The blog of Interwoven Threads, devoted to discussing ways of doing better in our little corners of the world.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The Footprint Chronicles
in business - especially in my situation as a start-up small biz owner - it's good to have mentors. patagonia has always been a company i look up to and mirror many of Interwoven Threads' philosophies. well, patagonia's done it again. i'm not going to even tease you with info, you're going to have to go to the link. but this is one of the most honest, ballsy, respectable positions i've ever seen a company take.
i'm always interested in other social entrepreneurs and what they're doing with their ideas. more specifically, how can social strategies succeed in the traditional business world. here's a great interview of David Bornstein by Guy Kawasaki.
one quote from David hit me hard...when asked why some take action and make their ideas happen, while some don't: "There is emotional pain associated with inaction, especially if we care about something."
"stunts" are normally an unfortunate part of my day job (marketing). many times stunts are the result of not having newsworthy stories, engaging products, brands, etc...so massive disruption must occur. stunts, though, also can be brilliant interruptions in our days and drive home a point in a very visual, dynamic way.
via triple pundit, today is National Park(ing) Day, which is a day to celebrate the importance of community parks and promote park creation. TP gives a nice example of a relevant stunt, by san fran group Rebar. check out more of what Rebar has done with its parking space stunts here.
great idea. i'm done calling it a stunt. it's an awareness campaign. and a good one at that.
i have a feeling that my day job (brand strategist) and my interest in the environment are going to continue to collide. triple pundit points to a relevant (to any company) study from the Internetwork for Sustainability. as with most issues of brand reputation, the best way to combat threats and preserve positive reputations is to be proactive.
my friend sara (and interwoven threads advocate extraordinaire) just shot me a link to a Chicago Tribune story on the city's famous (and huge!) critical mass. check it out. i'm a big believer in critical mass-type events within the cycling community. they help underscore a number of issues: car/bike safety, environmentalism, getting off the grid, fitness. but they also serve to energize a base and recruit new enthusiasts with the hope of converting drivers into pedalers (is that a word?).
one thing that caught my attention in the article is the questioning of participants dedication to the mission and meaning of critical mass events. "are you real?" do you come out and ride a mass or do you commute to work/school/jump on your bike when you run errands? i personally don't have any problem with people participating who may not live that vision daily - the more the better here. and some people are unable to bike to work, etc. because of distance/terrain/inability to show up sweaty for meetings.
this brings up a larger question: how many causes or issues are you involved in in theory, but not in practice?
it's cliche, but take action. however small your first step. ride a critical mass and then aim to cut a car trip a week via bike. watch the 11th hour, but then set up your home recycling system. you get the point.
wow - i was forwarded artist Chris Jordan's latest work today and am loving it. he uses numbers and objects to chart (beautifully, though frightening) various statistics - from plastic bag waste to uninsured children.
International leaders at this week's APEC summit in Australia agreed on a "long-term aspirational goal" to reduce carbon emissions. Without any binding targets. You know what this is equivalent to? When I woke up this morning, I was drinking my coffee on the back porch and looked at a tree that's branches are creeping out of my yard and into my neighbors' yard. I fleetingly thought, "I should do something about that." I had an aspirational, long-term goal of trimming that tree. Or that time I said, "I'm going to make the pro golf tour sometime."
More at reuters. It's not new news (is that redundant?) that international leaders discuss, however vaguely, climate change. It's been a cost of entry for summit talks since Kyoto grabbed headlines. It's normally an aspect of media coverage when two or more gather. The difference - and therefore the "news" in my mind - is that though unfortunate, the power to affect climate change doesn't rest solely on our leaders' shoulders. In fact, the first thing I thought when reading the reuters story was, "At least everyday people are doing extraordinary things."
And that's exciting. And, per the article, necessary.
On the same topic, America's point man had one of his world series of speech blunders at the summit. Check out this video...it's as if he crammed a week's worth of Bushims into two minutes. I guess if we can't expect our president to know where he is, it's audacious of us to expect he implements binding targets to international recommendations.
the good folks at Two Hands Worldshop just posted a great list of ways to "Fair Up" your family/friends. most people agree, in theory, with fair trade. few people have changed buying habits. even fewer are evangelists for fair trade. use this list as a start to raising your awareness or encouraging those around you.
I'm Andy, and I'm the founder and chief weaver of Interwoven Threads. This new company is my way of doing better.
I wear a few different hats: brand strategist by day, marathoner, road and mountain bike rider, Labrador Retriever lover, painter, mediocre guitar player, coffee drinker and wine enthusiast.
