Pioneering the Next Frontier of CSR
By Samantha Steinbring and Michelle Linhoff
With the ubiquity of social media, new digital platforms, and an ever-changing communication landscape, companies must continue to evolve their CSR efforts. Corporate social responsibility, in the traditional sense of the term, refers to a company’s commitment to creating a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, and stakeholders. While this traditional definition holds true today, CSR efforts have become more important than ever, particularly in employee engagement. Enter, the next frontier of CSR.
A survey conducted by the nonprofit Net Impact revealed that 53 percent of workers said that “a job where I can make an impact” was important to their happiness, and 72 percent of students entering the workforce agreed. Of those graduating students, 45 percent said they would even take a pay cut to be able to make more of a difference through their job. According to Liz Maw, CEO of Net Impact, “employees who say they can make an impact while on the job report greater satisfaction than those who can’t by a 2:1 ratio.” Now more than ever, people are eager to connect with causes and to make a difference. And what better place to help make a difference in the world than in the workplace, where many of us spend the majority of our waking hours? Considering the results of this survey, it is clear that companies have a huge opportunity to leverage their CSR efforts to engage employees.
With traditional pen-and-paper corporate communications going the way of the milkman, social media has provided the ideal portal through which companies can broadcast their environmental efforts and engage employees around particular causes. A report issued by New York University’s Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising states that “82% of social network users and 85% of Twitter users are group participants. Of those in groups, 22% work with charitable or volunteer organizations… Specifically, Internet users report higher rates of charitable donations, volunteering, attending meetings and events, and taking leadership roles.” So, how can companies utilize the social web to rally employees around CSR efforts and causes most important to them? Let’s look at several companies that have successfully forged ahead in this new frontier.
1. In 2010, Western Union introduced its “50 Days of Giving” initiative, which encouraged customers and employees to vote daily for their charity of choice, while the participating nonprofits received a donation to participate. Further efforts include added a blogging and “communities” function to its intranet so that employees can virtually gather around causes.
2. AdvancedMicroDevices (AMD) touts findings from their CSR reports via Facebook and Twitter and has released condensed versions of their findings via their own apps for iPad and Android. They engage with employees and consumers through these platforms, creating greater awareness and stimulating conversation around their CSR efforts.
In both examples, social media is critical in communicating CSR efforts. Considering that more than 65 percent of online adults use social networking sites (according to a Pew Internet report), communicating with employees and customers in solely traditional ways would ignore a much broader audience. Employees want to make a difference through their company, and they want to connect with causes in convenient and engaging ways. For happy and satisfied employees, pioneering the next frontier of CSR is paramount.
How is your company leveraging the next frontier of CSR to engage with employees?
This question and others were asked at the NiSE Network Meeting May 23, 2012, the working meeting that followed the Solutions Summit. The focus group explored the topic of organizational capabilities for sustainability. Common to all leaders in attendance was the belief or understanding that a cohesive message around sustainability, and its importance to the organization, needs to match the actions and opportunities for employee engagement within the organization–and their job descriptions. Culture does not change overnight, but social media may be a useful tool in leveraging existing capabilities and accelerating employee engagement. After all, it is common knowledge that to foster involvement from your constituents, customers or employees, you need engage with them in the ways and places that they are comfortable with.
Do you have examples of other companies making exemplary efforts to rally employees around causes and volunteerism in the digital era? How do you or your company leverage social media for sustainability? Leave your comments below!
The views expressed by the author(s) of this blog and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of NiSE at the Institute on the Environment or any employee thereof.
NorthStar Researcher Holly Lahd talks Managing Upstream Waste
On August 16th NorthStar Researcher Holly Lahd presented at Environmental Initiative’s Business and Environment Series. The focus of the event was on upstream waste in supply chains with a cradle to gate perspective. Holly presented with Madalyn Cioci of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on the evolution of waste management approaches, tools on quantifying the environmental impacts of generated waste, and how life cycle assessment can be a useful tool in reducing waste and upstream purchasing costs. The event was hosted at the Donaldson Company, and NorthStar members Stratford Companies and Tennant Company were in attendance.
