A chance to reset I consider myself a goals-oriented person, but since I'm human, I often get off track. Yet two days every year stand out as an opportunity for me to reset and get back on course. One is New Year's Day, with the fresh calendar providing a blank slate, and the other is my birthday, when reaching the next year in life also helps me re-evaluate if my actions are meeting my standards. In the corporate sustainability world, a similar dynamic applies. The start of a new fiscal year...
over 1 year ago • 1 min read
Content from Expo West, GreenBiz 25, and more! I'd apologize for the gap from my last newsletter to this, but given that everyone's so busy, maybe less is more. That said, I haven't been twiddling my thumbs but rather getting more into the mix at live events, like Expo West (a natural foods/CPG products show) and GreenBiz 25 (a major corporate sustainability conference). What I've been hearing and seeing is some pessimism and pullbacks on talking about sustainability, but I don't think the...
over 1 year ago • 1 min read
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...
over 1 year 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...
over 1 year 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,...
almost 2 years 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...
almost 2 years 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. --...
about 2 years 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...
over 2 years 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...
over 2 years ago • 1 min read