Items tagged with

sustainability

Ideas aren't enough; they must also produce results. Once vision and strategy are created organizations need to make sustainable development a reality – not just for a few years, but for the long term. Moving beyond incremental change toward transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a phased, holistic, integrated approach that builds mastery each step of the way.

Tantalum [1] is a rare refractory metal used in many electronic devices such as cell phones, Blackberries, laptops and i-phones. While most tantalum mining occurs in Australia, about 20% of the world’s supply is in the Congo.

A few days ago in Singapore, I commented to a friend on how green the city was. She told me that the vision of Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was not to merely create a city with gardens, but to create a city within a garden.

Not too long ago it was unusual to find a company with a CSR executive, so it’s been encouraging to see that the number of senior level sustainability professionals (Director, VP or above) seems to be increasing.

There are “two very exciting revolutions taking place in the world right now that are having an impact that will make every business better” stated David Jones, CEO of Havas Worldwide and co-founder of One Young World in his recent Wall Street Journal Europe article.

Prius lot AFP_File_Mark Ralston_2010_02_17

A little more than a month later, the company has recalled more than 8.5 million vehicles and is currently considering a further recall of 1.3 million Toyota Corollas, the world’s top selling car.

Have you integrated sustainability into the organization’s strategy? Do you have a culture characterized by innovation, engagement, responsibility and leadership? Sustainability is believed to be the greatest business opportunity of our time. Early adopters of sustainable development are changing the rules of the game in business, education and communities. Examples are scattered across this website and in our blogs.

Wandering the hundreds of aisles of golf booths at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, I sought to learn more about the sustainability of the golf world. Greg Norman gave a presentation about golf and Great White Shark Enterprises – his empire consisting of golf courses and communities, apparel, wine and other business interests. He spoke about a “commitment to excellence” and that having your name on the door isn’t enough.

Introduced yesterday, the new Ford Focus has a small bump in the car’s taillights that reduces turbulence just enough to increase gas mileage. Ford engineers refer to these minor tweaks as “one percenters” – details that increase fuel efficiency. The redesigned Focus is expected to get at least 40 mpg in highway driving.

On the same day I posted the blog on “Deforestation and Your Supply Chain”, Earthkeepers posted a statement from Jeffrey Swartz, Timberland’s CEO in an Update From the Amazon. The deforestation referred to by Greenpeace is caused by cattle ranchers who cut down the rain forest to raise livestock primarily for food. Less than 10% of the proceeds of the cow are for the leather sold as raw materials to suppliers who turn the hides into products such as footwear.