For a summary of the event and copies of the presentations please visit: http://www.environmental-
Socially Networked “Things”—New Study from the University of Minnesota
Researchers at the University of Minnesota and Seoul National University shed light on efficiencies of socially networked local delivery
Increasingly, we are being bombarded with “smart” things”: smart refrigerators that can download recipes, turn on the oven and order your groceries; smart cars that talk to each other to avoid crashes; smart grid technologies that allow air conditioners, clothes dryers and TVs to talk with your electricity provider and reduce your electricity bill – the list goes on and on. Perhaps most pervasive are smartphones – currently in the hands of hundreds of millions of subscribers around the world and expected to reach 3 billion by 2017. Smartphones not only let us connect to the internet while on the go; they also let us connect with each other and connect to other “things.”
One area where the “internet of things” has emerged is in supply chain and logistics systems. Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and readers are being extensively used to identify and trace products, people and vehicles to improve efficiencies of inventory control and management. They have yet to tap into the interconnected smartphone users accessing mobile social media and potential resources for helping move things around – the focus of a recently released research study in Environmental Science & Technology, conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment and Seoul National University.
The authors argue that, “by connecting RFID tracking of ‘things’ to mobile-access social networks, opportunities emerge for applications well beyond simply connecting people in a virtual playground or improving centralized inventory and logistics systems.” In doing so, they indicate that it becomes possible to “put to work once disparate, underutilized and mobile assets associated with individual network participants (e.g. an empty car trunk, a set of jumper cables, the two people needed to create a “high occupancy vehicle”) in potentially new, highly efficient, and environmentally beneficial ways.”
The study focuses on the “last mile” of local package delivery associated with online purchases, the retail system’s largest contributor to fossil fuel consumption, CO2 and local air emissions. Replacing traditional home truck delivery with pickup locations can help in some instances. But in the suburbs, such systems can actually increase overall travel distances and emissions as personal vehicles detour from their normal daily activity to make the pickup.
That is, according to the ES&T article, unless you can find a few good friends to help.
The study used spatial and agent-based models to investigate the potential environmental benefits of enlisting social networks to help deliver packages. While sensitive to how often trusted and willing friends can be found in close proximity to both the package and the recipient within a day, results indicate that very small degrees of network engagement can lead to very large efficiency gains.
Compared to a typical home delivery route, greenhouse gas emissions reductions from a socially networked pickup system were projected to range from 45 percent to 98 percent, depending on the social connectedness of the recipients and the willingness of individuals in their social networks to participate. System-wide benefits could be significantly lower under assumptions of less than 100% market adoption, however. In fact, the study points out that many of the gains might be nullified in the short term as fewer home truck deliveries make existing delivery systems less efficient. But, “with only 1-2% of the network leveraged for delivery, average delivery distances are improved over conventional delivery alone – even under conditions of very small market penetration,” the study concluded.
“What is important is that sharing be allowed in the system, not how many ultimately choose to share time or resources,” says study co-author Timothy Smith, director of IonE’s NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise. “We find that providing the relatively few really inefficient actors in the network the opportunity to seek the help of many better positioned actors can radically improve performance.” This is particularly relevant today, Smith says, as online retailers such as Amazon begin introducing delivery pickup lockers in grocery, convenience and drug stores.
Beyond package delivery, the research draws attention to the potential of mobile social networks to benefit the environment in far-reaching ways. “The sharing economy requires much deeper understanding,” says study co-author Kyo Suh. “We hope this work stimulates additional study of the potential environmental, economic and social benefits of network resources.”
“Our results suggest the need to look beyond specialization as a means to greater efficiency,” Smith adds. “The ability of information technologies to find and put to work disparate and once unconnected resources holds huge promise for the next generation of productivity improvement.”
To obtain a copy of the ES&T article, contact Smith at timsmith@umn.edu.
What’s New with NiSE — August 2012
Network Updates
Fall Semester | On Tuesday, September 4th, Fall semester on the University of Minnesota campus will be back in full swing. There are many great opportunities to connect with students and faculty who are passionate about sustainability. If you or a colleague is interested in volunteering or speaking in a class, contact Michelle Linhoff.
