Corporate America is Benefiting from Taking Action on Climate Change

As reflected by the results of the Carbon Disclosure Project, even in the absence of a regulatory framework there is increasing interest from corporate America to managing climate change for commercial benefit,
strategic advantage, investor engagement, mitigation of fiduciary and reputational risk. Even more interesting is the fact that payback times for their investments to manage climate change average three years which is much shorter than conventional wisdom would suggest.

The Carbon Disclosure Project led to the creation of the CDP S&P 500 Report which analyzed the disclosures of 339 of the largest US companies as measured by market capitalization. The report includes Carbon Performance Leadership Index (CPLI) and Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) which ranks leaders of the S&P 500 based on company submissions to CDP.

What makes this report so interesting is the fact that we are seeing clear action from corporate America even in the absence of a comprehensive regulatory framework in the US. Companies across America are acting to engage climate change throughout their activities. In addition to incorporating climate change in operational planning to reduce energy costs and business planning for the development and marketing of low-carbon related products, it is also being included as a function of strategic planning.

This year CDP sent its annual questionnaire to the S&P 500 companies on behalf of 551 signatory institutional investors representing $71 trillion of assets, asking them to measure and report what climate change means for their business.

This report provides the latest insight from these company responses into how major US corporations are recognizing the opportunity to gain strategic advantage from acting to address climate change. It shows that the majority of US companies are taking climate change action, despite an absence of mandatory rules and reveals this year’s leaders in both disclosure and performance.

UPS, Consolidated Edison and Dow Chemical were among the top-ranked US companies in the CDP S&P 500 Report 2011. Combining the measures of performance and disclosure, UPS is the top S&P company at 99 points, followed by Cisco (98), Bank of America (97), Consolidated Edison and Sempra Energy (both at 96), and Dow Chemical and Gilead Sciences (both at 95).

The companies with the best carbon performance were (in alphabetical order) Air Products & Chemicals, Alcoa, Bank of America, Cisco Systems, Clorox, Consolidated Edison, CSX, Ecolab, Lockheed Martin, Molson Coors Brewing and Morgan Stanley.

The report found that the proportion of companies that have senior executive or board members overseeing their climate change programs jumped from 68 percent in 2010 to 87 percent this in 2011.

There was also a doubling of companies reporting climate change policies as an integral part of corporate business strategy, up from 35 percent of respondents in 2010 to 65 percent in 2011. The report reveals that for the majority of disclosing companies climate change is now being integrated into the core business strategy.

There is a clear and increasing trend towards greater environmental action on the part of US companies. This is evidenced by the fact that 64 percent of respondents are setting greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, up from 51 percent in 2010 and 32 percent in 2008. Among the Global 500, 74 percent disclose absolute or intensity emission reduction targets.

Companies are reporting that greater environmental action is contributing to their bottom line. As indicated in the report, respondents are seeing significant commercial benefits from emissions reduction and energy efficiency programs, with over 60 percent of projects offering payback in three years or less.

The most common projects disclosed by corporations were improvements to energy efficiency in their facilities, to business processes and to transportation networks, supported both by capital investments and changes in employee behavior. CDP found that 54 percent of companies now offer financial incentives to staff for managing climate change issues, up from 35 percent in 2010, and compared to 65 percent for the Global 500.

Corporate environmental action is not only a bottom line issue, it is also a matter of risk management. The report indicates that companies are acting on climate change as a function of strategic planning to mitigate fiduciary and reputational risk.

Engaging environmental concerns like carbon reduction is also an important strategic opportunity to address an increasing investor focus on environmental efficiency.

The largest non-responding companies, by 2011 market capitalization, were Apple, Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway, Comcast, Honeywell, DirecTV, Express Scripts, National Oilwell Varco, EOG Resources and General Dynamics.

For more information see the CDP S&P 500 Report 2011

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

UPS and Live Nation Environmentally Friendly Alliance

UPS and Live Nation Entertainment have developed a partnership to offset the carbon emissions from ticket shipping and musician travel. This sponsorship alliance is intended to promote UPS’s environmentally friendly logistics solutions to the millions of Live Nation Entertainment music fans across North America as well as recording artists committed to reducing the environmental impact of their concert tours.

The alliance will make UPS the exclusive global package, shipping and logistics provider for Live Nation Entertainment and for certain Live Nation Entertainment tours and venues.

According to Live Nation Entertainment’s Investor website, the Beverly Hills, CA-based company promotes or produces approximately 22,000 annual events, including music concerts, with total attendance exceeding 50 million.

UPS began utilizing hybrid vehicles for local delivery in May 2007 and was awarded a Clean Air Excellence Award from the EPA because of their alternative fuel program.

UPS will provide carbon neutral shipping for music fans across the U.S. Through UPS, Live Nation Entertainment will purchase certified carbon CO2 offsets to mitigate the emissions produced by the transportation of ticket orders for events at Live Nation owned and operated venues and merchandise purchased from the Live Nation Entertainment store.

As part of the environmentally friendly alliance, UPS will be launching an innovative new sustainability program created exclusively for live events.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Economic and Environmental Forces Can Work in Harmony

The success of many environmentally sustainable businesses makes the case for the transition to a low carbon economy. These businesses are profitable and sustainable, they create jobs and minimize their impact on the environment.

Although some try to make the case that environmental sustainability is bad for business, the truth is a strong business case can be made for sustainability. The transition to a low carbon economy offers an unprecedented stimulus that creates jobs. There are sustainable solutions that can both speed up activity in the low-carbon economy and mitigate the economic crisis.

