Gil Friend’s Blog
The Top Sustainability Stories of 2012
Last month I offered my picks for the Top Sustainability Stories of 2011. Here are my predictions for the Top Sustainability Stories of 2012. (It's a rugged mix of bad news and good.) Climate heats up and hides out The sheer pressure of the hard-to-escape evidence --...
Top Sustainability Stories of 2011 — AND 2012
This is the time of year when people assemble their top 10 lists for 2011 -- movies, restaurants, etc, -- and top sustainability stories and trends. Here are mine -- not ranked, not complete, quite subjective, and hopefully rich food for thought for you. (Next time:...
To Understand is to Perceive Patterns
I've long felt than one of the big differences (chasms) is between people who look at the world and see things, and people who look at the world and see pattern. Here's a beautiful exploration of that idea. "To Understand is to Perceive Patterns" on Vimeo
“In Defense of the Plastic Bag” — Useful provocation, but asks the wrong questions
Marc Gunther seems to be relishing his role as green curmudgeon (or at least provocateur) over at GreenBiz.com. To judge by the comment stream, he hit a nerve with his recent "In Defense of the Plastic Bag." Here's my response: It may seem complicated, Marc, but...
In love with WalMart?
In his latest blog post, veteran journalist Marc Gunther asks Have I fallen in love with Walmart? It's a long, thougthtful piece, responding to an even longer piece in Grist. "I’ve written dozens of stories about the retail giant, Gunther writes. "...I’ve been...
What I’m reading
It sometimes seems that books flow into my bedside reading stack faster than they leave it. It's a good problem too have; there are so many good books on the subjects that concern us all. Here are a few of my current favorites - some that I've read, some that I'm...
Pixel & Print Logic (To print or not to print? That isn’t the question!)
Deciding when and whether to print just got a lot easier, thanks to the release today of a new infographic -- Pixel and Print Logic -- from Natural Logic, Domtar Paper and the Institute of Sustainable Communication. We've all seen that little message at the bottom of...
Redefining Value: The New Metrics of Sustainable Business
I participated last week in Redefining Value: The New Metrics of Sustainable Business, a day long workshop produced by Sustainable Life Media and the Wharton School of Business. I moderated the first half of the day. Here are my opening remarks. I'm Gil Friend,...
The True Cost Economy: Ecologizing Capitalism
Reinvent economy of an entire planet. This planet. In one generation. To do this, we need "The True Cost Economy: Ecologizing Capitalism." This was the theme of the panel I shared with Jean Brittingham and Randy Hayes at SXSWeco last week, and of the thoughts I share...