Archive for 2007
A little video just in the time for the holidays
As my last post before the holidays, I want to point you to a breezy little interactive video called “The Story of Stuff.” (Thanks to my friend Derrell for sending me the link.) As the producers describe it:
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.
As Americans again gorge on the stuff we call holiday gifts, the video is a timely reminder of the costs of our obsessive consumption. Some may see it as a too-simplistic, one-sided view of modern materialism. But I’m certain it will get you thinking. Along with the video, you’ll find myriad resources on the site to learn more about the problems the producers’ illuminate in the video and some ways out of our materialistic trap.
Check it out.
Forget emotions, crunch the numbers
I had a conversation late last week with a representative of a firm in LA that invests about $40 billion on behalf of large institutions and pension funds. He described his firm’s investing philosophy as “quantitative”, employing as they do a bunch of PhD scientists and mathematicians who examine financial, numerical and measurable data to determine value. “We take the emotion out of investing,” this young guy told me proudly. “Is that a good thing?,” I asked.
Although my sarcastic retort was meant to tease him a bit, it was a genuine question. Virtually every individual and institutional investor is looking for the greatest possible ROI. We recognize that humans can fall prey to their emotions when choosing where to invest their money. Haven’t we all experienced this in our own lives?
Emotions are messy things, often leading us astray. Perhaps it is better to have cold-blooded algorithmic efficiency when it comes to our financial decisions. But why stop there? In this digital era, why not reduce all of our emotional lives to ones and zeros that can be manipulated on a computer screen? How convenient it would be if we weren’t distressed by emotional decisions such as who to marry, who to hire or fire, where to spend the holidays, which homeless person to help, whether to have children and how to tell an elderly parent he shouldn’t be driving anymore. Just tap the digital oracle icon on your iPhone screen and, voila, there’s the recommended decision and the expected benefit you will receive from making it. Easy. Efficient. Productive.
In fact, I can see the oracle’s slogan now: “We take the emotion out of life.”
I’ll crunch some numbers and get back to you on its investment value.
While business waits for incentives, Earth heats up
A new report by energy consultants at McKinsey & Company says the US could fairly painlessly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent, although the consultants were not optimistic this would happen anytime soon.
One example they cite is making changes in the lighting, heating and cooling of buildings that would save emissions and money. The problem is landlords and builders are able to pass energy costs on to tenants or home buyers. They have no incentive to spend more upfront for energy efficient equipment.
Another example is the potentially large energy and emission reductions made possible by choosing more energy efficient computing equipment. The problem here, the consultants say, is few consumers consider energy consumption when choosing which computer or electronic gadget to buy. That means consumer electronics manufacturers have little incentive to make their products more energy efficient.
This study underscores the challenge in achieving goals of dramatically lower carbon emissions. Too many business decision makers require financial incentives before taking steps to slash carbon emissions. Too few are investing in reducing CO2 emissions because it is simply the right thing to do. Period.
Fortunately, there are growing numbers of enlightened entrepreneurs and businesses that recognize something must be done to stave off the worst effects of climate change. And they are determined to make money while they do good. I learned of one such outfit yesterday, when speaking with a local general contractor. In addition to his contracting business, he is an independent representative of Citizenre Corporation. From what this contractor told me, Citizenre is launching a completely new business model for supplying residential solar panel equipment. According to the company Web site:
The Citizenre REnU program is the first to give residential customers the chance to use green energy in their home without the usual dilemma. A photovoltaic (“PV”) array, inverters, and an exchange point (“XP”) are prepackaged to deliver energy to the customer or the utility from power generated at the home. Our new program takes care of all the usual headaches: it provides hassle free installation, operation, and maintenance – and does so with the most attractive terms in the industry. Customers have the option to rent the system for either 1, 5 or 25 years. This arrangement eliminates the traditional up-front investment and associated investment risk.
But before you get too excited by those grand claims, it sounds like the company is quite a few months away from getting its panel manufacturing worked out. So the most you can do right now is sign up early and lock in your rates. Then wait until their product is ready for installation.
The point here is many, if not most, businesses want to be assured of profits before doing the right thing. But a few are willing to risk doing the right thing with no guarantees of making money. I know which group I want the market to reward.
