[Video Link for Email/Other Subscribers - 5.5min]

As quoted from the description in the link above:

“Over the past century but accelerating over the past couple of decades, we have seen the emergence of a kind of global data field. The planet itself - natural systems, human systems, physical objects - have always generated an enormous amount of data, but we didn’t used to be able to hear it, to see it, to capture it. Now we can because all of this stuff is now instrumented. And its all interconnected, so now we can actually have access to it. So, in effect, the planet has grown a central nervous system.

Look at that complex set of relationships among all of these complex systems. If we can actually begin to see the patterns in the data, then we have a much better chance of getting our arms around this. That’s where societies become more efficient, that’s where more innovation is sparked.

When we talk about a smarter planet, you can say that it has two dimensions. One is to be more efficient, be less destructive, to connect different aspects of life which do affect each other in more conscience and deliberate and intelligent ways. But the other is also to generate fundamentally new insights, new activity, new forms of social relations. So you could look at the planet as an information, creation and transmission system, and the universe was hearing its information but we weren’t. But increasingly now we can, early days, baby steps days, but we can actually begin to hear the planet talking to us.”

Read more thoughts at IBM’s blog: http://asmarterplanet.com/

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Dr. Dacher Keltner is of the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center, whose recent book “Born to Be Good”, is a profound study of how emotion is the key to living the good life and how the path to happiness goes through human emotions that connect people to one another. As it turns out, humans are not hardwired to lead lives that are “nasty, brutish, and short”. We are in fact born to be good. This session gives a glimpse into sociology and new science around an old mystery of human evolution and psychology: why we have evolved positive emotions like gratitude, amusement, awe, empathy, altruism, kindness, and compassion that promote ethical action and are the fabric of cooperative societies, and by association, sheds light on the power behind brands that connect to the greater good. Special topics include the power of touching, facial expressions, oxytocin, and the vagus nerve.

[Video Link for Email/Other Subscribers - 42min]

Dialogue session with Jurriaan Kamp of Ode Magazine, Dev Patnaik of Jump Associates, John Marshall Roberts, and Dacher Keltner of UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center, on better understanding the human condition including desires, kindness, empathy and more. This conversation dives into what makes us tick and how we might innovate our brands and campaigns in ways that can connect deeper to the human spirit, help create needed behavior change and lend themselves to stronger brand loyalty.

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Former Seventh Generation CMO and Nike brand catalyst Duke Stump helps us capture the essence of sustainability through a wider lens. Expect an inspiring narrative informed by key principles that speak to a new breed of businesses and behavior, known as Bonfire brands. Includes inspiration from Buckminster Fuller and Patagonia. Marketing and the essence of a company has to be authentic to its very soul, in order for it to transcend sameness.

[Video Link for Email/Other Subscribers - 65min]

I attended this presentation by Elizabeth Grossman, regarding her story in writing the book Chasing Molecules: Poisonous Products, Human Health, and the Promise of Green Chemistry. It’s a fantastic story that’s kind of scary on one side, but enlightening and inspirational on the other. When we consider chemicals that were engineered in the last 100 years, the primary focus was on performance, but little (if any) thought was given toward persistent toxicity throughout lifecycles and their biological impacts.

While I could go on, let Elizabeth walk you through the journey she took and learnings along the way. Enjoyez!

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Some interesting ideas by Roger Martin here on how management education can be improved. First he mentions in his assessment of the MBA that most programs tend to be very shallow versus deep. Students are taught a variety of models, theories, and approaches but what remains unexperienced is the ability to decide which should be applied to a particular circumstance. Roger is rightly critical of standardized approaches when he discusses an financial options valuation formula that is applied to every conceivable options type.

Second, he discusses how MBA programs teach subjects individually with very little overlap of other disciplines. This narrow versus broad approach doesn’t allow for people to appreciate how other business functions can have an impact. Also, the philosophical approach of current management education is based on looking after one self, reminiscent of Milton Friedman’s ideas on business’ responsibility. Very true. Ethics, CSR, and Sustainability are definitely elective courses. Shouldn’t social and environmental values in addition to self-interest be integrated into all courses? Beyond what’s merely lawful or customary. What about having courses on other kinds of business models like social enterprises and entrepreneurships?

Lastly, he criticizes the approach of having students analyzing the here and now, then choosing among a set of existing options. Thereupon people are called to calculate the internal rate of return, forecast probability based on past data, and things of the like. In other words, students aren’t being challenged to imagine and create new options. Ultimately we should be more dynamic versus static-oriented.

He goes on to describe how management education can be improved by becoming more deep, broad, and dynamic. By going beyond inductive and deductive logic which refine and hone that which exists, to incorporating abductive logic which explores what can be.

Enter Design Thinking, a balanced orientation to administering business by being analytical (seeking 100% reliability on one end), and intuitive (seeking 100% validity on the other). And that’s how management education should be taught

Sustainability is a vast field covering multiple topics in operations, marketing, design, innovation, and new business models. While articles, books, and conferences (if you have the budget and time to attend) can be great, nothing beats having professionals giving you the inside scoop.

The creators of the Sustainable Brands Conference, with whom I work as their community engagement manager, are organizing an online training seminar for 13 weeks. In order to help further this movement along, we’ve recognized many smart business people need to get up to speed - and we’ve done so by getting some of the world’s leading practitioners to teach the subjects they’re passionate about for 90min - available live and on-demand for a very affordable price.