In an interview with the Financial Times, former US President, Bill Clinton, said: “For $ 1 billion invested in a new coal plant, you get fewer than 900 jobs; for solar you got 1,900 jobs, for wind turbines 3,300 jobs and (for) retrofitting buildings 7,000 – 8,000 jobs… Here are the jobs, here is the investment. Are you really against it?’”

Environmentally sustainable solutions have proven to be hugely profitable while simultaneously protecting economies from the volatility of markets reliant on oil and other finite resources.

The success of low-carbon enterprise in the private sector offers compelling evidence for this stance.

California’s Tesla motors raised $ 226 million dollars for investors when it went public in 2010. Tesla’s goal is to accelerate the world’s transition to electric mobility with a full range of increasingly affordable electric cars. The company has delivered more than 2,000 Roadsters, the world’s first electric sports car, to customers worldwide. Model S, the first premium sedan to be built from the ground up as an electric vehicle, goes on the market in mid-2012.

Market forces can auger the transition towards a low-carbon economy. What is lacking is political leadership. Governments must do more to encourage investment in sustainable ventures.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Greener Gifts

Here is a holiday gift guide composed of items that take care of our planet and the people on it. This is the type of commerce that is helping to forge a better world. Some of these items are also featured on Made For Good which is a “catalyst of collaboration”. They are paying forward their decade-old embedded generosity business concept. They do this through Made for Good sponsored events and resources, their wholly owned brands and their consortium of partnerships with powerful nonprofit organizations. They create new revenue streams for their partners through like-minded consumer product goods created to augment their endowment efforts and assist them with fundraising in their mission of giving – hence their tagline …… “a recurring model of giving”.

Elle Communications work with a host of companies who are giving back through sales this holiday season. Here is a greener more socially responsible holiday gift guide from Elle Communications:

The Paradigm Project: Purchase a Christmas Tree ornament and a stove will be given to a family in Africa, saving $280 of local income, 1,300 hours of time, 33 trees and a 60% reduction of toxic smoke.

Rain Tees: Purchase a T-shirt and plant a tree in an area of deforestation

Future:Standard: Shop from this online women’s apparel retail shop that features solely humanitarian and environmentally-friendly brands and give back to 1% for the Planet.

Given: Purchase a T-shirt and help eliminate famine in the Horn of Africa. Men’s and women’s available.

The Intersection Event: Finally, for the budding social entrepreneur on your list – or for the busy executive who wants to learn how to use their business success to give back – opt for tickets to The Intersection Event at Pixar Headquarters in January, feature speakers such as: actress and UNICEF ambassador, Susan Sarandon, technology expert and CTO of Walt Disney, Greg Brandeau; design connoisseur and CEO of IDEO, Tim Brown; the entrepreneurial founder of AOL, Steve Case; passionate leader and VP of Google, Marissa Mayer; social activist and SVP of Word Vision International, Dr. Chris Pitt; computer scientist and President of Pixar Animation Studios, Dr. Ed Catmull and more.

For more information on these items click here.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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All Indications Suggest a Banner Year for Cyber Monday Shopping

By all indications, Cyber Monday is likely to set records this year. Buying online is a greener form of consumption because it reduces the amount of fuel used to find, price and purchase an item. Online shopping is also a greener way to shop due to the fact that trucks can deliver goods more efficiently and it takes a lot less energy to run a warehouse for boxes of goods than a mall. Online shopping can be a more beneficial option for the planet particularly when it is paired with more responsible purchasing (ie: purchasing items with smaller footprints).

Online commerce has played a bigger role in the holiday shopping season virtually every year since its inception. This is largely due to the increased sophistication of Internet marketing and consumers who are becoming more web-savvy.

Black Friday saw a 6.6 percent increase in buying over last year and according to IBM, online shopping was even stronger with a 24.3 percent increase for the day.

According to a annual holiday spending survey by Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, a retail marketing company, 60% of shoppers said they will use online shopping and price-comparison applications before making any purchases.

Online sellers and shoppers are both optimistic about the holiday season. According to Shop.org’s eHoliday survey 68% of online retailers say they expect to see growth of at least 15% over last year.

On the consumer side, data from the National Retail Federation, shows that consumers plan to do 36% of their holiday shopping online. This is an increase from 32.7% in 2010.

This holiday season, mobile shopping will be even more important with 51% of retailers say they’ve “significantly invested” in mobile-optimized websites. Only 19.6% have invested in tablet apps, but 35.3% are using QR codes to bring in customers.

Social is also important with 72.5% of retailers building up their Facebook presence and 41.2% using Twitter. 29.2% of consumers said they would check a company’s Facebook page for holiday shopping information. 65.1% said they read customer reviews on the company website.

Consumers want to shop online because of convenience (43.2% said it was 24-hour convenience). Consumers also said online was a great way to avoid the crowds and it was easy to compare prices, so they knew they were getting the best deal.

According to a Deloitte Holiday Survey titled "Digital Shopping Will Keep the Grinch at Bay this Holiday Season," the Internet has tied discounters as top destination for gift shopping. Online shopping, once the preferred option of younger shoppers, is now prevalent across generations and mobile tools are assisting holiday shoppers more than ever.

Almost half of consumers surveyed (48 percent) say they most likely will shop for gifts online this holiday season – a double digit (13 percent) increase from last year. This makes the Internet the No.1 shopping destination, (tied with discount stores), for the first time since adding the channel to Deloitte’s annual study.

Social media sites are helping shoppers as 44 percent of consumers plan to use them while holiday shopping. While social media use cuts across all income groups evenly, high-end shoppers will be the most active online and on their phones this holiday season.