Posted in Business & Economics, Climate Change, Sustainability | No Comments »
If you can’t resist Cyber Monday, at least buy local
Today is Cyber Monday. A day major e-tailors are said to be offering “incredible one-day sales” to get people to do their holiday gift buying online. The Motley Fool calls Cyber Monday “a joke.” I agree, but not for the reasons they suggest. To me, unless you’re buying online from a local business, you’re wasting an opportunity to support your local community. Just as you do when you shop in-person at a non-local big box or chain store.
My holiday wish is that people think first about what gifts they can buy from businesses owned and operated by local merchants. If you prefer to shop online, then see if you can buy online from your favorite local businesses. If they’re not set up to sell merchandise on the Web, call them and see if they could mail you a gift certificate. Or find a quiet time to stop in and shop.
I realize people are drawn to Black Friday and Cyber Monday because they’re bargain shoppers. For some, bargains are the only way they can afford holiday gifts. Others simply love the hunt for an irresistible deal. But just remember that every time you buy something from a business that’s not locally owned, your local economy and community are the poorer for it. You may save money, but the money you spend ends up benefitting far-away businesses and their owners/shareholders. So think about extending your gift-giving this season to your entire community by making your purchases local (and green).
Posted in Business & Economics, Consumerism, Sustainability | No Comments »
Buy Nothing Day, Buy Local Week
Friday after Thanksgiving. A perfect day to stay home, or at the very least do no shopping. Instead, join with folks around the US and the globe who are observing the 15th annual “Buy Nothing Day.” The Adbusters Media Foundation originated the event in Vancouver, BC. According to Kalle Lasn, the organization’s co-founder, the day’s focus has shifted over the years from simply an escape from modern life’s obsession with consumption. Increasingly it’s about making a statement that we cannot continue our consuming ways in the face of climate change.
“So much emphasis has been placed on buying carbon offsets and compact fluorescent light bulbs and hybrid cars that we are losing sight of the core cause of our environmental problems: we consume far too much. Buy Nothing Day isn’t just about changing your routine for one day. It’s about starting a lasting lifestyle commitment. With over six billion people on the planet, it is the responsibility of the most affluent, the upper 20% that consumes 80% of the world’s resources, to set out on a new path.”
I couldn’t agree more. There’s another way to make a statement this holiday season: buy local. Keep your gift dollars circulating in the local economy by shopping at locally owned, independent businesses. Avoid the chain and big box stores this year. Not only will more of your money stay in the community, you’ll be reminding others of how important local merchants are to the unique character of our communities.
Here in Portland, the Sustainable Business Network of Portland is sponsoring Buy Local Week, December 1-9. (Full disclosure: I am a board member of SBNP.) Vote with your dollars by visiting your favorite neighborhood businesses, restaurants and service providers the first week of next month (and throughout the year). Also, start looking for a special Buy Local Coupon Book at a variety of SBNP member businesses across the city.
Buy less. Buy local. Sounds like a great New Year’s resolution.
Posted in Business & Economics, Climate Change, Oregon, Sustainability | No Comments »
The quiet work of restoring balance in our world
As most Portlanders know, our city has earned a reputation as a leader in green building design and development. Two great examples are the Oregon Health & Science University Center for Health & Healing along Portland’s South Waterfront and Portland Center Stage’s Gerding Theater at the Armory. Both were among the first buildings in the country to earn a platinum LEED certification from the US Green Building Council.
And now there is an emerging effort to expand LEED certification beyond building structures to also include the building site and surrounding landscape. I was alerted to this effort by Stacey Triplett at Metro in Portland. A national group called The Sustainable Sites Initiative is in the process of developing guidelines that ultimately would be incorporated into future LEED certification standards by the USGBC. According to the Initiative group:
Landscapes provide valuable services such as climate regulation, clean air and water, and improved quality of life. However, conventional land practices often limit, rather than enhance, the ability of landscapes to provide these important services. The Sustainable Sites Initiative was founded to address this concern and investigate and define sustainability in land development and management practices.
If this effort interests you, check out the preliminary report issued by the Initiative group to collect public comment.
Closer to home, Nature in Neighborhoods at Metro has a design competition, called Integrating Habitats, that’s attracting worldwide interest and hopefully worldwide entries. The aim of the competition is to generate innovative ideas and site designs that protect and enhance water quality, as well as fish and wildlife habitats.
Thanks to Stacey for giving me the heads up on these two programs. It’s a hopeful reminder that many smart people in Portland and elsewhere are quietly, creatively and urgently working to restore a sustainable balance between our manufactured and natural environments.