Here’s my attempt to capture the most important stories that affected the greening of business in 2010…
In parallel to what must have been incredibly frustrating policy meetings in Cancun, the business community gathered at the same time. I believe that business may be succeeding where policy is failing.
The world is meeting in Cancun this week to talk climate change. Is there any hope of a large-scale agreement on capping emissions around the world? Most pundits would say no. Why can’t we agree to do something? The answers are varied and all contain some truth.
I visited Beijing a couple weeks ago to speak to a group of Chinese corporate executives. They were brought together by a major environmental NGO to discuss climate change. The meeting itself was fascinating, but I was really struck by a general impression in China that the country is taking green business very seriously.
I’ll have a few posts on China over the coming week since I spent a few days in Beijing last week. I had a free
Right before the big election last week, I found myself thinking about beliefs and what people are absolutely sure they know, regardless of the facts. Two stories that appeared on the front page of the New York Times on the same day, demonstrated Americans’ remarkable ability to kid ourselves. But a program in Kansas is showing how you can get people to tackle climate change even if they don’t believe in it.
A cover story in the NY Times today declares, “Cost of Green Power Makes Projects Tougher Sell.” Apparently wind turbines are not flying off the shelves as fast as a couple of years ago. States are unwilling to add negligible costs to power bills.
On the heels of the big election, we’re all wondering what it means for the issues that matter most to each of us. I’m of course watching closely for signs of what this means for sustainability and the green agenda. On high-speed rail, we may find common ground.
Obviously some things have changed in Washington and around the country in the last 24 hours. But what will this shift in power mean for the green business movement and for the sustainability agenda in general? It may not change as much as you think, and I see a number of reasons to maintain hope.
The green marketing research firm Terrachoice released its annual “Sins of Greenwashing” study last Tuesday. I got a sneak peak on Monday…here are the big picture findings, and some of the debate over the report.
‘Is the World Better Off Because Your Company Is In It?’: Examining Corporate Climate Responsibility