Company Highlight | Congratulations to Andersen Windows for publishing its first Corporate Sustainability Report. The report is a robust and comprehensive summary of Andersen’s approach to sustainable business practices from three perspectives: corporate citizenship, environmental stewardship and product development. It includes a summary of the company’s philanthropic efforts, including work with Habitat for Humanity, donating energy efficient windows, sponsoring homes, and encouraging employee volunteer support. The report features information on key employee programs that contribute to the company’s overall health and recognizes the impact a healthy, engaged workforce can have in meeting future sustainability goals. NiSE is proud to be listed in the report as an environmental collaborator that shares Andersen’s commitment to the environment. To learn more about the achievements detailed in the report, click here.
To have your company’s sustainability initiatives or achievements highlights, send us an e-mail!
Sustainability News
Global Initiative on Financing Sustainability | NiSE, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and the Johnson Foundation have partnered to further our project on Energy Efficiency Aggregation and Financing. The next phase of the work will include convening a select number of leaders across multiple organizations and sectors for a two day meeting at Wingspread in Wisconsin, focused on supply-chain organization and industrial energy efficiency. The goal of the meeting is to examine the role of supply-chain coordination in the deployment of industrial energy efficiency upgrades for small and medium enterprises and determine how those enterprises access large-scale global financial markets. From the meeting there will discussion and development of NiSE’s next steps for ongoing research related to supply chain organization and energy efficiency.
Materials Cycling Initiative | This summer has been very busy for the Materials Cycling Initiative. The initiative has started a new partnership with the consulting group Resource Recycling Systems, and we have two summer graduate research assistants and one new undergraduate research assistant working on the project. Through this work and the work we have done with Hennepin County, the initiative is continuing to build a deep understanding of the structure and dynamics of markets for post-consumer plastics (PET, HDPE, and PP currently) and their future potential.
Meet the Materials Cycling Initiative Research Assistants:
Matt Kilpo, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Matt Kilpo is an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota studying environmental science, policy, and management with an emphasis in corporate environmental management. His research is focused on environmental labeling and marketing, environmental reporting, life cycle analysis, and materials cycling. I also have an interest in renewable technologies and energy efficiency projects. He currently has a number of career interests that align with his research interests. According to Matt, “Its great to do a variety of research so I can gain experience in different fields within the environmental community. I have a strong interest in environmental marketing, labeling, and reporting, as well as working with companies to establish new green initiatives.” Although he hasn’t spent a great deal of time with renewable technologies or energy efficiency projects, those areas are of interest to Matt as he moves forward with his career.
Shanika Ruberu, Graduate Research Assistant
Shanika Ruberu is a graduate student currently doing a Master of Science in bioproducts and biosystems engineering and management at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include waste management, recycling and renewable energy. In the future, she would like to pursue a career in the manufacturing industry in the areas of waste management, recycling and sustainability.
JaeSeok Lee, Graduate Research Assistant
JaeSeok Lee is a graduate student in the applied economics program at the University of Minnesota. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate and has joined the NiSE team this summer to assist with market research as part of the Materials Cycling Initiative.
Initiative inFocus Webinars | Watch for the next webinar series to begin this fall. In November we will host a webinar on the Materials Cycling Initiative.
Sustainability Around Campus
Check out what’s happening in sustainability at the University of Minnesota.
Neubauer Farms, Inc. (2011)
2012 Farm Families of the Year | Seventy-six families from around the state, one from each participating county, have been named a “2012 Farm Family of the Year” by the University of Minnesota. Families were selected by their local county U of M Extension committees for having demonstrated a commitment to enhancing and supporting agriculture. Learn more
25-Year Sustainability Plan Unveiled | Central Minnesota’s first community driven, University of Minnesota-assisted master plan for economic and environmental sustainability was unveiled on Tuesday, Aug. 14 at the Arrowwood Lodge at Brainerd Lakes in Baxter, Minnesota. The plan’s recommendations target affordable housing, broadband access, demographic shifts, economic development, education and workforce improvement, energy and transportation options, health care access and natural resource management. Learn more
Linking Nature, Agriculture, and the Human Race | A new book by U of M adjunct professor R. Ford Denison titled Darwinian Agriculture: How Understanding Evolution Can Improve Agriculture seeks to address a major challenge facing agriculture: how to use limited resources like water in an effective and sustainable manner. Learn more
To learn more about the latest University news, click here.
