Simplify
March 10, 2013 § Leave a Comment
Along with the buy ban, I’ve been focused on the concept of simplicity lately. The serene, nature-filled days of Tulum brought on a lot of thought and inspiration since returning home around how much more simply I could be living… and how much more space I could be creating in my life for new ideas, new inspiration, new activities… new priorities.
It was hard not to notice the sharp contrast between worlds. Of course things will always be very different on a vacation when compared with every day living. However, there was something about getting power from the sun, water from the rain, getting up with the sun, and getting in tuned with the moon and tidal patterns that felt invigorating and pure. Life in the city means a whole other world of thought, decision-making, and priorities. The constant barrage of noise, cues of what’s important, things to buy, and conflicting things demanding for your attention and time.
Coming back, I want to simplify and maintain some semblance of the connection I felt while I was away to nature, the natural cycles and rhythms of nature, and more space for more inspired thought.
All very conceptual and abstract, so naturally, the first place I started was… my closet.
Why the closet. I see it as a material symbol of how much clutter I have in my life. It’s also something I have to see and make decisions about daily. As a physical, tangible thing, I felt it would be worth attacking as a step towards the larger effort to simplify. Not a shelf, rail, or drawer was left untouched. On average, I purged a third to half of what I had, and the result has been incredibly liberating and eye-opening. I simply haven’t needed all these things – but better yet, someone else may have use for it. So the bag of clothes and other accessories are going to a Mennonite-run clothing drop-off location, whereas I have more space already.
A different approach: sustainable infrastructure
February 27, 2013 § 1 Comment
I’ve been thinking about sustainability a lot lately: this concept of existing in a way that enables people and nature to thrive for a long time in their natural course. Or in an even better scenario, leaving a positive impact on others around, whether it be environment, community, or people.
This concept that was once touted by many as being “hippy” or “airy” is now an ever-growing necessity demanding attention from government, agency, corporate, and people. We simply cannot sustain our current path and methods of consumption and development. Companies are starting to take notice and to pay attention. Consulting practices like the Deloittes, KPMGs, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers of the world that were once focused myopically on financial and stakeholder stewardship are establishing social responsibility disciplines and departments.
More recently, McKinsey posted an article capturing thoughts by philanthropist, Judy Rodin, who speaks to a different way of approaching infrastructure and planning. What Rodin describes and asserts for is a more holistic approach and consideration to development. It’s not saying development won’t or can’t happen, it’s that when it does, there are other means to accomplishing the same thing, if not better. When there is a win-win, why not explore it? It’s a great article worth reading if you haven’t done so yet.
As an aside, my sister and I were in Tulum, Mexico recently. It’s paradise. Not only because of it’s white sand beaches and beautiful year-round weather, but because many of the people living there really care. Many of the boutique hotels available along Tulum beach are sustainability-minded. Solar for power, rain for water, and architecture designed to eliminate the need for air conditioning. Of course, the picture is not perfect – there are those who fly in the face of this, and unfortunately, there are more to come with enormous big box developments happening behind the scenes of this beautiful coastal town. Locals estimate that in another five years, Tulum will look and feel like its neighbour, Playa-del-Carmen up the beach: crowded, over-developed, and a shoreline eroded and ruined by ill-planned piers, infrastructure, and cruise ships. The beaches currently in Playa are man-made to repair the damages done to them, and if you take a walk down the beach in Playa, you can see where the erosion is still happening and will likely need repair in a few years down the road.
Imagine development that does not repeat recent and long-time historical errors that are not only costly to try to amend, but often irreparable. Maybe Judy Rodin is on to something.
Earth Day
May 21, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Earth Day was on April 22 – as it is every year. I didn’t know it before, but Earth Day has actually been around for a long time. Started initially in 1970, the first Earth Day aimed to raise environmental awareness among Americans. Over the years, it’s grown a great deal, with this year seeing 192 countries participate in Earth Day, involving over a billion people. Canada was one of those proud countries.
