Humane Society Partners with Ad Council to Help Animals

I was thrilled to learn tonight a client of mine, The Advertising Council, will be creating a major PSA campaign to support the efforts of Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

I just came back from a town hall meeting with Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the HSUS. He is a personal hero of mine. I was so impressed with their response to hurricane Katrina and have been a dedicated member ever since. The HSUS has been fighting successfully for animals suffering all forms of cruelty; factory farms, puppy mills, the barbaric seal hunt in Canada to name only afew. Their growth in membership, the passage of significant pieces of legislation, the raising of public awareness has helped hundreds of thousands of animals over the years. Much of this is attributed to Wayne's leadership.

It was so satisfying to be there and get personally updated. I hope to get trained in animal rescue so I can be of use during natural disasters. Alas, the curse of enthusiasm strikes again!

How did Ford save 35 million going green?

How did Ford save 35 million going green?
Answer: by following the design concept developed by architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart  called Cradle to Cradle or Waste = Food. Watch the video and be very inspired.

At its most basic it is about including the concept of composting or re-use of materials right into the manufacturing process at the design stage. Or as they put it, producing goods that can be re-used either by the biosphere or the technosphere, thus eliminating the problems of waste entirely. Get it??  I hope so, 'cause its pretty exciting!! No waste. No landfill. No problem.

As a designer, I know about the idea of  sustainable forestry. The concept was once explained to me this way. If everyone in the world agreed to use only recycled paper/wood products tomorrow, we would run out of recycled materials in one week. Ultimately recycling isn't the answer to our waste problem, because its not actually sustainable. That's where sustainable forestry comes in. Trees are planted and cut down for their use. And more trees are planted upon harvesting to keep the forest flourishing. That's the simplified, nutshell version. However, the concept of Cradle to Cradle is even more exciting to me. As Michael Braungart put it, "sustainable is the bear minimum".

So let me get back to the Cradle to Cradle idea and Ford for one moment.

Here are specific examples of one aspect of what Cradle to Cradle meant to Ford when they set out to re-tool one of their plants. Water run off was filtered by their "green" rooftops (designed to be a meadow for birds and bees). This rooftop saves Ford money on maintenance (there is less degradation on such rooftops). The meadow rooftop helps better regulate heat and cooling within the building iteslf, thus saving on heating and air conditioning costs. It saved a bundle of money by eliminating the need for a water purification process. Nature does the job by purifying the runoff water on the roof before returning it to the land. And it so happens that humans enjoy working in plants designed with these concepts in mind because such buildings require more natural light and natural airflow to achieve some of the other cost savings. The fact that the building is a pleasure to work in saves money on sick days, and employee turn-over. Bottom line, Ford saved 35 million dollars by redesigning their plant with Cradle to Cradle thinking. Now that's exciting! And if you watch the video, and I hope you do - you'll see that Ford isn't the only business taking notice.

Reduce, reuse, recycle – sustainable forestry, Cradle to Cradle – Waste = Food. Some provocative ideas to consider for your business and the future of the planet.

Dr. Riane Eisler speaking at the UN Sept 16, 2009

I saw Dr. Eisler speak in D.C., she was truly inspiring. I couldn't find a link with the information about her upcoming engagement in NYC, so I'm using my blog as a place to host the info and spread the word. If you can attend, you will be happy you did.

The Real Wealth of Nations: From Global Warming to Global partnerships
Sponsored by Grenada
In preparation for the One Day Summit on Climate Change

September 16th
1:15-2:45pm
Conference Room 1
United Nations Headquarters

Dr. Riane Eisler
World Renowned Speaker and Author

Dr. Riane Eislers’s newest book, The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics – hailed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu as “a template for the better world we have been so urgently seeking,” by Peter Senge as “desperately needed,” and by Jane Goodall as “a call for action” – proposes a new approach to economics that gives visibility and value to the most essential human work: the work of caring for people and planet.

Please contact  Derek Nelson for registration at dnelson5@stu.edu or at 305-890-9349 (email preferred)

Peace poster appears in Washington Post

Great "product placement"

An article in the Washington Post features a photo of Congressman Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress and the first African American to represent Minnesota in his office. Just behind him to the left is a poster I designed for the Peace Alliance, promoting the campaign calling for a federally funded Department of Peace in the U.S. government.

Now that's gratifying!

Here is the poster. If you are inspired, you can purchase one here. All the proceeds will support the campaign for a Department of Peace.

Blood diamonds? Conflict electronics? What we don't know can kill others.

