A Beautiful Case For Social Media - Slidshow

Why are we even arguing about this?

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As companies move into social media and the transparent realm of business 2.0 the implications for social and environmental sustainability are huge. What level of transparency will be considered a norm in five years? Twenty?

A social network for Earthdance Global

Earthdance is a global event that happens every year in September. The event has grown to over 200 locations worldwide. The music festival culminates by playing a Prayer for Peace track. The event has grown significantly over the last 15 years. Now they have a social network for the festival goers to connect the other 364 days of the year. Members are encouraged to upload their media including music, photos and video. Members are also encouraged to add event to the global event calendar. Here is a taste of Earthdance!

The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment

Stockholm, June 1972- A movement was set in motion. Let's look back and remember our roots, shall we?



The video on the historic 1972 United Nations Conference on Human Environment (UNCHE), held at Stockholm, Sweden. Hosted by the Swedish Government, under the Prime Minister, Olof Palme, the conference globalized the environmental movement. The conference owed its success to Maurice Strong, Secretary General of UNCHE.

-From Google video

A social network for greening tourism

With 151 joined members, Greening Tourism is a growing social network of people who are sharing best practices in the industry.

IS AMAZON A GREEN COMPANY?

IS AMAZON A GREEN COMPANY?

...it came in the mail...

I've never really paid attention to the mail. I know I can count on it everyday. I don't get it on holidays. Half of it goes straight to the recycling. Stamps cost 41 cents (check out Yoda). I never know if I can recycle the clear film, and that's about it.

I recently set up a carousel widget on our Green MBA's social network. It included every title for the coming semesters booklist, all hosted by Amazon Associates. I had considered that Amazon might not be the most ecofriendly way of students getting their books, but it took an email from another student to pose the question for me to examine my assumptions.

It turns out Amazon is not such a bad deal.

They aren't screaming at the top of their lungs about their policies either.
Negatives:

1. No GRI report
2. No CSR report

Reporting is important! It communicates what the company is doing and it allows other companies to learn from. It raises the bar. It also tells the public what the company is doing, as long as it is not all BS and PR.

Positives:

1. Packaging- Increased recyclable materials and using less packaging. New software helps determine "right-sized" box.
2. Packaging- Corrugated containers are 100% recyclable and are made from 43% recovered fiber content.
   
3. Packaging- Air pillows are 100% recyclable and non-toxic.
4. Operations- In use is a Kaizen program used to inspire employees to take action. They call them "Earth Kaizens." "In 2007, 88 separate Earth Kaizen projects were completed."
5. Operations- In 2010, Amazon will open its new campus in Seattle which will meet LEED certification.

Read more about Amazons Earth Kaizen case studies and read the case study that explains some of the benefits of the online shopping model on Amazon.com and the Environment.

WHAT ABOUT SHIPPING?

The US Postal Service is thinking forward as well. They have a website for their green initiatives. Their packaging is Cradle to Cradle^SM certified. That's damn good! Also, they come to your door 6 days a week anyway, so they aren't making an extra trip.

Personally, I think Amazon needs an option for carbon offsetting your purchase, but I like what they are doing and where they are going. All this of course doesn't take into account getting a healthy bike ride in down to the bookstore, global dominance in retail, lack of personal interaction, and the materials going into what you buy.

Sustainability Profile - IKEA

IKEA's Vision:
Our vision is 'to create a better everyday life for the many people.'



People I know love IKEA. With good reason too, the furniture giant provides interesting, quality items with quirky names like, LAXVIK and VIBBYN, for low prices (But they add up!). Usually when I hear, "At low prices," I think 'ok, but at what cost?' IKEA see this different and makes it know in their tag line, "Low Price But Not At Any Price."

Have you seen Walmart: The high cost of low prices?

IKEA also stands for something else which should give buyers confidence in shopping there. They're in it for the long run, they get sustainability. Taking into account products and materials, suppliers, energy and transportation, and community involvement. Yet, only as of late with more talk about "going green," have they been making this known. Here is a brief snippet of their policies and then a list of "chatter" around IKEA on the web.

View the brochure, IKEA- People and the Environment

Products and materials - "we first decide what price the item will have when sold in IKEA stores. However, in offering low prices we must never compromise the quality or safety of IKEA products."

Suppliers -
"trading service offices are responsible for implementation and follow-up of our code of conduct and we have 70 specially trained auditors who audit suppliers."

Energy and transportation -
"we are going to make sure that all IKEA Group stores, warehouses, distribution centres, factories and offices are heated and cooled using renewable fuels such as wind power, solar power, biofuels and geothermal energy."

Community involvement -
"Our projects take a holistic approach: improving the health of women and children, creating access to a quality education, and empowering women to create a better future for themselves and their communities."