Of particular interest to me every year are the promotions that pop up in time for Earth Day. For a day that is dedicated entirely to generating awareness and action towards global sustainability and environmental stewardship, it’s always ironic to see the mass flyers, posters, and ads encouraging consumers to buy more stuff, albeit stuff claimed to be “green”, at a special price on that day. A little (or a lot) counter-intuitive to the mission of the day.
This year, as I walked down the neighbourhood streets of our fair city, one particular one struck me. It struck me so much I actually stopped and took a picture of it. Although well intentioned, it took the Earth Day promotions of the years past to an entirely new level.
The company? Kiehl’s.
The promotion: a limited edition rare earth deep pore cleansing masque.
The concept is… an earthen mask for your face just in time for Earth Day. Perfect! What could be better for Earth Day than actual earth for your face? I may be going out on a limb here, but I don’t think Earth Day had anything to do with soil from the earth, outside of protecting it. That said, what does soften the blow is that all proceeds from the masque go to a not-for-profit organization focused on promoting recycling. The limited edition masques are also sold in limited edition containers produced with their own Limited Edition Art Label series.
That’s better. A little art, a little donation, and a pore cleansing earthen masque for your face.
Stop the Mega Quarry
October 14, 2011 § Leave a Comment
On March 11, 2011, the Highland Companies — backed by a US hedge fund, the Baupost Group — applied for a license to excavate a quarry in southwestern Ontario, just north of Orangeville. The quarry would be the largest Canada has ever seen and span 2,316 acres. For those living in the area, this would be the equivalent of the area in Toronto from the Don Valley Parkway to Dufferin Street, and St. Clair Avenue down to Lake Ontario. Of particular importance is the destruction of precious Class 1 farmland, which would result from the excavation, as well as the impact to the water in the area. The proposed quarry would plunge 200 feet below the water table, which feed in the headwaters of five rivers. The result would be that 600-million-litres of water would need to be pumped from the mega quarry every day, in perpetuity.
What is especially disturbing is that this prime farmland was originally purchased with the stated intent of farming it. However, immediately upon consolidating ownership of the land, Highland Companies has turned around and promptly filed application for a mega limestone quarry; a quarry that will destroy the high-quality soil of Ontario’s farming heartland, disrupt the waters of 5 major rivers for generations to come, require water pumping generators to pump the water in perpetuity due to the permanent disruption of the underlying water table, and create immeasurable impact to the vast acres of neighbouring farmland, not to mention very real potential of pollution of the pristine water that currently serves over one million Ontario residents.
More information about this issue can be found at Canadian Chefs Congress.
In particular, on October 16th from 11am to 5pm, an event will be held where Chef Michael Stadlander and 70 other of Canada’s best Chefs will be cooking in solidarity with the movement to Stop the Mega Quarry. Be there to share the land and make a stand. Tickets are pay what you can and can also be bought either through the site, or at the event the day of. All proceeds will go towards assisting with the legal costs of fighting the Mega Quarry.
Thank you very much for reading this post, and do pass the word along. This land and water is ours. We have an opportunity to take a stand, so let’s take it.
Bringing light into some of the poorest parts of the Philippines
September 17, 2011 § Leave a Comment
They call him “Solar Demi”. The man known in their community as the god-send who is illuminating their homes. Demi is a volunteer who is a part of the Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Litre of Light) project.
The latest brainchild of Illac Diaz of the MyShelter Foundation, Isang Litrong Liwanag is a project that aims to bring sustainable lighting to some of the poorest communities in the Philippines. The concept, designed and developed by students at MIT, is surprisingly simple. Filtered water and a few tablespoons of bleach are placed into a 1L plastic bottle and a metal sheet is affixed around the bottle with a sealant to seal the seams. A hole the circumference of the bottle is then punched into the metal sheet roof of the home, and the bottle is placed through the hole and attached to the roof. The result: a previously dark home that relied heavily on electrical connections, that can be faulty and present fire hazards, can now be illuminated with free, and clean solar light during the day.
