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Setting the Example | |
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- 4 climate-policy priorities for the next president
The winner of today's U.S. presidential election will help determine the future of U.S. climate policy, writes Environmental Defense Fund executive Nat Keohane. Priorities should include capping or taxing carbon emissions, boosting the clean-energy sector and convincing Americans that meaningful action can no longer safely be postponed. "The next president must ... be willing to spend political capital to get something done," Keohane writes. Bloomberg Businessweek
(11/5)
- Cardboard wheelchairs could help disabled Africans
An Israeli entrepreneur has designed a system for building wheelchairs using about $10 worth of recycled cardboard, plastic bottles and tires. That could give a big boost to aid groups serving disabled people in the developing world. They would be able to use local labor to produce eco-friendly wheelchairs at a negligible cost. Ynetnews (Israel)
(11/3)
- City living could be the key to a greener America
America's big cities generate huge amounts of carbon, but on a per-household basis, urban emissions are actually remarkably low, writes Jeff Speck. That suggests that to curb U.S. emissions, we should be encouraging people to ditch their cars and suburban McMansions for apartments in dense, walkable urban locations. Salon
(11/3)
- Has cause marketing jumped the shark?
Too many brands see cause marketing as a must-have, and simply tack cause-related messaging onto products and brands, writes Anton Ressel. That links causes and brands that actually have no shared goals or purpose, making consumers more cynical about eco-marketing, Ressel argues. "By tagging a cause onto what we do simply because we think it is expected, we cheapen the real value inherent" in our products, he writes. BizCommunity.com (South Africa)
(11/3)
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Sustainability Update Powered by 3BL Media |
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- The New American Farmer
The American food system is incredibly vulnerable. With the average U.S. farm being 57 years old, 70% of farmland will change hands in the next 20 years, and that land will not necessarily stay within a family due to the decline in family farming. Additionally, the current system is based on large corporations producing single crops and in the process creating irreversible environmental damage. However, organizations like Viva Farms are entering the picture to provide young small-scale farmers with education, training, capital and land to combat the current unsustainable situation. 3BL Media
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- How mining's Anglo-American is going green
The mining industry has a part to play as the business community becomes more sustainable, says Samantha Hoe-Richardson, head of sustainable development at Anglo American. Miners are needed to extract minerals used in cutting-edge clean-energy technologies, Hoe-Richardson says, and well-run extraction companies can become CSR leaders. "Making sustainability issues core business is how you make a difference," she says. BusinessGreen (U.K.)
(11/5)
- Robots replace humans at solar-power plants
Robots are starting to replace human laborers at solar plants, with a single panel-installation robot capable of doing the work of 125 human technicians. That could make solar power cheaper to install but likely won't obviate the need for human oversight. "There's a huge emphasis on quality control that can't be eliminated by robots," says analyst Martin Simonek. Forbes
(10/31)
Engage. Innovate. Discuss. |
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- 5 ways you're driving your employees crazy
Even with the best of intentions, many bosses drive their workers absolutely crazy, writes Julie Winkle Giulioni. To boost performance, leaders should stop using employees as idea guinea pigs and simply focus on removing irritants such as red tape, unclear expectations and time-wasting activities. "Employee engagement, motivation, and results are less about introducing new leadership behaviors and more about just stopping the stuff that makes employees crazy," Giulioni writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership
(11/5)
| Addressing global warming will be politically challenging -- but presidents are not elected to do the easy things."
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