It doesn’t matter what your stand is on the planet and our relationship with it, there’s no denying that 2006/7 has seen a dramatic shift in people’s exposure and interest in what we’re doing to this planet called Earth. The New York Times featured this article about a document recently released by United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Generationally it’s an interesting debate. My very general observation is that older generations are less interested and more apathetic around climate change, our role in it, and our ability to change the current approach (or lack of) by the species called ‘us’. It’s a hot topic as you observe younger people’s approach to the planet. We’re headed for some very interesting times within society and business, as a fresh world view begins to assert its ability to influence the status quo.
What you do and don’t do to the planet will determine both your stage and your audience.
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines….. (hydrogen, electric, hybrid - whatever)
The title of the book grabbed my attention: “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder”. Its by Richard Louv (get it at Amazon.com or Kalahari.net). I haven’t read the book, but The Economist magazine quoted it extensively in an article about young people in the US not being interested in visiting the country’s national parks.
One of the thoughts is that technology, digital entertainment, malls and other amusements have pulled young people away from the National Parks. That is probably true (see article here or below).
However, I wonder if there is another way of thinking of this. Most game parks pride themselves in being technological stone age. “Its part of the appeal” they would say. To get away “from it all”. Well, maybe Millennials don’t want to “get away from it all”. After all, most of these parks have tarred (or least well graded) roads, electricity, running water and other amenities. So why not wifi access, good mobile phone coverage and Internet cafes? Why not? Sure, you might want to have rules about being aware of others and silence, etc. But why shouldn’t you be able to stand on top of a majestic mountainpeak, watching a spectular sunset, and MMS a picture of it to your mate?
Just a thought…
Continue reading ‘Nature-Deficit Disorder in our children’
Honda Racing F1 Team launches pioneering environmental concept
The Honda Racing F1 Team today announced a major new initiative for the 2007 Formula 1 season. To help raise awareness of the environmental issues facing the planet, the RA107 F1 car will simply feature a huge image of earth, in place of the advertising and sponsor logos which have featured and dominated all other F1 cars for decades.
The car’s new look is a powerful call to action for fans, sponsors, customers and members of the public to join Honda’s commitment to help address the environmental issues facing the world. Via the website www.myearthdream.com, anyone who wishes will have the opportunity to have their name on the car, make a pledge to make a lifestyle change to improve the environment and make a donation to an environmental charity. Under the concept of “our car is your car”, each name will form a tiny individual pixel which will help build the image of planet earth on the car. Each name will be visible on the website when you make the pledge or under a microscope on the car.
Universal Music, the largest music company in the world, and Gatorade are the first global brands to partner the team in this exciting new concept. Existing partners have enthusiastically embraced the idea and all remain involved with the team for the 07 season. In addition, the team is delighted to announce that Fila, IBM, Instron, Oliver Sweeney, Perkin Elmer, Showa Denko, TUV and GF Agie Charmilles have joined the roster of team partners and suppliers.
[Source: Honda Racing F1]
Continue reading ‘Honda Racing F1 goes green’
ICICI Bank has started to become an internationally watched brand, since it was featured in “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid” (a book by Prahald, available at Amazon.com or Kalahari.net). It is one of the largest banks in the world, by size of customer base and branches (nearly 90,000 of them!!).
Based in India, this bank has recently launched a “green” initiative, called GoGreen. If you sign up for email statements, they will plant a tree in lieu of the savings they make by not having to send you printed paper through the mail. This is a great example of a corporate using green issues to develop a competitive advantage. Its small, but it shows commitment to the planet, not just to shareholder wealth.
Every year, Fast Company releases a list of companies doing good things for the planet. This year, they extend the list to companies, organisations and individuals. The list is an interesting and uplifting one, in a sea of dark news on this issue. See the list here.
Eventually, someone was going to step up and actually start doing something about the state of the world. You might have thought it would be a president–a senator, maybe–who would stand, point out at the future, and raise the alarm. Instead, it is business, and more specifically a certain strain of imaginative, entrepreneurial business, that has found the upside in addressing global malfunction. Whether old-line, established companies or tiny startups, they’re tweaking old technologies and inventing startling new ones, tackling everything from pandemics to ancient scourges like hunger. Are they doing all this because they want to save the world, or because they can turn a profit? Yes. And not a moment too soon.
