By Pamela McLeod •
January 20, 2009
This morning I watched Obama’s inauguration in a high school theater with several hundred young men. Everyone was captivated. As our 44th president delivered his speech, I kept thinking about the applicability of many of his words to the world and sustainability in its broadest sense. Here, how President Obama’s speech - originally written to encourage and inspire America in the face of crisis - can be expanded and applied to sustainability. Today, instead of tips, a call to action and pull of spirit.
A World in Crisis
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. . . Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
Environmental groups are criticized for their “doomsday” scenarios. Rainforests are dwindling, corals are dying, population is exploding, and global warming is ominously threatening.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Beyond America, there is a nagging fear that the earth’s decline is inevitable. Will fewer children have access to clean water? Will they starve? Will they know that polar bears and tigers once lived outside of zoos?
By Ramsay Mameesh •
January 12, 2009
In a chilling precedent for economics bloggers around the globe, a South Korean economics blogger was arrested and charged with “Spreading false economic information on the internet.”, and if convicted could face 5 years in jail.
By Andrew Williams •
August 28, 2008
In his much anticipated speech at the Democratic Convention in Denver, Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden has confirmed that, if elected, Barack Obama will give priority to bold policies on alternative energy.
In October 2005, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott gave a speech entitled “Twenty-First Century Leadership.” Part idealistic vision, part concrete blueprint, the speech made all of us in the green community stand up and take another look at the company. Regardless of one’s thoughts about Wal-Mart as a corporate citizen, all had to admit that Scott set bold long-term goals for the company: powering itself on 100% renewable energy, creating zero waste, and selling “products that sustain our resources and our environment.”
Last night, at the company’s Year-Beginning Meeting in Kansas City, Scott gave another speech, titled “The Company of the Future,” that returned to the themes of corporate leadership, social responsibility, and sustainability. Like its predecessor, this speech combined vision with practical goals. I’d originally planned to write one post giving a broad overview of the speech, but given Wal-Mart’s position as the world’s largest retailer, and the breadth of the ideas presented, a series seemed more appropriate.
Energy savings have already played into the company’s attempts to transform itself (and, admittedly, its image). From a business perspective, this makes sense: energy’s an expense. Scott’s focus in this speech, though, wasn’t so much on the company using energy more efficiently itself, but on helping customers save energy:
This morning I watched Obama’s inauguration in a high school theater with several hundred young men. Everyone was captivated. As our 44th president delivered his speech, I kept thinking about the applicability of many of his words to the world and sustainability in its broadest sense. Here, how President Obama’s speech - originally written to encourage and inspire America in the face of crisis - can be expanded and applied to sustainability. Today, instead of tips, a call to action and pull of spirit.
