finally, an example of the gamechanging innovation we're looking for around product sustainability. A new "breakthrough technology". Something that makes "long-term financial as well as environmental sense". Destined to green "an entire industry" (via Guardian Sustainable Business).

What is it?

A plastic bottle that uses plant-based materials to replace "some" that are petroleum-based and will cut carbon emissions 8-10% in the process.

Uh. Unsurprisingly this faux-revolution promo comes from the folks over at Coke.

And now for the bad news (such a balanced article!)
  • The plant-based alternative only covers ethyleneglycol – around 22.5% of PET by weight
  • Using plants is all fun and games unless ,as the author points out, it requires excessive water use, pushes up food prices (by using arable land for non-food purposes) or relies on genetically-modified technologies
  • Coca-Cola was recently thrown out of the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability Index 
When will it sink into the corporate vortex that what we really need is to completely reimagine products and services, and to cut some out entirely? Incremental improvements to plastic bottles from a company that uses over 1 liter of water to manufacture 1 liter of bottled water just ain't gonna cut it.

Gem of the day

This is the third installment in the nauseating series "Rick Perry: A Real Texan Keeping it Real on the Campaign Trail 2011".

Here's the gem from a stop in Texas--where else?--this week (via ThinkProgress):

“I’ll tell you one thing: The EPA officials we have an opportunity to put in place, they’re going to be pro-business, and there’s not going to be any apologies to anybody about it,” he said. “Those agencies won’t know what hit ‘em.”

9.12.2011

Bonus gem

Another gem to add to the growing roster best slotted under the topic "Sustainability Communications: [insert name of brand here]"

ConAgra bathes in a radiant light of pseudo-leadership bestowed on the mega food corporation by the folks at the DJSI (oh they giveth, and they taketh, so easily):

"Earning a place on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index is a tremendous compliment to the work our employees do on a daily basis to do the right thing for our communities and the environment," said Gary Rodkin, CEO. "Though honored by this achievement, we know that our journey does not end here. Our employees will continue to find ways to enhance sustainable business practices and develop innovative programs to deliver on our citizenship commitment."

Gem of the day

Eric Schlosser on the new lawsuit against Con-Agra's use of the word "natural" to label products containing GMOs (via Triple Pundit)

"Food companies can no longer hide behind ambiguous labels like ‘natural’ because food essentially is natural! The label itself is an oxymoron."

9.09.2011

Another non-environmental wonder

Why does the FBI always look so dorky when they raid buildings?


Gem of the day

Gernot Wagner (best name ever?) at the Environmental Defense Fund has a new op-ed in the NY Times today that centers on an argument so misguided it's almost genius. Here's how it opens:

"You do all the right things. Good. Just know that it won’t save the tuna, protect the rain forest or stop global warming. The changes necessary are so large and profound that they are beyond the reach of individual action."

What a truly inspirational argument. Maybe Gernot has been spending too much time with A. Politicians or B. Corporates like Nestle and Monsanto.

The biggest thing that Gernot seems to absolutely not get is that it's not just about the green behaviours we exhibit. It's about all of us shifting to a completely new way of thinking about how our planet works. Which is why the ending of this article really takes the cake:

"Don’t stop recycling. Don’t stop buying local. [!] But add mastering some basic economics to your to-do list. Our future will be largely determined by our ability to admit the need to end planetary socialism. That’s the most fundamental of economics lessons and one any serious environmentalist ought to heed."

Right, because economics is a really effective way of understanding how the world actually works. Thanks Gernot!

9.07.2011

Another non-environmental wonder

Carol Bartz on her [unexpected] way out of Yahoo as the CEO, not towing the accepted line of jargon and fake excuses (Via NY Times):

"Goodbye,” Ms. Bartz wrote to employees in a message from her iPad: “I am very sad to tell you that I’ve just been fired over the phone by Yahoo’s chairman of the board.”

Gem of the day

Really Deep Corporate Quote of the Day (via Fast Company):

“You have to be rational. There’s no way you can support life on earth if you go straight from farm to table.”

Thanks Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, chair of the board of Nestle. Your fresh, logical thinking on the issue of sustainable food is really going to drive the kind transformative innovation we need.

9.06.2011

Another non-environmental wonder

This is the second installment of the unofficial series "Rick Perry: A Real Texan Keeping it Real on the Campaign Trail 2011"

9.05.2011

Bonus gem

Welcome to Russia, Exxon (via NY Times):

"Commandos armed with assault rifles raided the offices of the British oil company BP on Wednesday, in one of the ritual armed searches of white-collar premises that are common enough here to have a nickname: masky shows (so-called because of the balaclavas the agents often wear, although this time they reportedly burst in bare-faced."