Smartphones are also key to the online buying experience. Among smartphone owners surveyed (42 percent) who plan to use their phones for holiday shopping (27 percent), nearly six out of 10 (56 percent) will check or compare prices specifically while in a store, and 38 percent will scan barcodes to locate product information.

For more information about Deloitte’s Annual Holiday Survey, including additional statistics, historical data and useful links, click here.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Patagonia Shows the Way with Responsible Business Leadership

Patagonia is an outdoor clothing company that is showing real leadership by asking consumers to think twice about whether they really need to buy a new jacket. They offer services to fix the jacket you have rather than buy a new one. They will even help you sell it without charge. If it is really beyond repair, they will recycle it.

Patagonia is a business and like many businesses they exist to make and sell things. But Patagonia only wants to sell things to people that really have a need.

Although the health of their business and the livelihoods of their employees depends on people buying their wares, they realize that there is no business on a dead planet.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Black Friday 2011 Saw a Big Year-Over-Year Spending Increase

Early reports indicate that the 2011 Black Friday spend saw a huge year-over-year increase. According to the data group ShopperTrak, retail sales on Black Friday grew 6.6 percent this year compared to just 0.3% in 2010, raking in an estimated $11.4 billion dollars compared to last year's $10.7 billion of annual sales. This is the most total sales in the history of Black Friday.

"This is the largest year-over-year gain in ShopperTrak's National Retail Sales Estimate for Black Friday since the 8.3 percent increase we saw between 2007 and 2006," said ShopperTrak founder Bill Martin in a statement to CNN Money.

Despite the sluggish economy, shoppers proved that they are ready to buy. With preliminary reports for Black Friday indicating that retailers may have seen their strongest sales ever, American consumers appear to be eschewing expectations of frugal spending.

The US is well known for its domestic spending powered economy, however, given the implications for the earth, this kind of spending is environmentally unsustainable.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Retailers Incorrectly Expected Frugal Holiday Buying on Black Friday 2011

Frugal buying would make the holiday spend less than some had hoped for. But what is bad for retailers would have been beneficial for the Earth. Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau indicated that US retail and food services sales for October were up 0.5 percent from the previous month (economists expected a 0.3 percent rise) and 7.2 percent above October 2010. Excluding gasoline, retail sales rose 0.7 percent.

Holiday buying estimates from the National Retail Federation (NRF) expected sales of around $465.6 billion, represent a 2.8% increase over last year’s robust results which were 5.2% above 2009 results.

On a per-person basis, the NRF surveys found that consumers say they will spend about $516 on gifts, down 4.6% from last year.

The global port tracker, a monthly report about import-cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports, is forecast to fall 1.9% in November.

Concerns about the prevailing economic climate is causing retailers to be cautious. “Retailers are being very strategic with their supply chains,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF’s vice president for supply chain and customs policy. “Although sales are expected to be in line with the 10-year average, retailers are keeping inventory levels extremely lean and filling their stores wall-to-wall with discounts and promotions. Unlike in 2008, when the financial crisis caught everyone off-guard, retailers have a strong understanding of the consumer mind set this Christmas,” he added.

Many retailers were expecting what can only be described as frugal spending. Consumer sentiment as measured by the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan’s preliminary reading on the overall index edged up in October, but the ratings are about the same as they were in 2008, the worst holiday-shopping season in 35 years.

The industry feared what they were calling “mission shoppers,” who only purchase what they came for, meaning less unplanned buying. They were expecting consumers to embrace the “new normal” by spending less and looking for savings wherever they can.

While this would have been bad news for some retailers, less buying translates to less manufacturing, which implies less resource and energy use and ultimately less waste.

While many were predicting less not more holiday spending, these predictions have proven inaccurate as early indications suggest Black Friday's retail spend represented a big year-over-year increase.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Video: Our Role in Education for Sustainable Development



This video is a recording of the public forum on sustainability - Responding: Our Role in Education for Sustainable Development - that took place in Regina Saskatchewan October 14, 2010.

Participants shared their ideas about how institutional practices can re-orient research and learning for sustainability.

Speakers included:

• Vianne Timmons, President of the University of Regina (forum chairperson)

• Charles Hopkins, UNESCO Chair in Education for Sustainable Development at York University

• Shauneen Pete, President of First Nations University of Canada

• Robert McCulloch, President and CEO of the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology

• Audrey Roadhouse, Deputy Minister of Education, Saskatchewan

• Gerald Farthing, Deputy Minister of Education, Manitoba

• Bob Willard, speaker and author of resources for Sustainability Champions

• Malcolm Wilson, Director of the Office of Energy and Environment, University of Regina.

The forum was hosted by the University of Regina in partnership with Innovation Place.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Video: Retail Shopping from a Sustainability Standpoint



This video takes a look at sustainable holiday shopping. How to spend thoughtfully and reconnect with the spirit of gift giving. This video focuses on alternatives to buying things. Look at where things come from and how they are made and what they are made of. Consider externalized costs when buying something. Try to buy things that are sustainably made. One example involves buying experiences instead of stuff.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Video: Sustainable Shopping



Although the idea of putting an end to shopping may be taking the idea to an extreme, many are now acknowledging that we should replace rampant consumerism with more sustainable shopping. That means considering the footprints of the objects we buy. In this video you can learn about
sustainable shopping and simplifying holiday celebrations.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Video: The Story of Stuff



From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. 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. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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New Methods of Manufacturing and New Patterns of Consumption

For the Earth to survive we need new patterns of consumption and new manufacturing methods. Our planet cannot sustain current rates of consumption or current methods of production.