If you’d like to learn more, go ahead and check out the speakers, session descriptions, and dates here. I’ve included the titles of the sessions here for you to see. P.S. - I’ll be speaking on the last session in February on public relations and social media

1. Introduction to Opportunities in Sustainable Innovation
2. Innovation Opportunities in Response to Today’s Environmental Hot Buttons: Climate Change, Water & Waste
3. The Changing Consumer Marketplace
4. Organizational Models for Integrating CSR with Brands
5. Building a Balanced Sustainable Brand Strategy
6. Sustainable Product Design – An Overview of Prevailing Approaches
7. Building Collaborative Supply Chain Partnerships
8. Transforming Your Company Through Sustainability – and Engaging Your Customers and Employees in the Process
9. Introduction to Life Cycle Impact Assessment
10. Business Metrics: Dashboards, KPI’s and other strategies for Goal Setting and Measurement
11. Building Credibility/Avoiding Greenwashing
12. Designing Communications that Resonate
13. PR/Social Media and Alternate Community Building Strategies

[Video Link for Email/Other Subscribers - 21min]

Highlight clips put together from the documentary “Blue Vinyl” - http://imdb.com/title/tt0303307/

I put this together because the story needs to be told to a larger audience. It was originally produced in 2002, before the era of YouTube. Right now it’s collecting dust in distribution neverland.

The documentary film discusses the history of vinyl and its toxicity in the context of investigative journalism, with the backstory of the director’s parent’s decision to use blue vinyl siding for their house. Remarkable story in all, but what it shows us is the danger this plastic holds within its entire life cycle. Consumer exposure to vinyl & PVC in a solid, fabricated state is relatively benign. But what about when babies or pets are putting PVC toys in their mouths and chewing on it? Ewww! Secondly, the vinyl chloride presents a health and environmental hazard in its production, fabrication, and end-of-life scenarios. Recycling options are practically non-existent. The big evil byproduct are Dioxins.

The father of Green Chemistry and EPA Research Chief Paul Anastas, has been quite vocal about supporting its elimination and calling for innovating practical alternatives. Let’s look at the practical steps for achieving the solution:

• Chemical innovation and funding for developing substitutes for the applications in which vinyl & PVC are currently used
• Designers and Engineers seeking alternative materials first
• Consumer education about the issues, and practical advice on how they can adjust their purchasing habits
• Retailer pressure to avoid purchasing items with these materials and/or category managers expressing avoidance preferences (vocal/written) in new-item RFPs (request for proposal) and during presentations
• Groundswell support for companies using safe alternative materials; developing effective marketing copy and social media campaigns that stress product benefits first, human health & social responsibility second, price third, environmental benefits fourth.

So these clips constitute 21.4% (21min of 98min total). Under “Fair Use” for the purposes of review and citizen journalism, I hope that these curated segments will be not only legal to show, but also interesting for viewers.

Related Posts:

• Green Chemistry and Environmental Health
• The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry

About 7 weeks ago, I received a review copy of “Rules of Thumb” by Alan Webber as a gift from their agent. Instead of making a comprehensive book review, I thought I’d break down the 52 rules on life and business into various posts, using a bit of Alan’s writing and personal perspective as I read through it. That way it’s helpful to us all

“When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Relax”

Alan recounts being an associate editor for the Harvard Business Review in the early 80s, and describes a live interview opportunity he’d received with then German Chancellor, Helmut Schmidt. Now this gent was apparently known to be a bit “better-than-thou” with people asking questions, so Alan had good reason to feel a bit nervous. Before Helmut walked in, he wrote a couple key reference phrases at the top of his pad, along the lines of

“Relax! Smile! This is a blessing, a treat, and an honor. It’s not a punishment to be endured.”

That’s the key. When we’re in situations where there’s great opportunity, we all can tense up, and perhaps think of all the things that can go wrong. If we dwell on them, a little whirlwind or slight breezes of negative thinking can hinder the best in us from coming out, reaching out, and giving our best - unconsciously, naturally. I liken such scenarios to black-or-white thinking: a dangerous pool to be wading in even if we’re looking on the extreme bright side of things, because overconfidence may hinder us from great interpersonal interaction, while also inflating expectations and potentially setting ourselves up for a big letdown, which may result in lame emotional reasoning. I think you get the point.

Alan further expands on this by mentioning W. Edward Deming’s 8th point in total quality management:

“Drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the company.”,

but stresses that the starting place lies within US. In addition to the aforementioned reasons, having a relaxed composure and confident attitude ensures that we’ll have a good time - no matter what the outcome is. After all, things may not go favorably, predictably, or easily for a variety of reasons. Given that, isn’t it then worthwhile to ensure you at least made the best of it and smile?

“Don’t let fear undermine your chance to do that one thing you’ve wanted to do…Take a second and smile. Enjoy the trip.”

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What a video! The elements that make it powerful is the invitation to imagine/remember childhood and the piano music.
Interestingly missing is the traditional pomp & triumphal imagery and glorious music meant to celebrate the individual, meant to unconsciously promote objective selfishness. Instead, the communication is focused on the process of actualizing, the benefit that entrepreneurs can bring to society, the potential within us To Lead. To Start. To Innovate.

And that’s a deeper message underlying the entrepreneurial spirit: Hope + Creativity + Action
In essence, one doesn’t need to start or own a business. It’s about the capability to have a vision and see it through.

If we can change the map of how we see the world and our place in it, then it’s very possible to progress to a revitalized vision of what we truly want to see happen. For us. For ourselves. For what matters most to us.