June 2009
8 posts
Beyond CSR - Notes from The Inspired Protagonist →
Jeffrey Hollender, former CEO and current “Chief Inspired Protagonist” of Seventh Generation maintains a blog at the Seventh Generation website. He recently posted some notes that he didn’t get through at a recent speech, which really resonated with me and inspired me. Click the link to see the full text of his notes, but the exerpt below covers what I think is really...
What Leaders of For-Profit Companies and...
For those of you interested in straddling the corporate-social sector fence, this could be an interesting presentation:
June 19, 2009 (Friday) What Leaders of For-Profit Companies and Not-For-Profit Organizations Can Learn From Each Other What: Come and learn how the non-profit sector and the for-profit sector are sharing ideas that can make each one stronger. Panelists -> Charley...
With green home venture, Sierra Club mixes profits... →
After 117 years, Sierra Club decides to add a for-profit arm to its operations. Interesting!
Trends in Online Sustainability Reporting →
I found this recent release from GRI on online sustainability reporting to be quite interesting. It basically looks at the trends in sustainability reporting and pros and cons of reporting online (web based) vs. a paper report. While web based reports can make information easier to access through a menu-based approach, they can also make it more difficult to get a complete picture, as...
“I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I...”
– Lloyd Dobler, Say Anything (via espinosa)
CSR/Sustainability Legend Hollender Steps Down →
After over 20 years at the helm of Seventh Generation, Jeffery Hollender is stepping down as CEO. For those who don’t know about Hollender, he is one of the pioneers of CSR. He started Seventh Generation, one of the few truly green cleaning products companies and played a huge part in introducing the world to sustainable concepts.
This is a big deal in many ways. Part of the reasoning...
May 2009
7 posts
San Francisco Reaches Highest Recycling Rate in... →
This is inspirational. Of all the waste in SF, only 28% went to the landfill and, as the article states, that includes construction waste as well. They’re well on their way to their goal of 75% recycling by 2010.
They now will recycle almost all types of plastic (as opposed to Denver only taking bottles). The only exceptions are styrofoam and plastic bags - and plastic bags have been...
Social Enterprise Alliance →
“The Social Enterprise Alliance is the only member organization in North America to bring together the diverse field of social enterprise. It serves as advocate for the field, hub of information and education, and builder of a vibrant and growing community of social enterprises.”
The Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs -... →
Do We Need "Green"?
So I’m just looking at the post I just posted and also Caleb’s post about green maybe being a fad. In the context of all the greenwashing, I kind of hope that “green” is a fad. And, by that, I don’t mean that I hope that people go back to plundering the planet. I hope that the term goes away but that true environmental responsibility endures (and increases). In...
Striking a Balance
Something a little serious and a little silly for your Friday. Anyone considering marketing green products should consider these two sources.
I posted earlier that 98% of “green” claims were found to be greenwashing. This report from TerraChoice is the source for that statistic. If you look at their “seven sins”, you’ll see that you have to be pretty careful to...
Reputation Institute →
The Reputation Institute conducts an annual online survey of the general public in which they measure the corporate reputations of 600 of the world’s largest companies in 29 countries. The topline results of this study are published annually in Forbes as a ranking of ‘The World’s Most Respected Companies’.
April 2009
16 posts
Welcome to Ecofactory | ecoFactory →
Just launched on Earth Day, ecofactory.com is touted by its founders as “the social network for world changers”. The website model is in three parts: the first part is educational, with links to all things environmental, the second is a social networking area, and the third is a Shop Green Section, which will be used in part to fund the site.
The Molly Maids of Green? →
To Cori’s comments about franchising, this site seems interesting to me. They have banner ads that pop up on a number of green sites. Somehow they manage to blend models of Molly Maids and Mary Kay together with green consulting. Anyone can become a Green Irene consultant - you pay them $500 for training materials and a starter kit and agree to sell their products. In return, they send...
Justmeans! Where Good Work Lives →
Another cool site blending CSR and social media - sort of a virtual support group for socially responsible business people.