Research: That’s Just the Half of It
By Tom Nickerson
For most undergraduates, spring break means a break from class and a reprieve from the grind of the school year. To a graduate student it means using the break from class to catch up on research and hopefully fit in some recreational activities. For me, last spring break meant setting aside the academic journals and Excel spreadsheets for a couple hours and getting in some casual reading. One book that I read during the week struck a chord and drove home what it means to truly be a successful scientist.
The book that captivated me is titled Don’t Be Such a Scientist! by Dr. Randy Olson, a marine biologist turned film director. Dr. Olson’s book gives a personal look at how a scientist learned that he wasn’t quite the orator that he believed he was when it came to explaining his work. He chronicles his life from the time he leaves his tenured position at the University of New Hampshire and enrolls in the University of Southern California’s film school to when he begins his newest endeavor, the Shifting Baselines Ocean Media Project. However, it isn’t what he says about his personal life that makes the book, it is what he says about the importance of communication in the sciences. The following excerpt is just one of many pieces of wisdom offered by Dr. Olson.
“With the knowledge of science we can solve resource limitations, cure diseases, and make society work happily – but only if people can figure out what in the world scientists are talking about and why they should care.”
When I read this quote, it really resonated with me. Having the ability to analyze complex scenarios and solve difficult problems can only take a scientist so far. Effectively communicating the findings of the research is just as important as doing the work itself. I believe this is even more important in environmental and energy research because energy and the environment are such large parts of everyday society. Successfully conveying the work that is done to the general public can have a profound effect.
Dr. Olson’s book is full of many insightful thoughts and tips from his time spent in the communications field. As a scientist, it drew me in and made me think about how effective I am at communicating my thoughts to a general audience. It also gave me concrete examples and ideas to utilize in improving my communication skills. Three things I that I’ve begun to focus on to improve my communication skills are: realizing when I’m using a ‘scientist’ voice and being overly complex in my explanations when I should use a ‘public’ voice; making sure I lend a creative eye to my work so that my worldview does not become too narrow; and making sure I convey my findings in a manner that does not insinuate intellectual superiority or have a potentially condescending tone. By mitigating these issues, it should be easier to reach a wide audience and create a higher likelihood that the information will connect with the listeners.
Whether the goal is to improve communication skills, look at scientific communication from a different angle, or just enjoy a good non-fiction book; Dr. Olson’s book is a good bet. And the next time you begin to describe your research to someone, remember, “Don’t Be Such a Scientist!”
The views expressed by the authors of this blog and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of NiSE at the Institute on the Environment or any employee thereof.
Experiencing Sustainable Development in Action: Costa Rica 2012
By Tim Smith
So, you’re a country roughly the size of West Virginia, with the population of Minnesota and a commitment to be the first carbon neutral nation in the world by 2021. Add to that, an economy largely based on export production, agriculture and services – tourism being one of the largest sectors. Energy demand is growing by 5-6%, 85-90% of electricity generation comes from renewable hydropower, and significant water scarcity threatens key coastal development regions. Welcome to Costa Rica, the world’s happiest country (according to the Happy Planet Index) and location of a recent U of M field seminar in Sustainable Development. Developed by professors Tim Smith (CFANS/IonE) and Cynthia Messer (MN Tourism Center), the seminar brought 16 Minnesota students to the country for a hands-on view of development in action.
Partnering with faculty at CATIE and the National University of Costa Rica, students traveled the country for two weeks, receiving on-site lectures from CEOs, government officials, researchers, and community leaders influencing Costa Rica’s unique development. While working closely with Costa Rican Universities, the seminar takes place in the field, not in the classroom. The central theme across the course is water and its pervasive role in development policies of the country. Each year the seminar’s itinerary changes, but this year it began in the wet tropical rainforests of the southwest Caribbean region of the country. The course worked its way east through the capital city of San Jose to the energy-producing and tourist destination of the Arenal Volcano area; crossed the Continental Divide and followed the SANARA irrigation system through the dry plans of Guanacaste and ended examining coastal development around the beaches of Tamarindo, Conchal and Grande.