Each eco-friendly Solar Bottle Bulb transmits the equivalent of approximately 55-60 watts of light from the sun, and can last up to 5 years. The bleach in the filtered water prevent algae from building up in the bottle, extending the life of the simple bulb.
As of this year, over 10,000 bottle lights have been installed in underprivileged homes across Manila and the nearby province of Laguna. Isang Litrong Liwanag and MyShelter Foundation aim to install bulbs to light up a million homes by 2012.
To make a donation, or to volunteer for this amazing cause, go to Isang Litron Liwanag.
That can’t be an electric car: the Fisker Karma
July 17, 2011 § 2 Comments
I’m a huge fan of electric cars, or rather, the concept of electric cars. I say “concept” because currently without them having taken off in the mass market yet, they’re not fully suitable for the typical driver’s lifestyle, depending on how far you generally need to drive. There aren’t an abundance of charging stations around yet, and without those, who wants the risk of getting stranded? No one.
And then, there’s the look of the electric car. When you think of an electric car, you’re probably like me and visualize the small, cute, round-looking 2-person (or physics-defying 4-person) cars that are not quite buggy, not quite car.
So, to date, an electric car hasn’t been fully suitable from a functional and design aesthetic perspective… so it’s not fully in the consideration set of most car buyers, right?
Enter the Fisker Karma – a luxury (real) four-seater electric car that looks – well, it looks sexy! Now that’s a car. What’s better, it’ll go the distance you need it to without the frequent charge ups.
Deep Water Horizon: One year later
April 22, 2011 § 2 Comments
Image credit: WAtoday.com.au
Today is Earth Day, and this past Wednesday marked the one year anniversary of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In the last day or so, I’ve been reading a lot about the aftermath of the spill, especially as we approach (now bypass) the one year mark of what has been called the worst offshore oil spill in US history.
"Human Cost", a guerilla art performance took place at Tate Britain. Image credit: Jeff Blackler/Rex Features
WAToday out of Australia featured a number of personal stories of some of those directly affected by the spill. Others, like The Guardian, have covered the memorial trip of the families of the eleven men who lost their lives on the rig, and some of the vigils and quiet protests of the disaster.
What is more sobering is the difficulty families and communities are having getting payment from the $20-billion compensation fund BP set up last year. To add insult to injury, BP made headlines yesterday with their lawsuit against the owners of the Deep Water Horizon rig and makers of the device that failed to stop last year’s spill. It’s disappointing to see after all the dramatics, furthered negligence, and finger-pointing the world witnessed last year – one year later, nothing has changed for the company once touted for their commitment to social responsibility.
GOOD recently posted the anniversary numbers of what has changed (or not changed) since the Deep Water Horizon disaster. « Read the rest of this entry »
Love fish? Help keep them around.
April 17, 2011 § 3 Comments
Documentaries are a staple in our household. We watch them as religiously as some families follow their favorite sitcoms or catch up on the evening news. This evening, I finally got around to watching “The End of the Line“, based on the book by Charles Clover with the same title. If you haven’t watched it yet and are one for documentaries, I highly recommend it.
The documentary discusses the fishing industry and focuses on the current state of the health of our oceans – and more importantly, the expected degradation we can expect if we do nothing to change our attitudes and behaviors. Having gone diving in some local waters that have been depleted of ocean life and also others that are protected areas that were teaming with life, I have to say the documentary struck a particularly sensitive cord in me. What a shame if within our generation we saw some of our most beloved fish disappear into extinction and the waters look as barren as they already do in some parts.
Upon finishing the documentary, I went to the film’s website where they have more information about what the average person can do, and updated news links about the fishing industry. They also provide links to other sites that give listings of restaurants (unfortunately, mainly in the United States) according to a sustainability ratings, as well as recommended fish to eat and to avoid – based on current population levels. For a detailed pocket fish guide (PDF) of the recommended fish to avoid and eat, you can download it here.
I’ve included a summary chart of the top ten fish to avoid and to eat below, in case it’s of interest to you. I know it was to me.