What is the real problem to be solved?
Something has been nagging at me since the Denver’s Road Home presentation. At the beginning, when he asked who thought we could end homlessness in Denver in ten years, I didn’t raise my hand. He then laid out their plan to build enough housing for the 5000 homeless and to move them in. Problem solved.
Or is it? I guess it depends on how you define solving the problem of...
“It is appallingly obvious our technology has exceeded our humanity.”
– Albert Einstein
Are you a social entrepreneur? →
Are you a social entrepreneur? Take the Cosmo quiz to find out!
….
Oookaaay… it wasn’t REALLY in Cosmo…
Solving a Social Problem, Without Going the... →
Interesting article in the NY Times about solving social issues with for-profit companies. Perhaps particular interest for Tosha, since one company featured is making solar lights to replace kerosene lamps.
“Business: Don’t just be the change - mass produce it.”
– worldchanging.com/business
Just in Time for Earth Day →
E.P.A. Clears the Way for Regulation of Warming Gases - NYTimes.com
Well, I went looking for good news and found great news. This has been in the works for a while now, but EPA today finally oficially designated greenhouse gasses as pollutants. This designation means that EPA can now regulate GHG’s under the Clean Air Act. Great news!
Man, this sucks →
Why do I always report on the bad news? I’m going to make my next post positive!
We all knew that greenwashing is going on, but a new report by TerraChoice suggests that 98% of green labeled products are actually misrepresented in some way. Pretty disappointing. Remember that cynicism I talked about in my CSR report? No wonder.
Anyway, I’m off to find some cheery news…
One Easy Thing →
Hey, everybody, it’s Earth Month! Let’s all pick One Easy Thing (or more than one) to help the earth. They’re really easy!
21st Century Communities
So I’m reading about asset mapping and the readings are kind of geared toward “community” development and determining what your “local” assets are. Well, I’m looking into an opportunity for a website to promote corporate social responsibility, so what is “local” for a website? That got me thinking about different types of “communities”...
Jim Collins on Social Entrepreneurship →
You know, one of the many valuable things that I have learned in this class is the proper spelling of “entrepreneurship” - that’s a toughie. Anyhoo….
There is an interview this month in Inc magazine with Jim Collins on “How to Thrive in 2009”. In the interview, he mentions social entrepreneurship and the new ethos a couple of times. Some...
Oh crap, seriously? →
I know Cori just gave us a lovely presentation on the perils of plastics, but I just came across another statistic that is simply shocking.
Pop quiz: Americans dispose of 60 MILLION plastic bottles:
a) per year
b) per month
c) per day
If you suspected “c”, but were too reluctant to check it and admit that could possibly be right, I have bad news for you. According to the the...
There are no easy answers
In the reading last week, one passage from “Changing the Game” struck me. It was in context of Nike’s labor issues: “However oppressive the working conditions seemed to U.S. consumers, they offered badly needed jobs in areas of severe poverty. If Nike stopped doing business with the offending suppliers, either competitors would take over the excess capacity and gain an...
Concerned about the environment? Two words:...
I thought I had found the ultimate in renewable energy when I read that they were hooking up generators to revolving doors in train stations in the Netherlands. Then I saw this article about researchers at Georgia Tech, tapping into the mighty power of the… hamster?
Happy Monday, people.
March 2009
11 posts
Are Fair-Trade Goods Recession Proof? →
An interesting look at CSR vs. the economy…
Which is Worse? Hummers or Toilet Paper? →
Okay, so I’m sure many of us in our class are pretty environmentally minded. And I’m sure we think of the environment, say, when we’re turning on the lights, or taking our reusable bags to the store, or running water. But how many of us think of the environment when we’re, you know, doing our business? If you’re not looking for one more thing to feel guilty about,...
mental_floss Blog » 8 Brilliant Scientific... →
Going back to our Juice readings, I found this article to be interesting and entertaining. Invention isn’t always hard work - sometimes it’s just recognizing an opportunity when it comes along.
