Some of our most central business ideas were developed under vastly different circumstances than the ones in which we now find ourselves.
Continue reading... →When I hear the word ‘green’, I think of a lifestyle that takes the next seven generations into account. It reminds me that everything we use and consume in our lifetime is borrowed from the Earth. In our culture, it can be hard to remember where food comes from and easy to take things like sunshine, healthy soil and clean water for granted. Fundamentally, I think ‘green’ means being grateful for the many gifts that nourish us each day. Gratitude helps us recognize that we are stewards, not owners, and that understanding is a wonderful antidote to greed.
Continue reading... →Janine Benyus is the president of the Biomimicry Institute. She also teaches interpretive writing, lectures at the University of Montana, and works towards restoring and protecting wild lands. In all of her work her basic thesis is that human beings should consciously emulate nature’s genius in their designs. Below she introduces the concept of Biomimicry for a general readership in the hopes that each reader will develop the principles of Biomimicry in their own life.
Continue reading... →To me, ‘green’ means being aware and more mindful — of our health, the food we eat and how everything we do is not in a vacuum but deeply interconnected, that the way we live our individual lives directly impacts animals, plants, the planet and our relationships with family, community and the world at large. One mindful action a day is indeed being green.
Continue reading... →Born and raised outside of Philadelphia by two Philly natives, I cut my teeth (not long after the T-bone from my high chair days) on footlong sandwiches that are my hometown’s cultural icons. I’m talking about the cheese steak and the hoagie, possibly two of the greatest artery cloggers ever invented, a mound of meat and fixins tucked into a freshly baked Italian roll, always made to order with homegrown “atty-tude” in a neighborhood joint—a luncheonette, corner sandwich shop, or street cart.
Continue reading... →Cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien, author of The Four-Fold Way, teaches there are four bones to which we must pay attention if we are to remain fully present in our lives. As in life, so it is in speaking! Use these four bones of professional speaking to ensure your presentation is masterful.
Continue reading... →The busiest election season of the year is coming up… how will you vote?
Yes, I know that the political mid-term elections are already behind us. However, that’s just one type of election: a political one. Every day, you vote many more times with your dollars. You may choose to support large corporations that focus on maximizing shareholder profits; small, independent businesses that are active in their local communities; or any number of other businesses in between. But with each purchase, you are casting a vote in support of that company’s practices.
Continue reading... →People Magazine calls Gloria Feldt “the voice of experience.” A teen mother from rural Texas, Gloria served as president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the nation’s largest reproductive health and advocacy organization, from 1996-2005. Her passion for bettering women’s lives remains her driving force as an independent commentator on women’s issues, politics, media, and leadership. Gloria teaches “Women, Power, and Leadership” at Arizona State University and serves on the board of the Women’s Media Center. Her previous books include the New York Times bestseller Send Yourself Roses, co-authored with actress Kathleen Turner, Behind Every Choice Is a Story, and The War on Choice.
Continue reading... →Annie Leonard, “The Story of Stuff” creator/internet sensation, recently came out with a new informational video called, “The Story of Electronics: Why Designed for the Dump Is Toxic for People and the Planet.” You can see that video at Story Of Stuff. In it, she discusses how our electronics are essentially made to be broken, outdated and thrown away. She highlights the toxins that go into them, the process of disposing of them and at the end of the video talks about ways we can correct the issues (by encouraging the companies creating the junk take care of the junk!).
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