Why we need a Green Revolution

“The green revolution is not about the whales anymore. And it is not about “our children’s children,” a generation so distant it is really hard to get energized about it. This is about us. This is about the world we and our children will inhabit for the rest of our lives and whether we can find a way to create wealth – because everyone wants to live better – without creating toxic assets in the financial world or the natural world that overwhelm us. This is an urgent project, because the way of life we lapsed into recent years cannot be passed on to another generation without catastrophic consequences. It is a tall order, a great challenge – one that our children did nothing to deserve but now can do nothing to escape. “ [Thomas L. Friedman, Hot, Flat and Crowded – Why we need a green revolution - And how it can renew America, 2008, page 9]

“We are all Connected Campaign” by WWF

I few months ago I found a video on my brother’s Facebook that would like to share with you. This commercial, which belongs to the “We are all Connected Campaign” by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) reminds us that we are living side by side with nature, by showing us beautiful images of humans and our modern world, and contrasting it with animals and nature. We should not forget how similar we are, and that we all need to preserve the natural environment and motivate people and organizations to build a future where humans may live in harmony with nature.

Watch the first commercial here.

A second commercial, also by WWF, and belonging to the same campaign, uses a different approach to transmit basically the same idea. I would like to share the comment RyuDarragh made on You Tube, which perfectly portrays the message of this commercial: “The "Web of Life". It cannot be destroyed, even if many of the links are broken, life will go on. But, cutting any link disturbs the whole and wonders and knowledge we could all benefit by are lost. No one can know what may have already been lost to the past or what may be lost in the future if care is not taken now, in the present.”

Watch the second commercial here.

Both commercials are powerful, and the same time beautiful. The music that accompanies the images is moving and has given me Goosebumps. If you like them, share them with your friends!

Business Ethics: Managing Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age of Globalization (Crane & Matten)

Today I want to share with you a book that I used a lot during my Master degree, to be more specifically during my (favourite) course Marketing & Society. The book is called Business Ethics, by Andrew Crane and Dirk Matten. 

This book provides the reader with an overview of today’s business ethics concepts, tools and theories.  It focuses on three major topics: corporate citizenship, globalization and sustainability.

It contains numerous cases presenting ethical dilemmas faced by large multinational corporations, such as Nestle, Coca Cola, McDonalds, and BP. Other cases examine systems like fair trade or organizations such as Greenpeace. 

It is an extremely user friendly book, which I consider to be the best option for any student taking business ethics, CSR, or sustainability courses, or for any professional wanting to know more about the basic concepts regarding this topics.

The third edition is available in any bookstore (e.g. Amazon.com or Amazon.de) for about US$28/€ 33.