Promising future for social responsibility →
A recent article on GreenBiz.com suggests that our next generation of business leaders holds CSR in pretty high regards. Perhaps there is still hope!
Tying philanthropy to the bottom line
Reflecting on recent readings, I found the article “Philanthropy, Inc.” to be very interesting and pertinent to the research that I have been doing on CSR. It really highlights the difference between random giving and strategic social responsibility. Make community gifts that give back to the company as well. I particularly like the quote from Diane Bissell of Raytheon: “We have...
Business for Social Responsibility →
BSR works with its global network of more than 250 member companies to develop sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration.
What's wrong with the economy →
I love Thomas Friedman, and his latest post hit the nail of all my recent thoughts about the economy so squarely on the head, I just had to post about it. Our economy is so inextricably linked to mass consumerism and waste, it’s quite disheartening. As the country takes a collective financial nosedive, it’s hard to imagine what it will take to recover. And, at the same time, people...
EILEEN FISHER's Grant for Socially Conscious Women... →
For the women in the class who may be looking for extra funding to get their social venture off the ground. Apologies to the blokes.
Mushing up Your Livelihood
I’m reading What Matters Most by Jeffrey Hollender right now and came across a quote from Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop, who is considered to be one of the early pioneers of corporate social responsibility. She described the beginning of her business venture:
“Big business was alien to me. What I wanted to do was create a livelihood, and I think women are quite good at...
Entrepreneurial Success
Based on our discussion last lecture and some follow-on discussions that I have been having throughout the week, I have been thinking further on what makes an entrepreneurial enterprise sucsessful. One thing that I have been thinking about is the vision - not just what can be achieved immediately, but what the enterprise has potential to become. There was some talk along this line last week when...
Corporate Social Responsibility News →
This is a nice place to do research on CSR. CSRwire is a portal that has news feeds and research information on all areas of corporate social responsibility. The site is subdivided into categories of CSR and each category has current news information and research items.
February 2009
11 posts
Six Billion Reasons To Get Out of Bed Each Day →
A new blog by Julia Moulden on the Huffington Post. Julia Moulden is the author of We Are The New Radicals: A Manifesto for Reinventing Yourself and Saving the World. Her first post has an interesting video by the Skoll Foundation about social entrepreneurship, including a brief history on the origin of the Grameen Bank.
Bo Matthews
What a great night that was at the Bo Mattews Center. You can read about passion in How to Change the World, but seeing Bo reaching the point of tears as he talked about his work - that was something else.
Perhaps the one line that struck me was when Bo was asked about how this all came about. His reply was, “I’ve been pretty lucky.” It reminded me of Vera Cordiero’s...
Change.org - where social media meet social causes →
Here is another example of technology being utilized to advance social causes. This one is interesting - it has elements of Facebook. You can set up a “profile” and tag various causes to join. For each cause, you then get to different levels of achievement by scoring points. Points are awarded for either recruiting others to the cause, taking “actions”, or raising...
Reflections
Strangely, I found the presentation last week to be a bit of a relief. We have been studying all these social entrepreneurs who are practically saints and have sacrificed much of their lives for their respective causes. Noreen Keleshian is a very bright and dedicated woman, but came across as completely… normal. Am I making sense?
In reading many of the stories in How to Change the...
Blessings In A Backpack →
Interesting story related to Tiffany’s comment about kids needing food over the weekend to increase performance on Mondays.
Where Grameen Bank meets eBay →
I continue to be intrigued by use of technology to solve world issues. Here is another case of taking an existing model, or in this case two models, and applying them to new uses. MYC4 is different from other microloan sites, such as Kiva, in that investors actually get a return. The eBay model comes in to play with the interest rate - different investors can “bid” with their lowest...
The Story of Stuff →
I recommend watching the 20 minute video on this site. It is a really great overview of the impact that production and consumption of “stuff” has on the planet. Once again, I like utilizing the internet as a tool to magnify the impact of a movement or a message. Perhaps there is some model to create an eduction tool to help save the planet.