“This course is one of the most fun and most rewarding parts of my year,” says Dr. Smith, “we get to experience development in action across major sectors important to Costa Rica’s national and local strategies.” Through hands-on exposure to various approaches to agricultural production, tourism, energy generation and urbanization, students learn about the synergies and tensions between economic, social and environmental development—positive and negative. Where else can you visit coffee plantations and integrated organic rice and tilapia farms; hydro, wind and geothermal power plants; luxury and family tourism attractions and operations; national parks and private preserves; and, catch a glimpse of a quetzal in the wild or look deep into the mouth of a volcano? Only in Costa Rica. Pura Vida!
The views expressed by the authors of this blog and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of NiSE at the Institute on the Environment or any employee thereof.
2012 Recycling Symposium
From left, Vice President of Government Affairs for Nestle Waters North America, Brian Flaherty; Keystone Center Facilitator, Brad Sperber;, and Vice President of Aveda Earth & Community Care, Chuck Bennett, discussed brand owner perspectives on packaging and recycling.
By Becca Pickens
On May 7th and 8th, the NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise hosted Keep America Beautiful and the 2012 Recycling Symposium at the University of Minnesota’s McNamara Alumni Center. The event was one of a series of symposia that have been convened annually since 2009 by Keep America Beautiful on university campuses. The 2012 symposium brought together diverse voices on the issue of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging and Printed Materials, and was sponsored by Nestle Waters North America with Waste Management. Voices from across the packaging supply chain were heard, as well as representatives from state recycling organizations, haulers, processors, researchers, and advocates. In previous years, the symposia have addressed other issues in waste and recycling, including recycling and climate change, recycling in public spaces, and the psychology of recycling behavior.
The views expressed by the authors of this blog and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of NiSE at the Institute on the Environment or any employee thereof.
Solutions Summit 2012: An Overview of Diverse Perspectives
Posted with permission from Cass Erickson. Click here to view the original blog post on Greengrantwriter.com.
For decades, environmentalists, economists, and scientists have identified an exhaustive list of problems in our unsustainable world that we are now experiencing firsthand: CO2 emissions, dramatic climate change, waning resources (food, water, energy), air and water pollution, over-consumption, and overpopulation. Clearly, we’re in crisis mode, and as the title suggests, the Solutions Summit 2012 at the University of Minnesota last week focused on solutions for our unsustainable world.
A brilliant array of visionaries and world leaders briefly shared what keeps them awake at night and went straight to the solutions. Each speaker was as inspiring and engaging as the next. Topics reinforced the conference brochure that says “one-size-fits-all solutions are unlikely. The most robust and resilient solutions will be those that are co-created by diverse stakeholders through shared understanding, pooled resources, and joint action.” Speakers from industry, nonprofits, and academia touched on defining the new leverage points to changing behavioral systems; identifying where we can be most responsive to change; supply chain economics; the problem of scale; the need to engage in unlikely partnerships, i.e., the cross-disciplinary nature of sustainability; the need for marketing genius and the continuance of social marketing based on reputation; the next generation and its entrepreneurs; and the necessity of working around the federal government stalemate on the issue. Time permits my ability to share only conference highlights from a very inspiring day.
Brian Richter, river scientist and head of the Global Freshwater Program at the Nature Conservancy, focused on water scarcity and the difference between water withdrawals and water consumption. He said, “Some of all the water that we use goes back into the original freshwater source. Moreover, very little water is depleted from homes, businesses, manufacturing, or thermal electric production. Agriculture is the dominant water user at 92 percent, which has a direct impact on our food supply.” For example, last year’s draught in Texas had a devastating impact on the state’s economy. Texas lost $1 billion in agriculture production due to water depletion.
Richter sees the solutions in following three areas: 1) the role of governments and their ability to control how much water is allocated and to whom; 2) corporations: more than two-thirds of water is flowing through corporate supply chains; and 3) cities: they need affordable technology. Rapidly growing cities with watersheds that are being depleted need to come up with a new water supply. He added that there is great potential for urban-rural partnerships.
