Voices of Influence: Original and Guest Blog Posts from the Energy Sector

These blogs provide insight into the latest issues, challenges, advances and debate around Energy use, exploration, policy and innovation. Original and guest blog posts highlight differing perspectives and context.

3BL Blog

Poor in the U.S. = rich

A single-parent family of three in New York, making $8000 per year, makes under half the income level of the Federal poverty line and qualifies for food stamps, TANF (direct cash benefits) and Medicaid. (Details at our guide to U.S. public assistance)

And yet, at $2,667 per person per year, this family is wealthier than 70% of the people in the world. (See the Global Rich List calculator as well as the...

New Media and Corporate Responsibility

The results of Cone’s 2009 Consumer New Media Study include two points that I found to be remarkable:

“Forty-four percent of American new media users are searching for, sharing or discussing information about corporate responsibility (CR) efforts and programs…”

“Sixty-two percent of users polled believe they can influence business decisions by voicing opinions via new media channels. ”

While the findings about how much consumers are using new media are important, what...

New Online Catalogue for Philanthropy in Washington, DC

Now more than ever, individuals, corporations, and foundations want to make informed choices when they make financial contributions to nonprofit organizations. And people want to volunteer where their time and talents will be put to good use. So how do you know which organizations to support?

A valuable print resource since 2003, the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington went online tonight. "We offer a wide

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Creating Change from Within

I’ve often spoken on The Changebase about social entrepreneurs who’ve chosen to radically reinvent how business creates social change in our communities and around the world.

Organizations like Kiva (microfinance), Carrotmob (conscious consumerism), and Frontline SMS (information access through technology) have literally re-drawn the lines when it comes to creating sustainable, empowered and effective change through grass-roots social entrepreneurship.

While the...

HR: Gateway to Better Corporate Responsibility

The article in Saturday’s Globe and Mail about business schools introducing oaths of ethical conduct for MBA graduates is worth reading. (Here’s a link to MBA oaths from Harvard, Telfer School of Managements, and Richard Ivey School of Business: Sampling of Oaths.)

I support these student-sponsored initiatives and also have a practical suggestion for ensuring...

My red, white and blue (and green) marathon

Today was a special day for me. I completed the 34th running of the Marine Corps Marathon, a 26.2-mile run through the streets of Washington and Arlington, Va., with a finish at a famed statue of Iwo Jima known as the Marine Corps War Memorial. I’ve run 17 marathons, but the Marine Corps has a unique place in my heart because it was the first marathon that I ran, back in 1994.

Two things struck me about today’s race. The first is that the MCM made a significant effort to “go green.” Marathons are, inevitably, messy affairs and they generate enormous amounts of trash. An estimated 850,000 (!) paper cups are needed to stock the water and Powerade stops to keep 21,000 runners well hydrated. Add to that 26,000 Clif shots, 25,000 bag of sports beans, 10,000 sliced oranges—well, you get the idea. Lots of garbage, much of it unavoidable.

The MCM says its goal this year was to cut the trash in half, and produce less than a pound of landfill waste per runner. Sponsor Aquafina set up recycling kiosks near the start and finish line. Race waste, including cups, is composted. And, in an experiment, the race bibs given out at a fun run for kids were made of recycled post-consumer and wildflower seeds. The young runners can plant their bibs and enjoy growing Black-Eyed Susans along with the satisfaction of being green. MCM also collected used running shoes at its expos, for donation to people who need them.

More spending on Brands with a Social Purpose

According to the 3rd annual Edelman goodpurpose survey that was launched today, despite the prolonged recession, the social purpose of brands is more important than ever.  The Edelman survey sampled 6026 adults in the U.S., China, Canada, U.K., Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, Japan and India to track attitudes and actions regarding the social purpose of brands and corporations.

The report contains some remarkable findings. Here are a few highlights:

71% think brands and companies spend too much on advertising...

Sustaining Relevance

The juxtaposition of several events last week had me dwelling on that most current of challenges - how to define what "sustainability" means to people in a corporate enterprise. 

If you've ever attended a talk, panel session, or conference on the subject of "sustainability", you know that sometime within the first hour, someone will provide a definition of the word.  They'll usually start with the famous Brundtland definition "Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs".  People who haven't

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6 myths about microfinance charity that donors can do without

Is microfinance a good bet for a donor? We feel the answer is complicated, and that the many extreme exaggerations of microfinance’s impact get in the way of making an informed decision.

This post summarizes the differences between the stories you’ve probably heard and the reality according to available evidence.

Myth #1: the way microfinance charities help is by giving people loans to expand businesses. Success stories like

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Getting Our Hands Dirty

When I was a freshman in college, I rallied a group of new friends from my dorm to go volunteer one afternoon. It was early in the school year, and I wanted to prove to my hall-mates that community service was a fun, easy, low-impact sort of way to give back and feel good. Minimal commitment, quick pay-off, done-in-a-day – a perfect fit for college students!

The community service day was actually organized by my school, so once each of us signed up we were sent to work on different projects throughout the area. In hindsight, I don’t remember what project I worked on that day. But I...

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