We should be considering ways of reducing our consumption and changing what we buy. This is a matter of buying what we need as opposed to what we think we want. It is also a matter of changing what we manufacture and how we manufacture it. Ultimately it is a question of educating consumers and creating more sustainable demand.

To help avert catastrophe we need to see more creative designs and more efficient manufacturing. We are far from where we need to be in terms of the type of demand exerted by consumers and the type of manufacturing provided by companies.

Both industry and governments have a crucial role to play protecting the environment while growing a healthy economy. If manufacturers, retailers, politicians and consumers work together with common purpose we can forge a greener more sustainable economy.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Thanksgiving Shopping: Consumption and the Earth's Carrying Capacity

Throughout the Thanksgiving shopping period, hordes of shoppers will invade malls and stores all across the America. Spending money may help grow the economy but it is undermining the ecological systems on which our economy depends. Although retailers need the business, the planet cannot sustain the number of consumers or the type of consumption we commonly see on this day. There are now 7 billion people on the earth and it is estimated that at current levels of population growth the planet's carrying capacity will completely break down by 2050. Scientists at the Global Footprint project that using current rates of consumption combined with current means of production, by 2050 we'll be 500% above capacity.

Each year our planet can produce a certain amount of resources and absorb a certain amount of use. According to the scientists at the Global Footprint Network, we had already exhausted the earth's carrying capacity for 2011 on Sept. 27, less than 10 months into the year.

This puts us 135% above the capacity of our planet to replace essentials like potable water, clean air, arable land, healthy fisheries and stable climate.

Overconsumption is desroying the ecological systems that sustain the world's economies. The population is expanding and so is consumption and this is simply unsustainable.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Thanksgiving Shopping: From Black Friday to Green Tuesday

The period after Thanksgiving is the most busy US shopping period of the year. The traditional shopping period has been extended beyond Black Friday to include several days that now culminate on what is being called Green Tuesday. Here is a review of each of the four major shopping days that constitute the core of holiday shopping maddness.

Black Friday

The day following Thanksgiving is Black Friday in the US, this day traditionally marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. On this day, most major retailers open extremely early, often at 4 a.m., or earlier, and offer promotional sales to kick off the shopping season. Most non-retail employees have the day off, increasing the number of potential shoppers. It is the busiest shopping day of the year. The expression Black Friday originated in Philadelphia in the 60's and more recently the term has been explained as the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or are "in the black". In 2011 several retailers (including Target, Kohls, Macy's, Best Buy, and Bealls) will open at midnight for the first time. Walmart will open at 10:00 on Thanksgiving night and Toys 'R' Us at 9:00. In 2010, Sears was open on Thanksgiving day.

Small Business Saturday

The day after Black Friday, is Small Business Saturday. Started in 2010 as a day when people "shop small", in support of America's small businesses. Small businesses are trying to level the playing field to compete with the big boxes by using social media like Facebook, Twitter, and email to promote their businesses. Now American Express has gotten onboard to help support Small Business. They are providing free tools and social media help make the day a success. The tools include a facebook site, in store signage, emarketing materials including social media templates and even free advertising. There are even free buttons that will help small businesses monitor what people are saying about them.

Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday is a marketing term for the Monday immediately following Black Friday, the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the US, created by companies to persuade people to shop online. The term made its debut on November 28, 2005 in a Shop.org press release entitled "'Cyber Monday' Quickly Becoming One of the Biggest Online Shopping Days of the Year". According to the Shop.org/BizRate Research 2005 eHoliday Mood Study, "77 percent of online retailers said that their sales increased substantially last year on the Monday after Thanksgiving, a trend that is driving serious online discounts and promotions on Cyber Monday this year (2005)". In 2006, Shop.org announced that it launched the CyberMonday.com portal, a one-stop shop for Cyber Monday deals. In 2010, comScore reported that consumers spent $1028M online on Cyber Monday (excluding travel, 2009: $887M), the highest spending day of 2010. Cyber Monday has become an international marketing term used by online retailers in Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany and New Zealand.

Green Tuesday

The day after Cyber Monday is being called Green Tuesday. The environmental organization Green American is suggesting that stores should offer specials on “green” products starting the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The non-profit environmental group is advocating that the Tuesday after Thanksgiving be dedicated to “green” shopping activities. Green America will be participating in this newly declared shopping holiday. Its Web site, GreenDeals.org, will therefore be featuring a week’s worth of green product specials starting on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011. Some of the green products that will be discounted on Green Tuesday include self-watering systems for indoor and outdoor plants and annual memberships for car-sharing or bicycle-sharing clubs. There will be approximately 15 to 20 products and related coupons featured on a daily basis between Nov. 29 and Dec. 6. All of the businesses featured on the Web site are from local and national green businesses that have been approved by Green America.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Thanksgiving for those who Feel Thankless

Traditionally Thanksgiving is the time of year when we take stock of what we have and express gratitude, however, this year there are many who feel they have little cause to be thankful. Despite ongoing economic hardships, most Americans still enjoy disproportionate material wealth when compared to the rest of the world.

The American standard of living is the envy of the world. Most live very comfortably, yet most are clearly dissatisfied. Most of us, even the unemployed, have more material comforts than we did a century ago, yet our dissatisfaction persists.

We should be striving for happiness not wealth, we should be striving for health not possessions. Happy people not only feel better they are more creative and more productive. The way to happiness is through meaning and we find meaning by working together on common goals.

Perhaps we need to think beyond ourselves and our material comfort, perhaps we need to consider the welfare of others. The best way to assist others is to work for the welfare of earth, so that future generations can breathe clean air, drink potable water and have enough to eat.