Andrew Hutson, of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), said we are guided by science and economics and recommends unlikely partnerships to find practical and lasting solutions. “We need to change how we’re working with farmers, grocers, and restaurants to create market incentives—to have a different impact on the entire system,” he said. One problem he grapples with is: “How do we create a low carbohydrate, low nitrogen corn to lower fertilizer use?” Hutson cites the Mississippi River as a source of 70 percent of the nitrogen runoff from ground water that contributes to the hypoxic zone. EDF is in the beginning stages of thinking about agricultural retailers, crop advisors, and supply chains. “Scale is the biggest issue that we face. How do we get everyone in the same room to harness the issues?” He recommends developing close partnerships one-on-one with market leaders. “There’s a lot of work to do with farmers. Hopefully, it will bubble up to the national level. We all win if we move in this direction.”
Professor Kyo Suh of the Institute of GreenBio Science and Technology at Seoul National University in Korea, spoke about the global challenges of food shortage and high cost of resources. Suh says, “Korea is known for its electronics and automobile industries, but it’s a poor resource country that imports 100 percent.” The key Korean solutions consist of a well-educated workforce, big business, and exports. He’s happy to report that food waste recycling in Korea is at 94 percent, as opposed to 3 percent in the U.S. He looks to the Korean government for solutions, which currently guarantees the price of rice, up to 85 percent of the target price.
Elizabeth Wilson, associate professor of energy and environmental policy and law at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute, talked about the need to remove 80 percent of CO2 to stabilize the atmosphere. She also spoke about the interrelationship of energy and water: energy affects water and vice versa. Her solutions include exploring new networks, conducting feasibility studies, and commercialization. She, too, advocates for unlikely partnerships and recommends the creation of synergies between academia, corporations, the federal government, and farms.
Nationally recognized organizational strategist Jason Pearson of TRUTHStudio presented an analysis of the Direct Environmental Impacts of Key Supply Chains and Upstream Environmental Impacts of Economic Demand. His solutions lie in the impacts in the eight supply chain areas he identifies, along with public education, government policy, and educational leadership. “Every little bit counts,” he says.
Akshay R. Rao, General Mills Chair in Marketing at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, recommends focusing on the demand side of sustainability. “Demand will create production, which will create jobs. The federal government is a potential source of support, based on the premise of jobs.” Rao’s focus, of course, is on marketing. “How do we get people to do things without realizing it? What can we do to get consumers to change their behavior?” He recommends using incentives to change behaviors such as attaching a smiley face, or giving a pat on the back, which has been commercialized by the O Power Company. “Social media is based on a concept of reputations that are publicly visible so we can influence people. We need to use incentives toward reputation; we need to change the structure of the marketplace. The Recycle Bank provides rewards to curbside recyclers. We need to change the social norms; they are a powerful means of fostering pro-social behavior with relatively small economic costs. “It will require marketing genius to identify the consumer,” he said. “Sustainability needs to be tough, as opposed to gentle and soft, like the veneer of the green movement.” Rao recommends rethinking the basic populace, new government systems, and the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Environmentalist, serial entrepreneur, and widely acclaimed author Paul Hawken served as the keynote speaker. First he talked about his solar panel company, One Sun, Inc., followed by his philosophic and passionate perspective of the situation we’re in.
One Sun, Inc. focuses on ultra low-cost solar based on green chemistry and bio-mimicry. When Hawken and his partners formed the company, they didn’t want it to be involved with government subsidies. “It’s like looking for love in all the wrong places. Government moves too slow; it’s designed to move slow. We need rapid failure for rapid innovation,” he said. The solar panels his company makes are 90 percent recycled plastic (upcycling) from all parts of the world and is 100 percent recyclable. They make electricity as soon as the sun comes up. The energy return on energy invested (EROI) with solar is 5:1. One Sun’s EROI is 200:1.
Hawken believes that sustainability is a social movement about changing the way human beings relate to one another. “Environmentalism hasn’t failed. There’s only action. We teach by being, not by telling. We heal a system by connecting more of it to itself; pathology is about disconnection,” he says.
