This week, the Important Media Network has committed to highlighting some of the women that are making the world a better place. At Inspired Economist, we thought we’d take part by profiling a great sustainable woman CEO every day this week. See previous posts on Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft Foods, Kim Jordan, CEO of New Belgium Brewing, […]
This week, the Important Media Network has committed to highlighting some of the women that are making the world a better place. At Inspired Economist, we thought we’d take part by profiling a great sustainable woman CEO every day this week. See previous posts on Kim Jordan, CEO of New Belgium Brewing, and Eileen Fisher (of high end
Women in Focus Week: Day 3! Meet the top women sustainable CEOs: Irene Rosenfeld (Kraft) Read More 👉
The idea that coal is cheaper than wind and solar is what keeps coal in the forefront of energy production in the U.S. But what if the idea itself is completely flawed? The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity is actively promoting the benefits of coal power. If you see an ad on a website
How is coal power so cheap? (Hint: it’s because you’re subsidizing it) Read More 👉
This week, the Important Media Network has committed to highlighting some of the women that are making the world a better place. At Inspired Economist, we thought we’d take part by profiling a great sustainable woman CEO every day this week. See yesterday’s post on Kim Jordan, CEO of New Belgium Brewing, then check in each day
Women in Focus Week, Day 2! Meet the Top Women Sustainable CEOs: Eileen Fisher Read More 👉
The most recent poll measuring economic outlook among Americans shows about a 21% jump since the poll was last conducted. In October 2011, only 39% of Americans said they thought the economy was going to be better in a year than it is now. The most recent figure is 60%. The poll, conducted June 28-July
Poll shows jump in optimism on economic outlook: other results mixed Read More 👉
BP would be happy if we put the Oil Spill out of our minds. Therefore they spend millions to assure that the public forgets the long term damage to wildlife. The message from BP is that most everything is back to normal, sponsoring ads to entice tourists back to Gulf, and funding university research on
For Appearance Sake: The BP Oil Spill Now Read More 👉
I have long argued that corporate social responsibility (CSR) needs to be a fully integrated strategy throughout a company in order to have a significant effect on how the company does business. I have also written often about social enterprise/entrepreneurship where one builds a for-profit company that focuses on solving social problems as well as
Recognizing CSR as a Core Business Practice Read More 👉
It seemed easy and straightforward enough. Fighting in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) between a variety of warring factions has resulted in the death, rape and displacement of many in the region. Based on most accounts upwards of 5.4 million people died during the official war period of 1998-2003 and some 2.7
Conflict Minerals: Where Dodd-Frank, The Enough Project and Global Witness Went Wrong Read More 👉
Our aching planet just needs you to be thoughtful as you plow into your next venture. If you are, everyone wins, and wins sustainably into the indefinite future. A sustainable business considers the impacts of every facet of its operation and then attempts to address each, from paper consumption to human resources, in a way
You Think You Might start a Green Business? Read More 👉
Earlier this month in my post “A Cynical Eye on Sprint’s ECO-mittment,” I got razzed a bit by a commenter about my ties to the printing and publishing industry. Do I have a bias towards paper and away from e-media? (I do, but not because I’m involved in the industry. It’s because I think e-media
RISI Seminar Tackles Tough Paper Industry Questions Read More 👉
Since the movement began, people have discussed goals/themes/demands of Occupy Wall Street and have found little clarity. In some ways this is the essence of the movement, but in an effort to define everything, many people assume it’s the anger of the common person directed towards banks for manipulating their money and tanking the economy.
Is Occupy Wall Street Really About CSR? Read More 👉
Looking for an excuse to visit Berlin? Try EcoPrint, the world’s first exhibition 100% focused on sustainable print production. EcoPrint Europe LIVE 2012 will held in September 26–27 and will focus on print production for retail, interiors, point of purchase, and packaging. While we might think of “sustainable print” as focusing on things like low-VOCs consumables,
Looking for an Excuse to Visit Berlin? Read More 👉
Apparently I have a problem with terminology. I’m not sure when this started, but after writing a piece on the semantics of the term “CSR”, I have come across other situations in which terms that I thought were relatively clear, are in fact completely opaque. My new find? Social enterprise. I know what your thinking.
What Does Social Enterprise Really Mean? Read More 👉
To what extent do socially and environmentally positive initiatives in the private sector boost a [public] company’s value? And is the downside greater for those that that do not engage in CSR activities or worse flout environmental or social concerns? We know that significant events such as the BP oil spill will go a long
The Effects of CSR on Market Capitalization Read More 👉
The world of international development has so many buzzwords floating around, it’s hard to know what is legitimate and what isn’t. Over the past 10 years or so, the phrase “sustainable development” has entered the lexicon and appears here to stay. While there are a number of definitions for the term, ultimately it has to
VisionSpring: A Model TOMS Shoes Would be Wise to Adopt Read More 👉
Following more than 50 years of oil extraction, corruption, human rights violations and environmental degradation, Shell has admitted responsibility for two large oil spills in 2008 and 2009 in the Niger Delta. This admission will allow those affected to seek damages through the British court system, which gives groups in the Delta, specifically Ogoniland, the
Shell Finally Coming to Terms with Years of Nigerian Oil Spills Read More 👉
I’ve written a number of articles regarding the complexities of “conflict minerals” and the trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (you can find a few here and here). And campaigns undertaken by a number of advocacy groups have really put the issue on the map. So much so that a controversial rider was
Motorola Getting Proactive in the Conflict Mineral Debate Read More 👉
According to the venerable source, Wikipedia (there’s actually a citation from the 2002 book The World of Social Entrepreneurship by J.L. Thompson), social entrepreneurship is defined as, “A social entrepreneur recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change (a social venture). While a business
So You Want to Become a Social Entrepreneur? Read More 👉
For many years now, developing countries bestowed great amounts of natural resources were thought to be on a path to development based on the wealth of these resources, which are prized throughout the West. Such resources have included oil, minerals, metals and of course diamonds. However, almost exclusively, this potentially game-changing situation has lead to
Zimbabwe Diamonds and the Kimberley Process: Round Something Read More 👉
A wise man once said, “beer, the cause of and solution to all of life’s problems”. More recently, Center for Global Development (CGD) Senior Fellow, Charles Kenney published an article in Foreign Policy magazine called “Chug for Growth” discussing the role of beer and beer manufacturing in developing countries. Ever since the development profession (for
Does Beer Equate to Development? Read More 👉
Like other rapidly developing nations, India has a housing problem. The rural-urban migration has overwhelmed cities like Mumbai, where the formally rural poor come to find new opportunity. Often times this migration is one indication of a country’s development. The major issue however is, where do all these people live? Up until now, more often
Indian Real Estate: Housing for the Poor or Another Debt Crisis? Read More 👉
Among the most important aspects of starting a company is determining the target market. In many cases the obvious answer to determining a market is to go where the money is. Most of the time that means target the wealthy as that is the group that would be both interested in using and have the
Hello Wallet Helps Balance The Books and Give Back Read More 👉
Based on a comment I received in regards to last week’s article “Responsibilities of the Alcohol Industry”, I thought I’d follow up with an article addressing how much water is actually used to make beer. Although that article really looked at the social responsibility of alcohol companies, I did mention more than once that beer
How Much Water is in Your Beer? Read More 👉
I wasn’t planning on following up on last week’s article, “Twitter and Corporate Social Responsibility”, nor was I really considering taking the CSR conversation in this direction. However I saw a video the other day on Mashable which was an interview of venerable Apple evangalist and venture capitalist veteran Guy Kawasaki at South By Southwest
Developing Platforms for Social Change: The New CSR Movement? Read More 👉