Image from fish2fork.com
If you’d like more details about why each of the fish is listed in either the avoid or eat list, you can find the original chart on the The End of the Line website. Just select the fish you’re interested and more content will appear.
McDonald’s Corporate Responsibility: A paradox or a sign of things to come?
March 22, 2011 § 4 Comments
McDonald’s caught my attention again recently with the release of their 2010 Corporate Responsibility (CR) report. I have to admit to feeling incredibly torn, as I read through the report and 2011-2013 goals that McDonald’s has established. On the one hand, the awareness and effort to move towards a more corporately responsible state is a great sign of industry momentum in favour of social responsibility. On the other hand, McDonald’s product traditionally collides with the principles of corporate responsibility, which would make a global claim to corporate responsibility and sustainability misaligned. But is it misaligned if this is a glimpse of what’s to come in the future?
The concept of corporate responsibility is one that permeates through not just what a company says, but also in what they do, how they do it, and the essence behind the product or service they offer. Integrity, responsibility, and ethical consideration of all areas of business and product or service development are the holy grail of corporate responsibility that CR practitioners work hard to help companies achieve. Some companies get it, others don’t – and increasingly, I believe that the public can tell the difference and are holding companies accountable.
In McDonald’s case, the very core of what their product is, how it is produced, and what it actually stands for has traditionally been held to be in direct conflict with the meaning of corporate responsibility: mass produced fast food lacking in many of the essential nutrients we need. Food that has been engineered to taste delicious, but adding little to no benefit to the body. In addition, customers are almost always prompted to consume more of it: “Did you want to super size that?” A rather disturbing practice considering obesity and Type II diabetes are universally on the rise. Good for the bottom-line, not so good for society.
The phenomenon of McDonald’s food itself has been so interesting that in 2004, Morgan Spurlock made the documentary, Super Size Me, to capture the effects of McDonald’s on him when eaten daily. Since then, McDonald’s food itself has also become an internet meme. Customers all over the world took to their make-shift labs to test how long McDonald’s food would take to rot. We have all heard of the 12-year old burger and fries, and Joann Burso’s perfect year-old Happy Meal. Although, by far, the best test I have seen is by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt in his variable-controlled test in A Hamburger Today.
All this to say – the current perception is that although McDonald’s is a fun brand with delicious food, when it comes to food quality and long-term nutrition, McDonald’s severely falls short.
But what about their CR report? The report itself outlines all the major CR areas of concern that I would be interested in:
- Corporate Governance & Ethics
- Nutrition & Well-being (including marketing guidelines)
- Sustainable Supply Chain
- Environmental Responsibility
- Employee Experience
- Community
This in itself is very promising. It suggests McDonald’s is looking at CR and sustainability from the holistic perspective I was talking about above. Apart from this, it would also seem that McDonald’s has been working on the above areas since 2004 (interesting, the same year Super Size Me was released). « Read the rest of this entry »
From transactional to transformational
August 23, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Dr. Cleve W. Stevens (Photo credit CSRwire Talkback)
Late last week, I came across a blog post by Dr. Cleve W. Stevens, the founder and President of Owl Sight Intentions, Inc., giving his perspective on BP’s management of the Gulf oil spill earlier this year.
He talks about the differentiation between a transactional approach to operations, problem-solving, and leadership, compared with a transformational approach. My own personal interpretation is that much of the world still operates within a transactional paradigm, driven by the short-term motivation of economic profits. A transformational way of being occurs when a greater vision is taken on that strives towards enabling the personal growth and holistic well-being and betterment of other people and a community alongside a person or organization’s development. It is a long-term motivation driven by mutual benefit and sustainability. Dr. Stevens uses BP as an excellent example highlighting not only the difference between the two approaches, but also the magnitude of the outcomes: both potential and actual.
The original post can be found at CSRwire’s Talkback blog and I have also included it here below. I highly recommend reading it. It’s not only a great read, but offers compelling insight into the way companies and individuals carry themselves. If nothing else, it presents interesting food for thought.
At the end of the day, only you can decide what kind of leader or company you want to be.
