How can CEOs leave a lasting sustainability legacy?

Hello Blog Readers! (all three of you),

Recently, I stumbled upon this article. I found it to be extremely relevant and important for our industry and world. The article is titled: "How can CEOs leave a lasting sustainability legacy?" and summarizes methods that answer just that. Some of the best ideas that the article talks about are bulleted below:

• Experiment through pilot programs. Many employees want to make a difference, but it's hard to be creative if they're running hard all the time. Give employees the opportunity to create something bigger than themselves – plus the time and resources to do it – and they may come up with an idea or product that redefines your industry.
• The best ideas are sparked by unlikely partnerships. Reach out to other organisations, especially ones with whom you wouldn't normally partner. Often, the most powerful ideas are generated when a big, hairy problem presents itself.
• NGOs, local community groups, and even academic institutions can also help you see old problems in a new light. Be willing to share your ideas, open your data vaults, and collaborate with partners. Protectionism stifles creativity: collaboration sparks it.
• Build a roster of champions at the top. Most people care about sustainability – especially people at the top. Find the issues your company's executives care about. Use these issues – and the executives' innate enthusiasm – to generate momentum for sustainability.
• Frame sustainability so people get it. Sustainability is one of the most overused and least understood terms in today's lexicon. Some people are willing to jump on the sustainability bandwagon without knowing what to do once they're there. Others are sceptical because they don't understand its value. Frame sustainability in language that reflects the organisation's or individual's values, and you will inspire action.

I believe that if all CEOs implemented these methods, our world would be a much more eco friendly place. Think of all the waste and resources that are carelessly consumed by large corporations. If all of them reduced their footprint even just a little bit, that would be a drastic improvement towards creating a more sustainable earth for generations to come.

That's all for now!

Nick

To stink or not to stink, is that the question?

Here is an analysis of one of my most used products, deodorant:

The product that I have chosen to examine is my deodorant: Old Spice High Endurance

Ingriedients: Dipropylene Glycol, Water, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Stearate, Fragrance, PPG-3 Myristlyl Ether, Tetrasodium EDTA, Violet 2, Green 6.

The good news-I know what two of those ingredients are! (Water and Fragrance)
The bad news-I'm pretty sure this deodorant is going to kill me.

Let's look a little further into the main ingredient: Dipropylene Glycol

This ingredient:
	Cancer
	Developmental/reproductive toxicity
	Allergies/immunotoxicity
	Use restrictions
	Contamination concerns
	Other moderate concerns for this ingredient: Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
	Lesser or emerging concerns for this ingredient: Neurotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive),Data gaps

About DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL: Dipropylene glycol is a small molecular weight synthetic solvent.

Well, after reviewing this-Dipropylene Glycol doesn't seem to be as harmful as I had previously assumed. Apparently this is not an anti-perspirant, but a deodorant, which is the lesser of the two evils. Rather than preventing me from sweating, it just makes it so that my sweat doesn't smell quite as bad. I have decided to continue using this product because it is not as harmful as I had previously assumed, and compared to other products in the category there is actually a very low risk. Good news for me today! With that said, I do think that I will look into some sort of natural deodorant that will work as well, if there is a product that can satisfy my needs then I would be more than willing to switch!

My Ecological Footprint

Welcome to my first blog, ever! The following is a summary of my personal ecological footprint:

As you can see, my living habits are destroying our fair planet at a rate that cannot be replenished. As stated above, if everyone lived like me, we'd need 5.7 Planet Earth's to provide enough resources for everyone's habits. Because of that (and because it was assigned), this winter quarter it will be my mission to reduce my ecological footprint! There will be three main ways that I will attempt to "go green":

1.) Recycle. I will sort every part of my waste, and whatever can be recycled will be. Just by being conscious of how I discard materials can make a drastic impact on my contribution to our earth's decline.

2.) Carpool/Public Transportation. Whenever possible, I will attempt to have passengers in my car and will ride the bus to and from school, rather than driving. I will try to consolidate all of the necessary trips in my car into one. For example, all errands will be run at the same time.

3.) Turn off or unplug unused electronics. I will turn off lights when not in the room, turn off electronic components, and be aware of my overall electricity usage.

Not only will these strategies help offset the degradation of the earth, but these practices will also be easier on the wallet! Hopefully we as marketers can find a way to get the masses to do their part to save our earth, because after all, we only have one!