Maybe Rex Tillerson was right when he chose these particular words to tout the new Rosneft deal in his quote for the official Exxon press release:

"This agreement takes our relationship to a new level."

Gem of the day

Every now and then a piece of news analysis by the FT comes out that is truly worth reading. This piece is one of them. It provides an overview of the forces at work in the conflict over Chinese businessman Huang Nubo's ambition to build a luxury hotel in a remote part of Iceland's wilderness.

This gem may be one of the best:

"[Huange] says he was dismayed by global media reaction...'I’m just a businessman – why does everyone think I have the government at my back?'"

vs. two paragraphs later

"Mr Huang, who has climbed Everest and reached the north and south poles, rejects any claim that his deal is motivated by strategic considerations. 'It’s true that I have a government background. But I didn’t want to be a bureaucrat,' he says, stroking a purring kitten. 'Could a bureaucrat keep cats in his office?'”

Another non-environmental wonder

Chris Wallace interviewing Dick Cheney on Fox News about his gig as Vice Prez (via ThinkProgress):

Wallace: Anything you’d want to take back?
Cheney: No.

9.02.2011

Bonus gem

Dan Ariely on irrational behaviour:

“Thinking is difficult and sometimes unpleasant.”

Gem of the day

Richard Gowan delivers an honest account of a UN Security Council debate on the state of peacekeeping in India (via Global Dashboard):

"When multiple speakers are highlighting the  importance of 'implementing the recommendations of previous peacekeeping reviews', you know that 'innovative thinking' is probably in short supply."

And he doesn't stop there:

"Peacekeeping is an issue on which New Delhi can show global leadership, but holding debates in New York in which everyone says more or less exactly what they’ve always said isn’t the way to achieve that."

Zing!

9.01.2011

Bonus gem

Why do people in the sustainability community write stuff like this?

"BAE Systems has clearly taken the OFR reporting statement into account, producing a report that is so full of content it is hard to find fault...The corporate responsibility agenda has been integrated within the group’s strategy this year and the corporate responsibility section goes into detail about ethics, safety and employee matters."

For a company whose core products are munitions, land warfare systems and civil and military aerospace, that's a tough line to swallow.

Something that's actually good

Clay Shirky delivers a masterful assessment of why his take on creative destruction--he frames it as the collapse of complex business models in favour of simplicity--will benefit people who live in the present, rather than gluing themselves to the past (via his blog universe):

"When ecosystems change and inflexible institutions collapse, their members disperse, abandoning old beliefs, trying new things, making their living in different ways than they used to. It’s easy to see the ways in which collapse to simplicity wrecks the glories of old. But there is one compensating advantage for the people who escape the old system: when the ecosystem stops rewarding complexity, it is the people who figure out how to work simply in the present, rather than the people who mastered the complexities of the past, who get to say what happens in the future."

Gem of the day

The twisted vortex that is the debate over GMO can be hard to follow. Here's three tidbits about the difference between the state of play in Europe vs. America that you should know, if you don't already:
  • The vast majority of Americans (90%) want companies to disclose whether their products contain GMOs (via Iowa State University)
  • Hershey develops non-GMO options for Europe, but not for the US
  • The friendly folks over at the US FDA (Food & Drug Administration) still haven't defined the word "natural", which means that most American products containing GMOs can claim to be natural

8.31.2011

Another non-environmental wonder

A new report from the Brookings Institution is yet another proof point for what America can't handle: the nation is becoming truly globalised.

Minorities now comprise at least 40 percent of infants in more than half of all states.

Here's Brookings' take on what that means for the next few decades:

"Our young, diverse population will be the backbone of our labor force and will provide future business and government leadership, in a new American demographic era."

Too true. First stop: Congress. 


Bonus gem

Here's a conservative approach to dealing with the demand for federal disaster relief dollars that sure isn't going to work over the long term (via NY Times):

"Holding fast to their push for lower federal spending, top Congressional Republicans have argued that any federal aid in the aftermath of the double whammy of an earthquake followed by a hurricane should be offset, if possible, by spending less on other programs."

So in an environment with increasing hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters (ahem climate change), we should cut spending on other domestic priorities.

Anybody see the catch 22 here?

By 2050 that'll be zero spending on any programs, 100% spending on disaster relief. Great math.