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.