Ecocentricity Blog

A bi-monthly blog by John Lanier, director of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation and grandson of the late Ray C. Anderson.  Musings from John as he manages the private family foundation that keeps Ray's legacy alive. Subscribe here.

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Environment

Reflections on Laudato Si - Continued
It’s why building the circular economy is so important. When you design for disassembly, eliminate the concept of waste and optimize the utility of our limited raw materials, as nature so beautifully does, you offer hope of a future where the needs of all people can be met without threatening the biosphere. You offer a chance for growth without squeezing the planet dry.

Environment

Reflections on Laudato Si
I think I was about ten years old when Greek and Roman mythology first caught my attention. I’ve always enjoyed good stories, and when you set those stories in distant lands a long time ago and add in a dose of supernatural powers, I’m likely to get sucked in.

Environment

A Tribute
I had every intention of this post being a continuance of my thoughts on Laudato Si and what Pope Francis means to the environmental community. But then Friday happened and I had to write something else.

Environment

Let's Play a Game - Part 2
I spent time thinking back on the most significant environmental story of 2015. For many, it may have been COP21 and the climate change agreement adopted by the participating countries. By many metrics, that’s probably the right answer. For me though, the publication of Laudato Si (props to anyone who recognized Pope Francis’s words last week) stands out a bit more.

Environment

Let’s Play a Game
I’m encouraged by the recent trend of gamification, in particular its applications in the environmental space.

Environment

Congratulating a Friend on a Job Well Done
Last week, I got to celebrate the Winter Solstice in another form.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

That Grantmaker Plays a Mean Bass Guitar
We grantmakers should strive to be enablers, finding effective partners and using our charitable gifts to allow those partners to be the best versions of themselves.

Energy

As Simple, or Perhaps Complicated, as Flicking a Switch
Breakthrough Energy Coalition has pledged investment dollars to bring to market and scale clean and affordable energy technologies.

Environment

A New Kind of Olympics
So what would the Olympics look like in non-sports form? Let’s assume the whole world was willing to gather for some other purpose, sending official delegations, national leaders, support staff and even fans to one city for two weeks. What if that gathering captured the same spirit of hope and enthusiasm that permeates the Olympic Games? Perhaps the focus could even be something as ambitious as solving climate change.

Responsible Production & Consumption

That's the Vision, by John Anderson Lanier
To an extent, Thanksgiving bothers me in a similar way. The holiday creates the expectation that all of America pause one Thursday in November to be grateful and offer goodwill to others. I suppose this result is valuable, but wouldn’t a societal expectation of daily goodwill and thankfulness be better than a yearly one?

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