Mean Business
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Nope. Not that kind of mean. Mean as in "we mean business". My last blog post (“Think Globally, Launch Locally?) was about Planet Labs and their partnership with the state of California, to launch microsatellites to track the earth’s climate. I left off in that post discussing the general trend towards businesses and states or provinces taking action when government fails to do so. The organization mentioned at the end of the post was the “We Mean Business” Coalition. This is the statement regarding “what we do” on their site: We Mean Business is a global nonprofit coalition working with the world’s most influential businesses to take action on climate change. Together we catalyze business leadership to drive policy ambition and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. “Coalition” sounds a bit too small. The numbers give away its size: 822 companies with almost $17 Trillion (with a T) in market cap are participants. What’s motivating them to join and take action? Of course altruism – doing the right thing – is one of the motivational factors. However, on their web site, they say that they “recognize the transition to a low-carbon economy is the only way to secure sustainable economic growth and prosperity for all”. Note the stress on economic growth. These companies are basically – on a large scale – investing in the “Cost of Good Quality”, something we as project managers know about. If you need a refresher, this is the concept from quality guru Philip Crosby that says money and effort invested up front in things like training, incoming inspection, better planning, thoughtfulness is worth it because the “Cost of Poor Quality” – in this case, a failing planet, is so much higher. Here’s Jesper Brodin of IKEA discussing how climate change is affecting his company right now and why IKEA is in the We Mean Business Coalition. That’s just a brief sample of what you will find at the Coalition’s website. How about something more significant? Here’s a case study from Google regarding their move to full 100% renewable energy: https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/google-carbon-neutrality-100-renewable-energy-beyond/
If you are studying sustainability in project management, what a rich source of research you have on this site. Case study after case study are available showing the economic justification for investing in climate action. Click here and research away! Just in the past few months, case studies have been posted from Danone, Tesco, Google, and Coca-Cola. The organization also sponsors conferences, both face-to-face, and webinars, for example this one: https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/event/practice-guide-develop-green-energy-procurement-plan/ See if your company is one of the participants by clicking here. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/companies/ If not, perhaps you can be a change agent and get them to join, by clicking here. Don't be mean! Mean business instead. And it turns out that planning for a better future for earth is good business. |
Mean Business
|
Nope. Not that kind of mean. Mean as in "we mean business". My last blog post (“Think Globally, Launch Locally?) was about Planet Labs and their partnership with the state of California, to launch microsatellites to track the earth’s climate. I left off in that post discussing the general trend towards businesses and states or provinces taking action when government fails to do so. The organization mentioned at the end of the post was the “We Mean Business” Coalition. This is the statement regarding “what we do” on their site: We Mean Business is a global nonprofit coalition working with the world’s most influential businesses to take action on climate change. Together we catalyze business leadership to drive policy ambition and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. “Coalition” sounds a bit too small. The numbers give away its size: 822 companies with almost $17 Trillion (with a T) in market cap are participants. What’s motivating them to join and take action? Of course altruism – doing the right thing – is one of the motivational factors. However, on their web site, they say that they “recognize the transition to a low-carbon economy is the only way to secure sustainable economic growth and prosperity for all”. Note the stress on economic growth. These companies are basically – on a large scale – investing in the “Cost of Good Quality”, something we as project managers know about. If you need a refresher, this is the concept from quality guru Philip Crosby that says money and effort invested up front in things like training, incoming inspection, better planning, thoughtfulness is worth it because the “Cost of Poor Quality” – in this case, a failing planet, is so much higher. Here’s Jesper Brodin of IKEA discussing how climate change is affecting his company right now and why IKEA is in the We Mean Business Coalition. That’s just a brief sample of what you will find at the Coalition’s website. How about something more significant? Here’s a case study from Google regarding their move to full 100% renewable energy: https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/google-carbon-neutrality-100-renewable-energy-beyond/
If you are studying sustainability in project management, what a rich source of research you have on this site. Case study after case study are available showing the economic justification for investing in climate action. Click here and research away! Just in the past few months, case studies have been posted from Danone, Tesco, Google, and Coca-Cola. The organization also sponsors conferences, both face-to-face, and webinars, for example this one: https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/event/practice-guide-develop-green-energy-procurement-plan/ See if your company is one of the participants by clicking here. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/companies/ If not, perhaps you can be a change agent and get them to join, by clicking here. Don't be mean! Mean business instead. And it turns out that planning for a better future for earth is good business. |