The future is uncertain, but clearly material wealth is not the panacea many perceive it to be. There is certainty in our efforts to assist others, there is certainty in our efforts to protect the earth from the ravages of climate change.

We can create a better, more compassionate world--a world where we care about each other and the planet on which we all depend.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Thanksgiving: Living in Harmony with the Planet

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to deepen commitments to greener living and more sustainable business practices. Thanksgiving is all about being grateful for everything we have, and it is only natural that we should show our appreciation for the environment by learning to be better stewards of the earth.

Thanksgiving traces its origin from a 1621 Pilgrim harvest feast to celebrate a successful growing season and survival after an extremely difficult first winter in the New World. At that harvest feast these Pilgrims from England ate with the Wampanoag Indians in a spirit of friendship and camaraderie. The Pilgrims owed their survival to the goodwill of the Indians, who had taught them how to survive by living in harmony with the land. It is time to revive that long forgotten lesson and address the daunting environmental challenges we face today.

The threat from climate change is real, however, so are the opportunities to address it. This Thanksgiving, we should all be doing our part and give thanks to the people and businesses that show their support for the environment and act to make this world a greener place.

Happy Thanksgiving and a heartfelt thank you to those who support the transition to a greener economy.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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New Methods of Manufacturing and New Patterns of Consumption
Thanksgiving Shopping: Consumption and the Earth's Carrying Capacity
Thanksgiving Shopping: From Black Friday to Green Tuesday
Thanksgiving for those who Feel Thankless

Sustainability / CSR Events in Atlanta this December

The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence is hosting two exciting events in Atlanta Georgia this December, in partnership with the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence is conducting an IEMA-certified CSR training workshop on December 6-7 in Atlanta, GA. Upon completion of the course, participants are able to effectively develop Sustainability strategies, implement CSR programs, and communicate performances through Sustainability/CSR Reports.

To date, CSE has conducted this training in cities all over the world (New York City, Athens, Brussels, Abu Dhabi, San Francisco, etc.) and has certified over 300 sustainability practitioners.

On the evening of December 6th, CSE will host a Sustainability Roundtable Discussion on the topic of Communicating Sustainability Successfully. Confirmed speakers include Mike Wallace (Global Reporting Initiative), Natalie Pawelski (Cater Communications and former CNN environment correspondent), Suzanne Burnes (Sustainable Atlanta), and myself, Nikos Avlonas (CSE).

Space for both events is limited. (Attendees of the two-day workshop receive complementary seats to the Roundtable).

To register or for more information click here.

Additional trainings are available year round, nationwide. Click here for schedule.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Profiting from the New Rules of Green Marketing by Jacquie Ottman

On November 29th and 30th Humber College in Toronto Ontario is hosting a course and workshop entitled, Profiting from the New Rules of Green Marketing by Jacquie Ottman (SC 130). This workshop designed to bring to life the principles, strategies, tools and frameworks discussed in the award-winning book: The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding by Jacquelyn Ottman (Berrett-Koehler, 2011).

This highly interactive workshop empowers professionals to take advantage of opportunities stemming from mainstream consumers' growing environmental consciousness. Practical in orientation, it provides success strategies for eco design, communications, eco-labeling and stakeholder engagement illustrated by examples from sustainability leaders. Learning will be reinforced with hands-on exercises involving real and hypothetical cases studies.

Deliverables:

- 8 Content Modules over the 2 days
- A copy of the Award Winning Book: The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding (Berrett-Koehler, 2011)
- Pre-reading materials & pre-assessment survey
- Follow up 1 hour telephone consultation for Teams after the workshop (at a reduced rate)
- Access to the "Green Marketing" Community of Practice Forum and Resources
- Green Marketing Certificate of Completion

Upon completing this workshop, participants will be able to:

- Understand why greening is now mainstream and make the business case for addressing consumer's environmental and social concerns through green products and services.

- Identify emerging business opportunities related to sustainability and be equipped with strategies for enhancing their brand's sustainability profile over the next 3 – 5 years.

- Segment mainstream green consumers, key motivations and buying influencers relevant to their own product lines.

- Describe the "new green marketing paradigm" and compare and contrast it to conventional marketing

- Understand why a total life cycle approach to green product development is necessary and how such tools as Life Cycle Assessment can be used to identify opportunities to enhance, measure and communicate environmental and social performance of products and services.

- Identify key eco-strategies for improving environmental performance of existing products (Eco-design), and how sustainability can be used as a basis for innovation (eco-innovation) and apply these concepts to their own product lines.

- Identify and develop key success strategies for ensuring the relevance and credibility of green messaging, including gaining familiarity with key eco-labels and criteria for selection.

- Identify opportunities and strategies for enlisting stakeholders into the implementation of their green marketing plan.

- Learn about the key success factors in "best practice" green marketing concepts and brand initiatives from the leading sustainability marketers.

- Become familiar with key resources for partnering on green initiatives.

- Use a template for integrating critical environmental concepts into your brand strategy.

- Develop a marketing plan for positioning a new (or hypothetical) green product or initiative to mainstream consumers.

Bring a Team and gain additional insights and achievements, including:

- Learn a common and shared language, perspective and strategies for implementing green marketing concepts and opportunities as a Team.

- Create a collaborative initial marketing plan for taking a green initiative forward in your company.

- Identify emerging business opportunities related to sustainability and be equipped with strategies for enhancing your brand's sustainability profile over the next 3-5 years.

