I’m trying to learn about biomimicry, learning from and then emulating natural forms, processes, and ecosystems to create more sustainable and healthier human technologies and designs. And this learning process just led me to one of the most profound experiences of my life; I hope it means as much to you. Please check this out talk by Janine Benyus, founder of the Biomimicry Institute.
Andrew, very smart fellow, writes:
So Craig, it sounds like you are starting to believe that the “big” corporations (at least some of the automotive OEMS and utilities) are not actually devils. If that is correct — welcome to the real world. Now we need to work on your double-standard of calling the profit motivated green movement “good” while calling the profit motivated energy companies “bad.” …..
It seems to me that there is a clear distinction between entrepreneurship and our version of capitalism. We all see the inevitable conflict between the pioneering and independent spirit of entrepreneur, and the entrenched monopolies that normally develop as the end-point result of capitalism, that make every effort to pocket, crush or sabotage the most potentially competitive entrepreneurs by any means at their disposal — and generally triumph. Examples like Nikolai Tesla’s DC power, Henry Ford’s original ethanol engines, the Tucker automobile, the Red Car trolleys of Los Angeles, and the metal hydride battery — show the harm that dominant power structures will do to creative thinking, but will dine richly on slave labor, child labor, concentration camp labor, prison labor and sweatshops. Meanwhile, we have to live with their rampant waste and pollution of ecological resources, unsafe and inefficient vehicles, clinically worthless medicines (to the exclusion of curative research), and harmful food-like products that simultaneously fatten and starve.
Having said all this, I’m wondering if there isn’t some real change afoot. In particular, I’m very impressed with the sincerity I see in a great number of corporations in their embrace of sustainability efforts. I’m hoping that the ubiquity of information online has led us to a world where evil deeds are just too visible — and thus not worth the risk — where CEOs who lie go to prison (under SOX), etc.
It’s an interesting time to be alive — and watch different vectors: man’s basic goodness, greed, shame, and laws attempting to restrict corporate behavior — all hammering into one another.
Thanks for writing, Andrew.
A number of politicians and economists who seem to think that “going green” would represent a huge financial burden to Corporate America need to pay closer attention to Wal-Mart. For this giant retailer, going green means appealing to shoppers 25-35 for whom protecting the environment is a given. That’s what Wal-Mart chairman Lee Scott recently said.
But Craig Shields adds:
That’s fine, but a friend of mine told me this story:
At a recent webinar at which Wal-Mart presented its “sustainability index,” someone asked, “Well this is terrific, but suppose Pampers score low on the index — which, of course, they will — after all, they’re disposable diapers! Are you saying you won’t sell Pampers?” He said you could have heard a pin drop.
James Woolsey wrote an interesting opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal this morning. Mr. Woolsey is a former director of the CIA, has served in four administrations, is a foreign policy expert and Rhodes Scholar. He is also dedicated to renewable energy and energy security – in short, moving away from dependence on fossil fuels. Woolsey is a venture partner with VantagePoint, chairs the Strategic Advisory Group of Paladin Capital Group and is Counsel at Goodwin Proctor specializing in alternative energy and security. There are numerous posts on this blog on Woolsey – so readers have no shortage of material on the man.
In the opinion piece, “How to End America’s Addition to Oil,” Woolsey plants the seed of urgency by reminding us that oil is now solidly above $80 per barrel, moving consistently higher over the last five quarters. “If oil reaches $125 a barrel again…then approximately half the wealth in the world…will be controlled by OPEC nations,” he says. He has been sounding the alarm for years, as have others, about the issues of oil dependence.
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Probably next Thursday, Earth Day, the Kerry-Graham-Liberman climate-change bill will be announced by Obama at the White House. Every “green” stock traded on Wall Street should benefit, although the impact could be only temporary. Expect electric utilities to sell off, along with oil and gas marketers. Look for Republicans to jump all over the likely 15-cent-a-gallon increase at the pump, as well as an increase in everyone’s monthly electric bills.
Despite the current economic malaise and the stalemate over “capping” carbon, the global wind power industry will grow 160% between now and 2014, according to a just-released forecast from the Global Wind Energy Council. China and the US will lead the way. While the obvious investment play here is the wind turbine manufacturing crowd (Vestas, Nordex, Gamesa, etc.), the less obvious play is the group of companies that will have to build thousands of miles of new transmission lines connecting all this wind power to the grid — companies such as Siemens and ABB.
We all have our “small world” stories — and I don’t think for a minute that mine are any better than yours. But for tomorrow at least, mine is pretty good. The marketing consulting firm that I ran for 25 years — at one point topping 200 employees, occasionally tapped the legal brillance of one Bruce May of Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth. When I spoke with him recently, merely to reminisce about the good old days, he mentioned that his bother is the legendary Pete May of GreenBiz fame. The three of us are having lunch tomorrow.
Norm Burns of Cypher Environmental, mentioned earlier today, asked if I would post this case study. Of course.
The Dominican Republic has found it hard to build effective and long-lasting roads with its high annual rainfall, high temperatures and the predominant soil type found there. But recently Cypher Environmental performed a demonstration near a gold course near Santo Domingo with its product EarthZyme, which is a 100% environmentally friendly soil stabilizer — specifically designed to hold together the clay-based soils found in the area, while providing control of road as well. Workers applied EarthZyme with standard construction techniques and equipment. The product was demonstrated on a stretch of road about 150 yards long — and engineers learned how to perform future applications with this incredible soil stabilization product.
I think a lot of us are looking for the smoking gun causing the skyrocketing rates of disease in the world. Is there a single cause? I just spoke with Norm Burns – a man of retirement age – but hardly of retiring personality. Norm believes he’s identified the culprit: the governments of the world allow toxic products to be freely laid into our environment. He points out that particulate matter like calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate, used by the megaton on our roads to hold down dust, is ruining the health of every living thing on the planet.
He’s developed products — currently sold in 73 countries around the world – that replace these toxins with environmentally safe products. Want to know more? Check out Cypher Environmental, and look for products like Dust Stop – a 100% environmentally friendly dust suppressant/dust control product that effectively eliminates unwanted fugitive dust from dirt roads or unpaved roads consisting of any soil type.
To anyone who tells you that “green” isn’t big business, point them in the direction of Royal Philips Electronics (PHG), which just said that sales of “green” products totaled $9.4 billion, or 31% of total 2009 sales. Philips exceeded analysts’ fourth-quarter expectations and has made what the company described as a “strong start” to 2010. The company’s CEO expects sales of LED lighting products to continue driving overall green growth over next few years.