“Sustainability is not about fixing. You’re separate if you see things as components,” he says. “I prefer to think of sustainability as ‘regeneration,’ or ‘spiritual rebirth,’ according to the OED (Oxford English Dictionary). You can’t think of it as a resource issue but as the complex relation between living systems. Our best thinking got us here. There’s enormous complexity between systems that’s not understood. We think nature’s out the window; it’s not true. We are a system as humans. We’re a community of organisms, both bacterial and viral …. Natural systems and organisms will always regenerate. Collectively, we’re an organism. That’s what we’re here to discover …. How do we create a world to respond to the assaults and insults? It’s not going to be okay. Is this happening to us or for us? There are 7 billion people and 2 billion to come. It is a gift to come here. Our purpose here is to benefit others, which is technical, social, and market based. We’re getting this fantastic hall pass from the Creator to change who we are, how we feel. We’re here for people we don’t know and we’ll never meet. That’s when we’re really alive.”
The conference was sponsored by the NiSE at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment. For more information, visit northstar.environment.umn.edu.
The views expressed by the authors of this blog and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NorthStar Initiative or any employee thereof.
Solutions Summit 2012: Organizing for Sustainability
Solutions Summit 2012 will bring together sustainability practitioners and researchers from business, industry, the nonprofit sector and academia to identify and advance strategies for collaboratively solving sustainability challenges.
The keynote speaker for the event is internationally renowned environmentalist and entrepreneur Paul Hawken, author of Natural Capitalism, Blessed Unrest and five other books. Hawken will share his perspectives on the economic and ecological landscape in which innovation will be fostered in coming years, with focus on climate, minerals and oceans. Other featured presenters include sustainability leaders from 3M, Environmental Defense Fund, Caldrea,The Nature Conservancy, General Mills, eBay and Truth Studio.
Solutions Summit 2012 participants will:
- Learn sustainability leaders’ strategies for success
- Go beyond sound bites to in-depth conversations about sustainability challenges and solutions
- Connect with other sustainability professionals to forge partnerships for future progress
- Help shape the research agenda for solving sustainability’s biggest challenges.
To learn more about Solutions Summit 2012, click here.
Solutions Summit 2012: Meet Paul Hawken!
Sustainability leaders attendingNiSE’s Solutions Summit 2012 will be inspired by keynote speaker Paul Hawken. Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, and author. His work includes starting ecological businesses, writing about the impact of commerce on living systems, and consulting with heads of state and CEOs on economic development, industrial ecology, and environmental policy. He has appeared on numerous media, including the Today Show, Larry King, Talk of the Nation, Charlie Rose, and has been profiled or featured in hundreds of articles including the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Washington Post, Business Week, Esquire, and US News and World Report. His writings have appeared in the Harvard Business Review, Resurgence, New Statesman, Inc, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, Mother Jones, Utne Reader, Orion, and many other publications.
He authors articles, op-eds, and peer-reviewed papers, and has written seven books, including four national bestsellers, The Next Economy (Ballantine 1983), Growing a Business (Simon and Schuster 1987), and The Ecology of Commerce (HarperCollins 1993) and Blessed Unrest (Viking, 2007). The Ecology of Commerce was voted in 1998 as the #1 college text on business and the environment by professors in 67 business schools. Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution (Little Brown, September 1999), co-authored with Amory Lovins, has been read and referred to by several heads of state including President Bill Clinton who called it one of the five most important books in the world today. His books have been published in over 50 countries in 27 languages. Growing a Business became the basis of a 17-part PBS series, which Mr. Hawken hosted and produced. The program, which explored the challenges and pitfalls of starting and operating socially responsive companies, was shown on television in 115 countries and watched by over 100 million people.
Paul has founded several companies, including some of the first natural food companies in the U.S. that relied solely on sustainable agricultural methods. He presently heads OneSun, Inc., an energy company focused on ultra low-cost solar based on green chemistry and biomimicry. Paul also founded the Natural Capital Institute (http://www.naturalcapital.org), a research organization whose main project is the creation of the first open source platform for global social change, WiserEarth (http://www.Wiserearth.org). He has seven honorary PhDs and a clutch of awards on a shelf somewhere.
For more information on Solutions Summit 2012, click here.
Used with permission from Paul Hawken.