AGENDA

DAY 1 MORNING

Introduction
Goals and Agenda

Module 1: The Marketplace Goes Green
Exercise: The business case for your brand (small group discussion & presentation)

Module 2: We Are All Green Consumers
Exercise: What shade of green are your consumers (possible mind mapping or scenario exercise)

Module 3: The New Green Marketing Paradigm
Exercise: Envisioning your brand within the new green marketing paradigm

DAY 1 AFTERNOON

Module 3: The New Green Marketing Paradigm (continued)
Exercise: Envisioning your brand within the new green marketing paradigm

Module 4: Reimaging our Product in a Sustainable World
Exercise: Designing Greener Products: A Life Cycle Approach & Opportunities to green our Product

DAY 2 MORNING

Module 5: Communicating Sustainability with Impact
Exercise: Rules of Thumb for good and bad communication

Module 6: Establishing Credibility. Avoiding Greenwash
Exercise: Scenario examination, "Is this Greenwash"?

Module 7: Partnering for Success
Small Group Work – Opportunity & Plan Development

DAY 2 AFTERNOON

Module 8: Completion of Green Marketing Plan & Examination of Two "Best Practice" Companies.

Interactive Case Exercise: Developing a Plan to Position and Market Your New Green Initiative (or hypothetical case study) to Mainstream Consumers and receive feedback and next determine steps.

Jacquie Ottman is considered to be North America's foremost expert on green marketing. After spending over a decade in major NY advertising agencies learning the marketing ropes from the likes of Procter & Gamble and Ralston Purina, Jacquie founded J. Ottman Consulting, Inc. and pioneered green marketing. Her goal: apply her finely-honed consumer packaged goods skills, her creative bent for dreaming up new products, and her strategic instincts to the toughest issues involved in meeting consumers' needs sustainably.

She and her colleagues have helped more than 60 Fortune 500 businesses and various U.S. government labeling programs, including U.S. EPA's Energy Star and the USDA's new USDA Certified Biobased label, develop and launch exciting new products and create credible and profitable strategies for reaching mainstream green consumers.

Ottman is a founding co-chair of the Sustainable Brands conference, at which she has given several keynote addresses. She is also the founding co-chair of the Sustainable Business Committee of the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York, and its wildly successful "Making Green from Green Certificate Series", now in its third year. In 2004, she created the Design: Green educational initiative under an US EPA Innovation Grant with the goal of jumpstarting eco-design education among practitioners and students. The former co-chair of the NYC chapter of O2, the global network of green designers and marketers, for seven years she chaired the jury of the American Marketing Association's Special Edison Awards for Environmental Achievement.

She is the author of the newly released, The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding (Berrett-Koehler (U.S.), Greenleaf Publishing (U.K.), February 2011, which has been named by the University of Cambridge (U.K) as a top 40 Sustainability book, and by Ecolibris as a top ten green book. Previous books include: Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation (McGrawHill, 1993), hailed as "the definitive text on the subject." She keeps the business community abreast of her learning by writing for her blog, Jacquie Ottman's Green Marketing Blog, and numerous business publications.

This course will be of value to Sustainability and Marketing personnel in any consumer product or service sector, particularly individuals in the following positions –

• Marketing Managers & VPs
• Category Managers
• Sustainability Directors
• Advertising Directors
• Green Marketing and Business Professionals
• Eco-Entrepreneurs
• Marketing Educators
• Brand Teams at the Start of a Project - Jump start your project, bring your marketing Team and work on a potential "green marketing" plan for your company (Team Discounts available)

Regular rate: $ 1,800 pp
Groups of 3 or more: Regular Rate: $ 1,500 pp

Each attendee will receive Green Marketing Certificate of Completion.

To register or for more information: mailto:kathryncooper@sustainabilitylearningcentre.com

UPDATE: This workshop has been postponed until Spring 2012.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Fisheries for Sustainable Fishers: Caribbean Fishers Leading the Way

In November the 64th annual meeting of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) took place in Cancun, Mexico. This event is the largest annual gathering of scientists, researchers, fishers and natural resource managers in the wider Caribbean region, with over 300 participants from 38 countries or island groups. The meeting served as a unique opportunity for fishers, conservationists and scientists to come together to exchange current information on the use and management of marine resources in the Gulf and Caribbean region and to work in partnership to develop effective solutions to the many challenges they face.

Acknowledging the invaluable leadership role fishers play in successful management of fisheries resources, the GCFI and other partners developed the Gladding Memorial Award (GMA) in 2004 to annually recognize fishers who demonstrate, through word and action, their commitment to the sustainable use and conservation of marine resources. Named in honor of patriarch Florida Keys fisherman Peter Gladding, the award is part of GCFI’s larger Fisheries for Fishers Initiative which also includes the Fishers Forum and the Small Grants fund for Fisher Exchanges and Alternative Livelihoods for Fishers. This year, Martha Gongora from Cozumel, Mexico was the recipient of the award.

The Fisheries for Fishers Initiative or F4F is founded on the principle that fishers must be engaged and empowered to be part of the process of managing marine resources. Mitchell Lay, the Chairman of the GMA committee and a fisher from Antigua, put it this way: “The Fisheries for Fishers Initiative represents a regionwide opportunity for us, the fishers, to be able to shape policy so that we can ensure that our livelihoods and fishery resources remain sustainable for future generations.”