Blogs Buzzing about IKEA
Ecologic- Too Bad IKEA Doesn’t Sell….Solar Panels?
EcoGeek- Get Your Futon, and Solar Panels, at IKEA - 13 August 2008
Ecocurious - Sustainable shelves, furniture and flooring - 26 July 2008
Treehugger- IKEA Lighting The Way To Warmer LED Lamps

I like IKEA as the "Quite Green Leader," and I hope they continue to drive their supply chain towards sustainability. It will help other small scale furniture companies develop sustainability initiatives. I also hope they increase their transparency with their initiative as it helps others develop a guiding light for their own companies.

Amazon Green - Shop environmentally friendly products

A good step in the right direction. However I am a bit concerned over a how environmentally friendly some of the products are. I mean there are many shades of green, you know what I mean? But hey, if a light green, or a spring green, gets more people considering alternatives, then I guess it's not a bad thing. You could call it a gateway to moss green.


"Welcome! Today we announced "Green 3", a challenge to Amazon's customer community to help others go green by creating the most authoritative list of eco-friendly products available for purchase on the Web."

Pick 3 green products you wish everyone had by clicking below.



Comment back and share your Green 3.

EPA launches new website to help kids identify healthy fish to eat

The EPA has launched an interactive website, targeting families with young children, to educate which fish are safest to eat. The website uses story as a very effective way to deliver the fish advisories. Each story links to the fish advisory page on the EPA's website. Therefore giving parents a way to follow up after story time.


I like how they sliced it into categories such as the camping trip, shopping trip, and sport fishing trip. Each has a unique story and is relevant to different lifestyles. You do have to wait about 30 seconds for the site to load.


“Our new Web site is a fun way for kids and parents to learn about the importance of fish in a healthy diet and how to choose the healthiest fish to eat,” said Benjamin H. Grumbles,

You can check it out here:
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/kids/

EPA's Goals for the Nation

EPA's goals for the nation are to:

• Recycle 35 percent of MSW generated;
• Reduce waste generation to 4.3 pounds per person per day;
• Empower state, local, and tribal governments to better manage solid waste;
• Provide leadership in source reduction and recycling;
• Build stronger public and private partnerships; and
• Ensure the environmental soundness of source reduction, recycling, combustion, and land disposal.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/msw/programs.htm

About Organic Wines and Wineries

Almost every grocery store offers organic foods and the number of options are growing strong (Total U.S. organic sales, including food and non-food products, were $17.7 billion in 2006, up 21 percent from 2005. They are estimated to have reached $21.2 billion in 2007, and are projected to surpass $25 billion in 2008. Source: 2007 OTA Manufacturer Survey), but what about wines? Ever wonder why we don't see more organic wines?

More organic food statistics

Turns out we don't see more organic wines, because the requirements for certification and labeling are more rigid then other organic foods.

"Organic wine is unlike any other food and beverage category covered in the USDA’s National Organic Program." -Paolo Bonetti,President of Organic Vinters



Other foods require a 70% organic minimum to be certified organic. Wine however requires a 100% organic product compstition (Bonetti 2008). If the label says "organic," it means it has the 100% requirement and no sulfites, nitrates, or nitrites were added. Oh ya, and that green USDA logo is not allowed on the label.

Resources:
Organic Vintners
The Organic Wine Company

So if you are looking to "Green" your drinking habits, consider wineries that are working towards issues like soil depletion and erosion, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, energy consumption, ecological impact, packaging, and sourcing as well as organic farming.

A Few Good Green Choices

Parducci Ukiah, Ca- "Even soy based inks!"
Kunde Estate Kenwood, Ca - "Yes, Eco-Hiking Tours!"
Bonterra Ukiah, Ca- "Certified Organic"
Merryvale Starmont - Napa - "Composting, recycling, bird boxes, cover cropping, weather stations"
Benziger - Glen Ellen, Ca- "Biodynamics"
Fetzer Vineyards-Hopland - "certified by
California Certified Organic Farmers"

JibJab: Time for Some Campaignin'

So this is a little stupid, a little funny, and even more clever. Hey wait is that me in there?

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Watch The Story of Stuff! Gather the kids if you got em.

The Story of Stuff, by Annie Leonard, uses a beautiful flash movie to demystify the story of where all our "things" come from. It's a great wake up call to understand what we are buying. It's made to explain the process to kids as well so saddle up for the next 20 minutes, this is a good one!

What is the Story of Stuff?

"From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever."
-From Annie Leonard, at http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Watch the video here and then surf the site to see what you can do!

The Go Green Portal: A Great Sustainability Resource

The recently launched Go Green Portal is an attractive and functional website for people who are looking for a greener lifestyle. Worth checking out! The design is simple and easy to navigate, and they just launched a subscribe function so now you can receive their XML newsfeeds. Some of the popular stories covered on the site include the new eco-resort to be built by Pamela Anderson in Abu Dhabi, Britain's First Plastic Free Town, called Modbury and 'Green Automobiles' for the Beijing Olympics.

