A friend and Non Profit fund raising consultant Ted Hart sent me a survey on 'Geening up' the non profit world. I have liked Ted's writings in the past and feel that it is timely to address how we in the non profit sector can be good stewards of our donor and constituent resources but also the resources of the earth.
Some friends at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars have put together a nice article on the Eco-tour of Second Life. Developed by UC Berkley Graduate Student Stephanie Gerson, the tour looks at how some virtual spaces are examining real world ecological issues and developing solutions. I have always maintained that one of the best uses for this virtual spaces is as a 3-D collaborative platform for big problem solving. I am glad to see an issues such as the ecology being tackled.
Leave it to the Netherlands to come up with an exceptional idea of creating mini power grids for distributing wind and solar energy generated to various home in a coordinated action. Qurrent is a computer based system for power allocation and utilization that appears to be tied into major appliances as well. In short it helps coordinate major power events such as clothes washing and drying and redirects wind and solar energy to specific homes in sequence to avoid the loss of transferring the power back to the main grid. Very cool technology and could become the standard in new subdivisions and developments... one would hope. Thanks to Springwise for pointing this out.
IBM released their take on the next 5 big innovations. They website has a number of report links at the bottom with research on the trends but what is interesting is that I did not seem to see them tied together in any way. I am real disappointed that they did not take a few of the major issues facing the world and overtly showcase how any one or combination of trends would make an impact on them. Health care, global warming, aging populations, water shortages are all major global concerns that are easily tied into the Next 5 but I believe that IBM did not want to go to far out on the limb to showcase the great impact that these advances could have.
The World Future Society has compiled their 2007 and 2008 trends into great U-Tube videos. I have embedded them below. They are eye opening and provide a real sense of long term view and long term importance of considering ecological impacts on business and our lives.
A very interesting Yale Study sent to me this morning that points to the fact that between 2/3 and 3/4 of Americans support, and are willing to pay a bit to make a reality, any one of a number of government run subsidies that will help their communities be more green. These programs range from $5.00 - $8.00 per month increases in their power bills to help others get more fuel efficient furnaces, or mandate that their power company generate 20% of their power from renewable resources. The point of the study is to show you never know how many people will go how far until you ask them. With tis new knowledge it would be irresponsible for local municipalities to not ask their constituents the same questions, and then creating programs in accordance with the desires of the community.
Some of the findings included:
- 71 percent would pay $5 a month more in property taxes in support of a local subsidy to encourage homeowners to replace old furnaces, water heaters, air conditioners, light bulbs and insulation.
- 69 percent would pay $8.50 more a month for local regulations requiring electric utilities to produce at least 20 percent of their electricity from wind, solar and other renewable energy sources.
- 68 percent would approve changing their city or town zoning rules to decrease suburban sprawl and concentrate new development near the town center.
- 65 percent would support changing their city or town zoning rules to require neighborhoods to have a mix of housing, offices, industry, schools and stores close together.
Business Week has a number of articles on the future of work recently.1 2 3. I got me thinking back to a presentation I did about a year ago for a Division Board of Directors on the future of work. In the presentation I laid out the differentiating features of Knowledge work and set a long term realm of possibilities for the future of knowledge work. Technological advances have really created an environment ripe for mobile and off site workers. Moreover the upcoming generation is steeped in technology know-how, and the keyboard and phone are the preferred input devices over the pen and paper.
The workforcre will drive the future of work, but the future of management is more important. How will a 20th century management structure integrate a 21st century workforce? How will cities adjust to the new reality? A 21st century workforce is distributed all over the world because talented people will live where they want to live and work for whom they want to work. Drivers such as health care, cost of living, diminishing cost of broadband access, wireless technology, and mobile computing are changing the self employment landscape for many. Below is a mind map of the drivers and outcomes of the knowledge workforce. Download end_of_the_workplace.jpg
3M has always held a reputation of being an innovative company over the decades and a Business Week article describes how it is trying to get that magic back. With a change in management in 2000 the company began to alter its focus importing Six Sigma and putting a lot of focus on efficiency and fiscal restraint. The challenge was that in doing so 3M restricted the creativity and freedom needed to produce blockbuster products. With the departure of the former CEO McNerney, the new CEO George Puckley Phd has a precarious balancing act to pull off. The question is how to re-energize the creative machine that was 3M and still keep the efficiencies brought over from GE? Buckley is now putting more money into R&D and offering innovation incentives as well. If he can find the magic formula he will be the envy of his peers.
PopToTheShops.net allows some UK shoppers to shop from their local markets online, and then have the items delivered. It is a great model that blends the technology of online shopping with locally sustainable business practices that benefit not only the end consumer but the local economy as well. This system effectively grants the local businesses with the same kind of online access as large big box retailers have. One advantage is that local stores may carry many products chains do not creating a competitive advantage where in favor of the local merchant.
There is a misconception that all things that taste good are not good for you. So when a number of women at a Frito Lay plant decided to try to crate a product that fit the bill the thought was that it would happen when 'Pigs Fly'. So they challenged the 'Flat Earth' ideas and created Impossibly Good snacks which may ven contains some vitamins. They even put the flying pig on the label. The vice president of innovation at Frito Lay, North America, Joe Ennan, says that, "Today's consumer demand for healthier options was our call to action to develop the unique brand of Flat Earth baked snacks." Glad to see the spirit of innovation alive in American industry.