This year’s F4F focus in Cancun was the involvement of fishers in fisheries governance (highlighting case studies from Guatemala, Belize and the Lesser Antilles) and the continued development and capacity-building of leading individuals and communities within the fishing sector committed to sustainable use of their resources. An annual activity valued by all, the F4F field trip took a group of about 30 fishers and managers to visit the Quintana Roo Federation of Fishing Co-operatives so that the visiting fishers could learn from their Mexican counterparts about how they manage their lobster, conch and reef fish fisheries. The next day a smaller group of attending fishers met to take decisions on priority issues and actions raised at the Fishers Forum general session and in support of the wider F4F objectives. Fishers also actively participated in research and management sessions on lionfish and conch and lobster.

The GCFI F4F program represented a unique forum for Gulf and Caribbean fishers to influence and drive sustainable fishery activities and foster efforts within the fishing community to think, act and educate peers towards more sustainable fishing practices. Now in its fifth year, F4F participants are leading the way in ensuring a future for the region’s fisheries and its fishers.

This year’s F4F activities were made possible with funding from the Regional Activities Center of the United Nations Environment Programme, GCFI, FAO Subregional Office for the Caribbean, CRFM and The Nature Conservancy.

For additional information on the Fishers Forum, the GMA and the 64th Annual Meeting of the GCFI, please contact Mitchell Lay at mitch.lay@gcfi.org or visit www.gcfi.org.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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World Fisheries Day

World Fisheries day is celebrated every year on November 21 throughout the world by fisherfolk communities. Fishing communities worldwide celebrate this day through rallies, workshops, public meetings, cultural programs, dramas, exhibition, music show, and demonstrations to highlight the importance of maintaining the world's fisheries.

World Fisheries Day celebrations serve as an important reminder that we must focus on changing the way the world manages global fisheries to ensure sustainable stocks and healthy oceans ecosystems. Just last month the United Nations General Assembly called on countries that have not yet done so to become a party to the Law of the Sea regarding jurisdiction over national and international waters, as well as the seabed, and to maintain sustainable fisheries.

A recent United Nations study reported that more than two-thirds of the world's fisheries have been overfished or are fully harvested and more than one third are in a state of decline because of factors such as the loss of essential fish habitats, pollution, and global warming.

According to the report by the UN Environment Program (UNEP).Greener policies would still grow economies while reducing the ecological footprint by nearly 50 percent in the next 40 years, but some jobs would be lost as a result in sectors such as fisheries, according to the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) report. The report indicates that government subsidies in the fishing industry amount to about $27 billion a year and have created excess capacity and depleted fish stocks globally.

The World Fisheries Day helps in highlighting the critical importance to human lives, of water and the lives it sustains. Water forms a continuum, whether contained in rivers, lakes, and ocean.

Besides the importance of water for survival and as a means of transportation, it is also an important source of fish and aquatic protein. Fish forms an important part of the diets of people around the world, particularly those that live near rivers, coasts and other bodies of water. A number of traditional societies and communities depend on fishing.

This is why a majority of human settlements, whether small villages or mega cities, are situated in close proximity to water bodies. However, these communities will be dramatically effected by coastal flooding due to global warming.

This proximity has also lead to severe ocean and coastal pollution from run-off and from domestic and industrial activities. This has led to depletion of fish stocks in the immediate vicinity, requiring fishermen to fish farther and farther away from their traditional grounds.

Mechanization has also resulted in a crisis as fish sticks are being depleted with the help of 'factory' vessels, bottom trawling, and other means of unsustainable fishing.

We must work together to find sustainable means of maintaining fish stocks. World Fisheries Day helps to highlight the problems, and encourage movement towards finding solutions to the increasingly inter-connected problems we face. 

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Free Webinar: The Carbon Tax & Your Business

GreenBizCheck will be holding a free webinar on 29 November at 11 AM AEST. This webinar will help business owners gain a better understanding of the carbon tax and how it will affect their business.

This webinar will help businesses to:
  • Gain a better understanding of the Carbon Tax
  • Discover how the tax will affect your business
  • Access tools that are available to your business now
  • Understand the cost savings associated with Green Business
  • Have your questions answered by industry professionals
Dave Johnston, Director of GreenBizCheck Gold Coast and David de Closey, Oculus Financial will be presenting information on the carbon tax, revealing the benefits of sustainable business, answering any questions you may have and giving you access to tools that are available to your business now.

Dave Johnston GreenBizCheck Gold Coast

Dave has successfully helped many businesses with their environmental strategies. He has a wealth of knowledge about the carbon tax and it's affect on small to medium size business. Dave will guide participants through strategies that can be implemented now to save money.

David de Closey Oculus Financial

David has dedicated the best part of his 28 years in the Accounting and Finance industry to making a difference to people's lives. As a financial specialist, he has the knowledge and tools to help all size businesses find a carbon tax solution that is right for their needs.

To register click here.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

A Reintroduction to the Climate Denying Duo Known as the Koch Brothers

The Koch brothers use the media to promote their climate denying circus of lies. Here is a succinct summary of their environment killing crusade.


The Koch Brothers

Koch Industries is the second largest privately held company in America and the company's owners Charles and David Koch are tied as the fifth wealthiest people in the nation, worth a combined $43 billion. They earned their fortunes through a host of climate change causing industries including oil refining, ranching, mining, paper products, fertilizer, and chemicals. They own companies like Georgia Pacific, Invista, Koch Pipeline Company, Flint Hill Resources , Koch Fertilizer and Matador Cattle Company. If you shop for toilet paper, beef, and fuel you are likely to be indirectly funding the most successful climate change denial machine of the 21st century.

Koch Media Stooges

Glenn Beck was guest of honor at the Koch's semiannual event early this year. Other attendees included Philip Anschutz, owner of the Examiner newspapers and the Weekly Standard; Charles Krauthammer, syndicated columnist and Weekly Standard contributor; Stephen Moore, Wall Street Journal editorial board member; and Ramesh Ponnuru, senior editor for The National Review.