Continue reading ‘Fast Company’s “Fast 50″ - 50 profit-driven solutions for fixing the planet’
A nice article in the Economist, 18 Jan 07, entitled: “Browne out“, looks at the departure of BP’s boss, Lord (John) Browne. He has been in charge since 1995, and his tenure coincides with some huge changes in the industry. These include massive mergers, the “greening” of Big Oil, and at the same time some big mess ups - “In March 2005 a fire at an American refinery killed 15 people and injured 170 more. Since then, BP has suffered corrosion and spills on its pipelines in Alaska, delays in developing new oilfields and two investigations of its trading arm for price-rigging.”
But the article makes a very interesting point: most of these issues relate to massive cost cutting that has characterised the oil industry in the past decade. Ruthlessly cutting costs eventually strips out the ability of a company to do what it has to do. It stretches staff, and demoralises them as well, often beyond their ability to cope with situations that arise. In oil companies, as in other industries, this can have catastrophic results, in the glare of public scrutiny. But for other companies, especially in the service industries and professional firms, the results can be equally catastrophic - yet unseen until the company teeters and topples.
There are only so many costs you cut, until you and all your competitors are all running on empty. In most industries, we’ve reached that point. Now, I predict, we’ll see competitive advantage coming in the form of “we’re not the cheapest, but we are the best” type approaches, as companies rebuild strategic capacity, and focus on VALUE, not just COSTS.
If the results of a recent study are true, then Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) needs to become a priority for companies and fast. A research study by the strategic planning and consumer insights division of AMP Agency shows that 61% of Millennials born between 1971 and 2001 feel personally responsible for making a difference in the world.
The results are eye-opening and socially and environmentally responsible businesses are positioned to reap rewards:
- 83% will trust a company more if it is socially/environmentally responsible.
- 74% are more likely to pay attention to a company’s marketing when they see that the company has a deep commitment to a cause.
- 89% are likely or very likely to switch from one brand to another (price and quality being equal) if the second brand is associated with a good cause.
- 79% want to work for a company that cares about how it impacts and contributes to society.
- 64% say their company’s social/environmental activities make them feel loyal to that company.
- 56% would refuse to work for an irresponsible corporation
The pendulum appears to be swinging back, in the 80’s CSR was big and many companies leveraged this from a marketing perspective. Nedbank’s affinity and green products come to mind. But in the last decade CSR took a back seat to downsizing, rightsizing, operational efficiencies and bottom line profits.
Continue reading ‘MILLENNIALS PLAN TO REWARD OR PUNISH COMPANIES’
In the The Sunday Times in the UK today, there is a bizarre story about BAE Systems (read it here). This company produces a variety of products, mainly military armaments. In a report on Sunday, BAE Systems announced that they would be pursuing an environmentally friendly approach to their products, including quieter missiles (so that as they zoom over your home to destroy the village down the road, you’re not irritated by the noisy whine?); military cars, ships and planes with lower CO2 emissions (so that future generations do not live in a messed up world? Oh wait, these vehicles are used for mass destruction - at least they won’t affect the ozone layer, though); missiles that have bio-degradeable components (so that after its killed your friends, it can bring new life by providing compost for your flower bed?); and my favourite: bullets with a lower lead content and missiles with reduced toxins.
Are these guys absolutely joking?
This is an example of the corporate world gone mad. Sure, we preach to our clients that environmental care is becoming an important part of a company’s reporting and ethics. Sure, we tell our clients that in this “connection economy”, we need to be concerned about what our clients are concerned about. And “being green” is important! But, no amount of “green” will cover the red stain of blood on the hands of arms manufacturers. I can only see this bringing ridicule to BAE Systems. I can’t see any government, militia or terrorist changing buying habits of armaments based on environmental factors. Can you?
Everyone once in a while someone walks on this earth and does things that the staunchest East Rand boytjies (not sure what the global equivalent is?) would never do … stick their head into a crocodiles mouth … for fun … as a career!? Steve Irwin, the legendary Croc Hunter died today after being stung by a stringray while filming an underwater documentary.
Kudos to Steve.
Read the reports here at The Australia Zooand CNN.
NYTimes reports today that Australian Prime Minister John Howard has called for expansion of the country’s capability to produce and export unranium … for economic interests. At a time when urnaium enrichment in countries less ally-friendly to the US, this development potentially adds more sleepless nights in the White House. Howard is quoted as saying, “For Australia not to reap greater income from its vast uranium deposits would be akin to Saudi Arabia not exploiting its oil”. Further, he declared that Australia could become an “energy superpower.â€?
Australia have no intention (publically or officially) to confront Washington’s policy on limiting the enrichment club to a handful, but wish to benefit economically from it’s rich uranium deposits. When countries like North Korea decide to enrich and test, one questions thei intent. When Australia now comes to the party under economic rationale, do we not ask the same question?
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