Items tagged with

innovation

I had the pleasure of having lunch this week with Stephen Brereton, Consul General of the Consulate General 
of Canada.  Our conversation revealed many similarities shared by the U.S. and Canada around sustainable development.  In the midst of today’s economic struggles, it’s not surprising that citizens in both countries put the economy and jobs as top priorities, followed by education and healthcare, and somewhere around fifth place (or so, depending on where you live and your perspectives) the environment comes on the list. 

"Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is, everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you ... the minute that you understand that you can poke life ... that you can change it, you can mold it ... that's maybe the most important thing." 

 - Steve Jobs (Just before he died, in the documentary “One Last Thing”) 

Apple continuously reinvents itself, its products and every industry it touches.  Yesterday’s announcement (watch video) establishes Apple as the leader in educational tech.  With iBooks, textbooks can now be easily updated with the most current content and delivered with audio, video, interactive note ta

Breakfast in Canada

I woke up New Year’s Day in Mont Tremblant, Canada, in the beautiful home of friends from the U.K.  As I walked into their open, light-filled kitchen, I saw my 5 friends sitting at a large dark wood table surrounded by a wall of windows revealing snow covered trees and mountains. 

Breakfast in Canada

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.

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.

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.

Conventional Approaches to Sustainability

When organizations consider sustainability, the emphasis is often on environmental aspects and technical expertise. These initiatives could be to measure the carbon footprint, design a LEED certified building, implement energy efficient systems, green the manufacturing process, enhance technology for patient care or prepare sustainability reports.

A growing number of states are passing electronic recycling legislation that often requires manufacturers to fund recycling and collection for old personal computers, monitors and televisions. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), a trade group representing 2,000 electronics companies is negotiating with NYC officials to change an ordinance expected to go into effect on July 31, 2009 that would require door-to-door pick up and is estimated to cost the industry $200 million per year.

Best Buy green vehicles in CA (Los Angeles Times Photo)

Best Buy, America’s largest consumer-electronics retailer is exploring new territory by adding green vehicles to its current offerings.