Escaping the sustainability trough of disillusionment Progress isn't a straight line forward, and right now, the sustainability movement is in a bit of a rough patch. For instance, nearly half of the companies that report on emissions targets through CDP are falling short of their goals, according to Bain. At the same time, many CEOs are dialing back on sustainability priorities, shifting focus to issues like inflation or emerging technologies like AI. As Bain notes, we're in the "trough of...
3 months ago • 1 min read
5 Sustainability Predictions for 2025 Let's face it: 2024 was rough on many fronts for sustainability professionals and advocates. But progress isn't a straight line forward. Babies have sleep regressions. The S&P 500 is up around 25% in 2024 but had a downturn of around -8.5% in August. Championship teams often go through mid-season slumps. And while I don't think 2025 will be perfect, I do think the private sector will step up...not necessarily from the goodness of their hearts always, but...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Imagining a better future No matter what your political beliefs are, it's hard not to assume that the president-elect Trump's victory last week was a blow to sustainability efforts. His return to power, combined with a lackluster COP29 currently taking place, makes it easy to feel cynical about the fight against climate change. Yet even though a Trump administration will likely be more hospitable to the fossil fuel industry, and regulatory agencies like the EPA will lose some of their bite,...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Good for employees, good for the world If you want to make a positive impact on the environment at scale, I firmly believe that one of the best ways to practically make a difference is to focus on economics. Not enough people are simply motivated by morality. Otherwise, we wouldn't be where we are now with the climate crisis. It's not like this is an unknown problem with unknown solutions. But if you're struggling to afford groceries, you're not going to pay more for regeneratively farmed...
7 months ago • 1 min read
Voting for, not against What's happening in US politics right now provides a good parallel for the sustainability world in my view. As confidence in President Biden's ability to continue running the country fades across the aisle, I think the polls reflect that voting against a candidate isn't always enough. At this point, I think low-propensity voters desperately need to be inspired to vote for specific solutions -- including environmental progress, affordable education, childcare, etc. --...
10 months ago • 1 min read
Who cares about chairs? When you're facing client deadlines, an overflowing inbox, and a Zoom meeting that's about to start in 10 minutes, you're probably not giving much thought to the furniture around you. At best, your chair and desk might seem like simple commodities as you focus on getting important work done.But not all chairs are created equally. For one, improved ergonomics can boost productivity. The constant back pain I was getting from sitting in a budget-friendly desk chair made...
about 1 year ago • 1 min read
3 takeaways from Expo West Last week I had the chance to attend Expo West, which I like to describe as Whole Foods aisles coming to life, where seemingly every brand associated with wellness and sustainability has a booth and around 80,000 attendees roam the halls trying sample after sample. In addition to my massive haul of literal takeaways that I'm still sampling my way through, here are three sustainability-related takeaways I picked up at the show: Regenerative organic is the new...
about 1 year ago • 1 min read
Flash Sale ⚡ For the next 24 hours, you can get a year's subscription to Carbon Neutral Copy for $49 $19. Why? Because next week I'm heading to Expo West in Anaheim, and I'll be sharing exclusive content with subscribers about sustainability in the food and beverage sector, as well as analysis of more overarching consumer trends and ways businesses can improve sustainability. Get this deal now! New on the blog Starting a company with good intentions isn't enough to create a sustainable brand....
about 1 year ago • 1 min read
Go small or go home? Over the past year or two, I've noticed more companies have shifted hard to the more technical side of the sustainability equation and are cloaking themselves in an alphabet soup of reporting standards and commitments. I get it. For one, the more technical aspects and big-picture commitments like the Science Based Targets are necessary for the world to reach big goals like limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.But how many people really understand...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read