Does empathy have a “touchy/feely” rep, or is it just me?  What I mean is, do we as a culture – and by default – assign empathy a “feminine” or “soft skill” essence?  Our need to nurture sustainability leadership, right now, makes this a very important question.

Before I go further, … Read on >

“Unless one makes a conscious effort to engage in dialogue with perspectives that are unfamiliar, disorienting, or even threatening, it is difficult to shed light on that which is partial and unexamined in one’s own understanding.” – Carol Sanford, … Read on >

If you pay attention, there are clues for strategically communicating about your business’s sustainability in the wind, and in news stories that may seem to have nothing to do with sustainability.  With just a casual weekend ear and eye to national news sources (NPR, New York Times etc), I learned … Read on >

While in Vermont last week for the final residency of my  Goddard College Master’s Program, I noticed something.  Whether it was in workshops or site visits, the “social” element of sustainability and corporate responsibility was what made those involved … Read on >

One of the reasons I’m so interested in the sustainability movement is that it forces the normally so suspicious and competitive business environment to do a 180.  They have to stop spouting “outside of the box” thinking and actually do … Read on >

The story in the New York Times today about how smaller, independent green cleaning product brands (like Method and Seventh Generation) are doing better than “green” lines of larger brands (like Clorox Green Works) presents … Read on >

Anyone who delves into a sustainable business management book or two will quickly note references to “long-term,” “investment” and “journey” throughout.  (See Paul Hawken and Ray C. Anderson, for good examples).  By virtue of the fact that sustainability involves tending to many interconnected systems of thinking/being/doing, there’s no … Read on >

I’ve been noticing at least a tiny shift in the greater sustainability discussion lately.  There are beginning to be more examples of sustainability-mature companies, organizations and just general business thinking. This is very positive!  Still, because this movement seems to move at glacial speed, it may be worth acknowledging these … Read on >

I’m reading Being Wrong, a fascinating book by Kathryn Schultz, and came across something that seems worth sharing here. She writes that “one of the most defining and dangerous characteristics of certainty” is that “it is toxic to a shift in perspective.”

This seems like a great reminder that some … Read on >

One of the things that so intrigues me about sustainability is the way it forces a hard look in the opposite direction for just about every business topic.  For instance, you’d think “green marketing” would demand an overt or visible approach, but green or sustainable marketing seems to be most … Read on >