In the lead up to, and in the middle of, the recent Copenhagen discussions the role of China as either the biggest polluter or as the biggest Cleantech investor has been the focal point for many. It is a bipolar focus that has defined many of the discussions on China in the past, and as the recently reviewed debate on whether China is a developed or developing country highlights, it is a condition…
Fresh off several conferences and meetings where discussions centered around smart grid, wind power, and other renewable energies, yesterday's tour of the Shanghai Municipal Waste Facility proved to be a very interesting site visit. Operational for three years now, this facility (one of two facilities in Shanghai) incinerates about 1,500 tons of trash a day from five districts of Shanghai (Shangha…
Regardless of whether you believe COP15 still has hope, or is a predetermined failure, the fact is that in about 3 weeks a large number of scientists, environmentalists, policy makers, and cleantech funds are going to be in Copenhagen... and the world will be watching. Even prior to the recent announcements from Singapore though, many had already begun gaming the outcomes, and hyping the need f…
If there is one thing that I run into, and get frustrated by, it is the fact that many of the "solutions" to issues we face are always too big for the average person. That, while we can all certainly recycle and buy organic clothing, the rest of it should be left to new technologies. Technologies who will be subsidized by large organizations, developed by people smarter than I, and whose impact…
This weekend, I gave my first keynote speech entitled What Sustainability Means to Me at the ecodesign fair. It was a speech that required a lot out of me, more than most, because I had to not only boil down several years of ranting into 30 minutes. I had to do it in front of people who were in the know. People who are respected members of the community. People would call me out. ... an…
Last year, I watched Chris Buckley from Torana speak about the process of moving his production of rugs from chemical based dyes to natural dyes (see interview here). Chris Buckley is an Oxford science graduate and PhD, who has lived and worked in Asia since 1994. He worked as a product development specialist for a multinational company before leaving to pursue a new career in handmade textiles…
With nearly every analyst report, news column, blogpost, or conference, I usually find myself wondering how that particular voice or medium would achieve the goals of sustainability, and more widely, the more I read... the more I realize we (as a people) need to sit down and work out just what exactly the goal of sustainability is. Is sustainability about green jobs for a district, or about cle…
With 193 MBA students, 7 topics, 50+ subtopics, and 20 potential corporate, non-profit, and social enterprises partners in place, I am ready to kick off the first Sustainability and Responsible Leadership Course at CEIBS next week. Already, I am happy to say, I have been speaking with students who have "heard" about the class and are excited to get moving (2 group are already working on small 2 w…
What would a summer in China be without an algae outbreak on a major body of freshwater? Would it be like a day without industrial contamination? Recent cases have only served to highlight the fact that there is a dearth of systems in place. That, contrary to the announcements of 24/ 7 monitoring of bodies of water, a system has yet to be put into place to take the measurements and do anythin…
Well, for anyone hoping for a quick turnaround, think again. A few reports out today that covered the release of the 2050 China Energy and CO2 Emissions Report are putting the peak of emissions in the 2030.. 2050 timeframe, The Reuters Coverage of the release also included a bit on where the government will look to study and address the "imminent threats" that pretty much everyone are in agreem…
In the run up to the Olympics, Beijing was perhaps the most active construction site globally. It was a massive concert of cranes and cement that built some of the most advanced event venues, transportation networks, and parks. For many, including myself, it was a process that left little doubt as to where the environment stood, and how often it stood in the way, but a recent presentation on the…
Last week I was invited to speak at the Net Impact Event Is The Expo Sustainable about the Social Impact that the Expo would bring. The problem for me was, that while my presentation was interesting, the presentations by the representatives from Hill & Knowlton and ARUP were simply fascinating... and have sent my brain into hyperdrive. Lindsay Messenger's message (I bet she hears that all…
When discussing "sustainability", the topic of populations is one of those topics that can quickly lose out to solar panels, cap and trade, and biofuels. The problem is that population is a core consideration not only in looking back in history, but in plotting the path forward, and it is the subject of a recent study at Oregon State University. A study that found in the United States, th…
While recently speaking at the Net Impact Event, ARUP's Kate Dunham told the crowd that she felt there were three constraints that limited China's potential for adopting sustainability: 1) Regulatory Standards - standards she says have roots to the 1950s. 2) Business Environment - many have failed their responsibilities to the environment and are still unconvinced 3) Lifestyle Choices - T…
Getting back to the roots of a problem can be a painful process, especially when it is known far in advance that the truth is going to hurt. It is in many ways perhaps the biggest inhibitor to growth, change, and progress around the world, and in China that is no different. When discussing the differences between the US and China's approach to the environmental issues they face , one of the poi…