I'm back with a Green Amazon Store

I'm back and now have an Amazon store where I am featuring some books and items that I recommend. Check it out and look for more posts soon!

On the Way to Ecocity

Came across this very cool video while doing a little search for the Ecocity World Summit coming to San Francisco in April 22-26, 2008. It is not connected to the World Summit as far as I can tell.





About
"VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is an impartial expert organisation. Its objective is to develop new technologies, create new innovations and value added thus increasing customer's competitiveness. With its know how VTT produces research, development, testing and information services to public sector and companies as well as international organisations."
(source)
Headline 2.29.08-
"Finnish research institute will draw up a preliminary plan to build an EcoCity in the MenTouGou District of Beijing (source )."

"The site also acts as a significant showcase to the world since the district is a popular tourist attraction in China. The EcoCity will also be one of the themes to be displayed during the Beijing Olympic Games."

Daily Acts- Sustainability Tours Summer Schedule

Located in the North Bay Area, California, Daily Acts provides some really cool unconventional tours. Last year I headed out to Bolinas in Marin County for a truly unique tour of two permaculture facilities. I highly suggest signing up and taking a tour. If you are visiting the San Francisco region this Summer, what a great way to get off the beaten path and see some of the real west coast.

2008 Calendar March March 22 – Drumming, Dancing, Digging April April 5 – Living Earth Wall Finishes April 12 – The Alive Home April 12 – Sustainable City Vistas and Urban Forage April 19 – Personal Ecology May May 10 – Greywater-fed Oasis May 17 – Kombucha to Compost June June 7 – Water Wise & Well Fed June 8 – Food Cultures June 28 – Food, Fuel and Fruitful Living June 29 – East Bay Cohousing Crawl July July 12 – Permaculture Paradises Found! July 19 – Water-Savvy Stars July 20 – Biodynamic Composting July 26 – Greenhouses & Greywater August Aug. 2 – CityScape Makeover Aug. 3 – West County Delight Aug. 9 – Cohousing Communities Coalesce! Aug.10 – MycoDynamic Gardening Aug. 23 – Community & Urban Sustainability Aug. 23 – Food Preservation: Canning September Sept. 13 – Natural Cleanup Sept. 20 – The Glory of Green Building Sept. 27 – Your Water’s Worth Sept. 28 – Advanced Food Cultures October Oct. 4 – Food Preservation: Drying Oct. 25-26 – Designing for Diversity Daily Acts Website Daily Acts 2008 Schedule Pdf

Visual Aide- Visualization for Business, Education, Communication, Engineering, Fun

Have you ever drawn a knowledge map? With the help of visual expression we can break down complex issues and ideas, like climate change and resource scarcity, by putting it out right in front us. From that data, just add water and salt as desired.

Picking up a pen and staring at a board can be new and intimidating, so here are a few suggestions from a right brained guy;

1. Get a large piece of paper, whiteboard (preferable), chalkboard, and a pen (get colorful and creative).
   
2. Pick up pen, apply desired pressure.
3. Don't be afraid of failure. Deciding that your thought is wrong or untrue is ok. Don't hesitate get part of the idea out!
4. If you can't start try this; close your eyes and think about the purpose of the project, assignment, or task of your visual aide.
5. Create an environment that allows you to practice as a habit, because it takes work to some.
   

Here is a organization called Visual-Literacy.org, that will help you get started.
http://www.visual-literacy.org/

Be sure to check out their Periodic Table of Visualization!
http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html

The Tool Revolution is Upon US!

Clive Thompson wrote an interesting piece in Wired this month about reviving American innovation through our grassroots Do It Yourself revolution. I believe the web 2.0 revolution will allow us to figure out innovative solutions to a growingly complex and difficult future ahead of us.

Here is what Clive had to say;

"Why am I so inept? I used to do projects like this all the time when I was a kid. But in high school, I was carefully diverted from shop class when the administration decided I was college-bound. I stopped working with my hands and have barely touched a tool since. "

". . . it's a problem for America. We've lost our Everyman ability to build, maintain, and repair the devices we rely on every day. And that's making it harder to solve the country's nastiest problems, like oil dependence, climate change, and global competitiveness."

"If you can't get under the hood of the gadgets you buy, you're far more liable to believe the marketing hype of the corporations that sell them. "

"Neuroscientists have shown that working with your hands exercises different parts of your cerebrum than sitting and cogitating. "

"They aren't ripping open cars to see what's possible, the way those amateur ultra-mileage Prius hackers do (some of whom, by the way, have modded their hybrids to get 100 mpg)."