I saw the film Blood Diamond the other night on TV. I highly, highly recommend it. It was riveting and inspiring. Yes, horrifying and violent too, but absolutely worth watching. Not only because it depicts an issue of great importance, but also because its a really well-done film. (I worked in film editing for 11 years).

I already knew something of the issue of diamond mining fueling conflict and human rights abuses in Liberia and Sierra Leone. And I knew enough to feel very relieved that diamonds weren't things I ever cared to purchase. (Instead of buying my engagement ring, my husband "purchased" the ring that had belonged to my grandmother from me - by making a donation to a favorite charity. The ring then became his to give.) And that was back in 2000, before the issue of blood diamonds became something the US public was aware of. In fact, it wasn't until 2003 that the Kimberly certification process went into effect - a process that enabled consumers to certify they were purchasing diamonds that were indeed conflict free.

By November 2002, negotiations between governments, the international diamond industry and civil society organizations resulted in the creation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). The KPCS document sets out the requirements for controlling rough diamond production and trade. The KPCS entered into force in 2003, when participating countries started to implement its rules. read more

However, computer electronics... That's a different matter. When I heard that other minerals were essential to building our electronics - I was deeply troubled. I have TONS of electronics!! And honestly, I want more, and I want them cheap! But I certainly don't want them to cost other people their very existence.

So I wanted to know more. And specifically - what could I do as a citizen to shop and live responsibly? Fortune had a great article on the matter. I recommend it to anyone interested in the subject. The bottom line is, its true;

"The consumer electronics industry is the largest end user of the minerals that are fueling the fighting in eastern Congo," says John Norris, executive director of the Enough Project, an Africa-focused advocacy group and leader of the coalition. "These companies have an obligation to ensure they are not financing armed groups by demanding more information and better behavior from their suppliers."

And there is already some efforts underway to address the matter.

In Congress, Sen. Sam Brownback is partnering with Sen. Russ Feingold and Sen. Dick Durbin to revise legislation that Brownback introduced last year addressing the issue. Set to be introduced by April 4, the new bill would require companies that use minerals mined in the region to disclose sourcing to the SEC. previously cited

And;

Some companies already have policies on minerals from DR Congo. Motorola (MOT, Fortune 500), Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500), HP (HPQ, Fortune 500), Nokia (NOK) and RIM (RIMM) bar suppliers from selling them Congolese coltan. "Mining activities that fuel conflict are unacceptable," Motorola wrote in response to Enough's request.
HP also said it would work on the issue. "We take very seriously the issue of the social and environmental conditions associated with our electronics industry supply chain," says Judy Glazer, director of HP's global social and environmental responsibility operations.
But even if the companies want to help, it's not easy. There's no certification system for minerals from the region. "Short of banning all minerals coming from the Eastern Congo or coming from Central Africa, it's going to be very difficult to set up a system on the ground that will be able to distinguish between good and bad minerals," says Jason Stearns, a former UN DR Congo investigator....previously sited

It seems this is an issue to keep an eye on. I'm thrilled that Apple has some policies in place and will track to see what more evolves. I'm hoping these beginning efforts become stronger over time and that more businesses step up voluntarily, or feel the pressure, to adopt and publicize similar policies. And as consumers we can take responsibility as well.

There are several simple things we can each do:

1. Call our congress members and ask them to support S891 the bill before Congress. (Search on bill no. S891 to read the text.) Use Congress.org to find your Congress Members' contact information. Just type in your zip code in and click GO. Contact your Senators and Representative, give them your address so they know you are a constituent, then ask them to co-sponsor this bill.
   
2. Make a donation to nonprofits like the Enough Project.
   
3. Research electronic companies before making purchases to make sure your purchases are as conflict free as possible.
4. Talk about this issue with people you know.
   

...........

Previous efforts to clean up supply chains have had mixed results. The Kimberley Process, a joint government, industry and nonprofit initiative that certifies shipments of rough diamonds as "conflict-free," was largely successful, now covering most of the world's diamonds. But the chocolate industry's response to criticism over child labor on cocoa farms in West Africa, a voluntary protocol by which companies would wean themselves from child labor, then certify as much, hasn't significantly changed practices in Ivory Coast and elsewhere. previously sited

Entrenched situations such as these don't change overnight and our efforts may never "seem" like they are enough. The reality is 5 minutes of action, can go a long way when enough people join together. As consumers, we play a vital role in helping shape this issue and others like it. And we have far more power than we realize.