Buying Climate Denial Controversy

The Kochs have spent $31.3 million since 2005 on organizations that deny or downplay climate change because they have a vested interest in ignoring environmental conerns.

Their campaign of denial includes support for the blog Planet Gore. The Koch brothers also weild their influence by financing the work of organizations like the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI).

The Koch's have provided financial support for numerous climate denial front organizations. The Cato Institute has received $13 million from Koch family foundations since 1998. The National Review's Jim Manzi is part of the Manhattan Institute which has received $1.5 million in Koch family money, Phil Kerpen of Americans for Prosperity has accepted $5.5 million from the Kochs, Jonathan Adler of the Federalist Society has been the beneficiary of $2 million in Koch money, and the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI) has received $1.2 million in Koch money.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Greenpeace Campaign is Asking Facebook to Defriend Coal
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Right Wing War Against Sustainability

A right wing front-group funded by big oil has launched a misinformation campaign against environmental groups and companies that are working to engage more sustainable practices. In a widely distributed letter they dismiss renewable energy and threaten to boycott companies for being more environmentally responsible.

This propaganda campaign comes from a group known as Consumer Alliance for Global Prosperity (CAGP) which is a front-group formed in August of 2010. They are behind a campaign they call "Pulp Wars" which attacks environmental groups and corporations that have agreed to stop sourcing pulp products and palm oil from Indonesia.

The spokesman for CAGP is Andrew Langer, who is the founder and president of the Institute for Liberty (IFL), one of two listed supporters of CAGP. CAGP was exposed as a front group in a New York Times article by Mike Mcintire. The other supporter is Frontiers of Freedom, a right wing front group funded by Exxon, the Koch brothers, and Phillip Morris.

On 23 November, 2010, CAGP created a report entitled "Pulp Wars" which attacks environmental groups and corporations who have tried to limit deforestation in Indonesia. The report is politically motivated propaganda and contains numerous inaccuracies.

In a letter laced with lies, CAGP front man Andrew Langer tells Americans that, "Green jobs don't work." He dismisses solar energy as "pie-in-the-sky" and he has a message for CEOs who are becoming more environmentally responsible: "stop this, or else I will boycott your company and will be forced to shop elsewhere."

The right is engaged in manipulative politics, it is little wonder that America is falling behind in green economic development. The destructive propaganda coming from the right is not only highly divisive it is making America less competitive. America is being deceived by political misinformation campaigns designed to serve the partisan political interests of the old energy economy.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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A Reintroduction to the Climate Denying Duo Known as the Koch Brothers
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Lego and Mattel Bow to Greenpeace Pressure and Eliminate Unsustainable Packaging
Nike and H&M Bow to Greenpeace's Detox Challenge
Social Action Driving Businesses to Adopt Sustainable Practices
Greenpeace Turns 40
Cooperation Between Environmental Organizations and Businesses
Greenpeace and the Revolutionary Power of Social Media Driving Corporate Changes
Greenpeace Campaign is Asking Facebook to Defriend Coal
Greenpeace's Ranking of Electronic Companies
Greenpeace's Best Green Electronics
Greenpeace's G20 Checklist
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Sun Powered Entrepreneurship in Ghana

There are a number of green entrepreneurs popping up in Africa. One such entrepreneur is Addosolar, this company offers portable solar products for the people of Ghana. Their goal is to help address the need for light due to daily power outages in the nation, thereby enhancing the quality of life for all residents.

Addosolar offers the finest quality in portable solar products, including the Nokero® light bulb. These bulbs are rainproof and easy-to-recharge. They eliminate the need for candles and kerosene lamps, which are dangerous and more expensive to use.

Additional products include their unique solar phone charger for cell phones and small electronic devices.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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WWF is Conserving Nature and Combating Poverty in Namibia

Poverty may be widespread in Namibia but the sustainable use of natural resources is an area of expanding economic development in the country. Namibia is a leader amongst African nations for its protection of nature and the environment. Namibia was the first African country to incorporate protection of the environment into its constitution. To help with this endeavor the government of Namibia has given local communities the opportunity to manage their wildlife through communal conservancies.

Before Namibia became an independent state the country's wildlife populations were significantly declining as a result of prolonged military occupation, extensive poaching and a severe drought. This changed in the mid 1980s, the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) introduced an innovative program to inspire community stewardship of wildlife. Following Namibia's independence in 1990, IRDNC's efforts were transformed with WWF's support into Namibia's communal conservancy program.

Initiatives such as WWF's LIFE (Living in a Finite Environment) program have empowered indigenous groups to create ecotourism ventures that bring them financial stability and protect wildlife and their habitats at the same time.

Women make handicraft goods to sell in the craft center. Sale proceeds are a valuable source of income for the villages of the conservancies. Namibia communities now see wildlife as a valued livelihood asset, and are setting aside vast tracts of land as wildlife management areas. As a result:
  • Poaching is no longer socially acceptable.
  • There are now restored populations of lions, cheetahs, black rhinos, zebras and other native species.
  • Human welfare is improving, thanks to nearly $4.5 million in annual income the conservancies generate for the communities.
  • WWF supporters have played a vital role supporting Namibia's communal conservancy movement.
Although there have been many improvements in Namibia, these conservation achievements cannot be maintained nor expanded unless today's serious obstacles are overcome. Widespread unemployment, vast economic inequities and wealth of mineral deposits translate into mounting competition between those who would build on successful conservation efforts and those seeking to extract resources in an unsustainable way.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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