"A counterrevolution is afoot"

"Notably, all this is happening outside our broken educational system. America is healing itself at the grass roots — rediscovering the mental joy of making things and rearming itself with mechanical skills. "

So apparently as a developed society we've taken a short vacation from our DIY mentality and we dove headfirst into the information economy. It has brought about new, exciting, and beautiful technologies. Now we need to start incorporating a culture that is a hybrid of the two. It's a true win win situation if we can leverage our new information seeking/publishing abilities on the web and get start coming up with some real solutions to the coming climate crisis and resource depletion.

So here are some resources to do it yourself:
For plans and ideas:
Make Magazine


Ready Made


Videos
Expert Village


Zipidee


Read Clive Thompson's full article

Or comment with your favorite builders paradise.

Web 2.0 - Best Explanations Ever by Common Craft

We learn in many different ways; seeing, doing, hearing, and saying. CommonCraft does a good job of making complexity simple. They do it by creating videos harnessing the power storytelling and low tech visuals to teach various topics. By the way they're available for hire.

Here are some of their videos presenting Web 2.0. Which is basically "user-generated" content. So here we go web 2.0 tools made simple by CommonCraft:

Blogs-


Want to do now?
Blogger.com
Typepad.com

Wiki-


Want to do now?
Google Groups
Wikispaces

Social Bookmarks-


Want to do now?
Del.ic.ious--> check out my del.ic.ious bookmarks.
Digg

RSS feeds-


Want to do now?
Google Reader
Bloglines

Social Networks-


Want to do now?
Facebook
Myspace
See my other post for more

Just for fun. . .Zombies-

Have a resource you want to share? Comment back and let 'er be known!

Footprint? Shouldn't it be Feetprint?

Yeah I know the footprint is old (2002), but have you taken it?
http://www.earthday.net/footprint/

Here's how I'm doing: 2.5 planets,


CATEGORY ACRES
FOOD 4
MOBILITY 0.5
SHELTER 3.2
GOODS/SERVICES 2.5
TOTAL FOOTPRINT 10

vs. 24 for my location.

Want to Invest in the Future? 3 Cool Funds for a Warm Planet

A year ago I did a search for socially responsible investments. As I searched away on Google I felt like a tree falling in the forest and nobody around to hear me.

But today. . . After a brief search I see the tides truly have changed. Sure my searching skills have increased, but so have the number of socially responsible investments out there.

Socially responsible investing is a way to back companies that have sustainable business models. Meaning they design their business to be good for the environment, good for people, and they make a profit, and if they don't do all those things, then at least they go beyond business as usual.

Here is a short list of some places to take your money and leverage your power toward saving the world.

Pax World Mutual Funds-
"We believe it’s our unique investment approach. We call it Sustainable Investing – the full integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria into our investment analysis and decision making. By combining rigorous financial analysis with equally rigorous ESG analysis, we seek to identify better-managed companies that, among other attributes, are leaders in their categories, meet positive standards of corporate responsibility and focus on the long term."
-letter from the president, Joseph Keefe

Calvert-
"With approximately $2.29 trillion in assets in the US today1, SRI is catching on with many individual and institutional investors who seek to:

* Align their investment portfolio with their personal values by avoiding companies that do not meet certain standards.
* Encourage improved corporate social and environmental performance through an active investment strategy.
* Identify companies with better long-term financial performance through the analysis of social and environmental factors.

SRI was first formally practiced by religious investors who, nearly 100 years ago, avoided companies involved in tobacco, alcohol, and gambling. More recently, however, SRI has evolved beyond such simple avoidance screening to include the following four aspects:

Social research

Shareholder advocacy

Social venture capital

Community investing"

Winslow Green Mutual Funds-
"Today, Winslow is widely recognized as a pioneer in the rapidly growing field of green investing. Winslow and our portfolio managers are regularly featured in a wide variety of media, such as Time, Barron's, Kiplinger's, SmartMoney, Outside Magazine, Marketwatch.com, TheStreet.com, Forbes, Investment Advisor, CNBC, Bloomberg TV & Radio, and the Christian Science Monitor. In 2007, Winslow's Jack Robinson was recognized in the annual Barron's / Value Line mutual fund manager survey as one of the top 10 equity fund managers in the U.S. for the 2nd year in a row, earning the #2 ranking in the aggressive growth category and the #10 ranking overall. The Winslow Green Growth Fund was also named Best Socially Screened Fund of 2006 by Kiplinger's Personal Finance."

Refering site: Social Funds

The Green Team like never before

Hilarious Will Ferrell & co.





off to go tracking. . .

Kids Get Sustainability

Kids get sustainability because it just make sense. No barriers, no politics, it's beautiful. I think some people have given idealism a bad name. I think it is time to re-think idealism. By saying, "That can never happen," you instantly limit the possibilities and default to "realism." It is like giving up on dreams.



"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." -Lennon