Trendwatching

This looks like a useful tool for seeing what the latest consumer trends are. Assuming the information is credable--check out the latest brief, which is all about "customer-made" products.

"Crowdsourcing" is the new cheap labor!

If any of you have ever used istockphoto they are apparently the new wave of cheap laber-- crowdsourcing. This seems like a really interesting concept for spreading out the workload among the masses. I would be interested to see how this model could be applied to other projects, industries and needs. Here is an article in this month's Wired.

Competition- Find the "true cost" of a Loaf of Bread

There are only 100 days to go before entries close for an innovative CSR-related competition open to allcomers.

The non-profit organization Sustainable Ventures is offering a USD10,000 prize, 'Our Daily Bread: What Does It REALLY Cost?', for a study that best measures the true costs of a loaf of bread. The winning study will provide an analytical framework that measures integrated social, environmental and financial performance 'so people can make more informed choices to protect and restore our world'.

On June 5, 2006, on the Tufts University campus near Boston, initial candidates who have submitted first drafts of papers, moderators and observers will convene to discuss ways to design measures of social, environmental, and financial performance that could capture the underlying economic impacts of a loaf of bread. The event participants will also consider what constitutes an excellent research study.

Post-event deliberations will be shared on Sustainable Ventures' Candidates' On-Line Forum on SV's website. All those interested in the process of identifying 'true' costs of a product have access to the Candidates' On-Line Forum.

Theo Ferguson, Executive Director of Sustainable Ventures and originator of the prize initiative, said: 'Sustainable metrics or frameworks that people can easily understand are not readily accessible. This is an opportunity for the best and the brightest from academia, consulting firms, corporations, non-profits and a variety of other organizations in government and industry to create new solutions to an ongoing challenge. When people are able to make more informed decisions, we can grow a sustainable world.'

Final papers by registered candidates--individuals or teams--must be submitted by 23 August 2006. A group of jurors will select the best paper, and the winner will be announced at the Social Investment Forum's Annual Conference, SRI in the Rockies, on October 29, 2006.

To get involved, register online at www.SustainableVentures.us

TetraPak and UN Sustainable Dev. Goals

05/10/2006

Press release from: TetraPak

Tetra Pak Receives Award for Work Supporting United Nations Sustainable Development Goals


(CSRwire) LAUSANNE-- Tetra Pak, a world leader in food processing and packaging solutions, today announced that its Food for Development programme has been awarded the 2006 World Business Award in support of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The award, which recognises the significant role business can play in implementing UN targets for reducing poverty, was presented on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), The Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum and the International Chamber of Commerce.

Presenting the award in New York at a special ceremony during a session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, former UN High Commissioner for Refugees Mary Robinson said Tetra Pak and nine other award recipients are being recognised for their "pursuit of innovative and productive approaches to sustainable development, targeted at achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals."

"Receiving such a prestigious award is an honour for Tetra Pak and a validation of our more than 50-year experience of combining good business practices with development projects," said Tetra Pak CEO Dennis Jönsson.

At the heart of Tetra Pak's innovative and productive approach to sustainable development lies the belief that development programs should be built around economically viable investments. To that end, in 2000 the company established the Tetra Pak Food for Development Office (FfDO), which initiates and supports school feeding and agricultural development programmes through public-private partnerships. FfDO also provides local entrepreneurs with the company's technology and market know-how to help them develop local food production.

"Our school feeding and agricultural development programmes go beyond ordinary business, but they are not charity. They represent a long term development effor that improves the nutritional status of children and contributes to the development of the agricultural sector in developing countries, while at the same time creating and developing new markets for Tetra Pak," said FfDO Global Director Ulla Holm.

Tetra Pak has been involved in school feeding programmes for children around the world for more than 40 years. Today, more than 40 million school children, 15 million of them living in developing countries, are served milk and other nutritious drinks in Tetra Pak packages.

Recent examples include a school feeding and dairy development programme in cooperation with Kazakh entrepreneurs and the government of Kazakhstan, a school feeding and agricultural development programme in cooperation with the government of the State of Nasarawa in Nigeria, and a school feeding and dairy development programme in cooperation with the Guatemalan government.

"Only by engaging in true public-private partnerships and by employing the private sector as an engine for economic development can the UN's Millennium Development Goals be realised," said CEO Jönsson.

NOTE TO EDITORS

As a world leading company in food processing and packaging, Tetra Pak's motto ˜protects what's good"™ reflects the philosophy upon which we conduct our business in order to make food safe and available, everywhere.

Operating in more than 165 markets with over 20,000 employees, Tetra Pak believes in responsible industry leadership, creating profitable growth in harmony with good corporate citizenship and a sustainable approach to business.

We work closely with our suppliers and customers on preferred processing and packaging solutions to provide convenient, innovative and environmentally sound products to mill
ions of people worldwide.

More information about Tetra Pak's Food for Development activities can be found on: www.tetrapak.com/ffdo

Green Cabs

The "green" cabs Mary mentioned. I think they should actually paint them lime green!

Is That a Tinge of Green on New York's Yellow Cabs?

Greenpeace Reading from Mary

More readings for us from greenpeace.

An Inconvenient Truth

THis is the website for that Al Gore movie Mary mentioned in class.

Someone is going to have to recommend a good therapist after all this apocolypse stuff! ;-)

www.climatecrisis.net

What's Kind to Nature Can Be Kind to Profits

NY Times
May 17, 2006
By MATTHEW L. WALD

GENERAL ELECTRIC would like you to know that it makes the world's most efficient electric generators, part of its Ecomagination program of clean technologies. BP, which used to be an abbreviation for British Petroleum but is now the company's official name, is promoting itself as "Beyond Petroleum," with solar cells and wind.

Ford, which before its profits fell off a cliff was promising to increase the fuel economy of its S.U.V.'s by 25 percent, still cares about the environment, company executives insist. Now it has found a way to paint cars that drastically cuts emissions of pollutants, and has patented technology that lets cars run on fuel from corn.

These industrial Goliaths want to be Jolly Green Giants. They have investors to impress and public images to maintain so that they can pursue high-profile projects that need government approvals.

Read the rest of the article here.

Above the Fold

Thesis research resource for enviornmental news. This site is a compilation of enivornmental issues which are in the news.

www.environmentalhealthnews.org

Poor DM from Reebok

This article inspired me to post in the blog again. It tragic story of a little boy who died of lead poisoning because he ingested a small charm bracelot given as a freebie from Reebok. The charm was apparently manufactured in China and contained 99% lead. One simple change could have saved a life. This is when design management really hits home because we can see the immediate effect of a poorly managed design.

Follow the Futurists

Hi Guys,

If you think you're not 100% clear on what Design Management apparently you're not alone.
Some will find this comforting while other might see it as disturbing but the fact is – there is no definition or information of DM on Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia on the web. So you're probably asking what can be done about that and how does this relate to me?

Maybe we can take an example from another under rated field: Futurists who have tired of being relegated to the second string are organizing to advocate for the value of futures studies. Today, for one day only, futurists are reclaiming Wikipedia "future studies" topic in what they're calling a "one-day raid."

See link to original posting:
http://blog.fastcompany.com/archives/2005/10/31/report_from_the_futurists.html?partner=rss

What do you think?
Can this strategy apply to us as well?

Miki.

New Identity for Quark

Quark is trying to update. I just thought this was interesting and actually, I think Quark is an interesting case study for DM. I feel that the Quark business model is outdated compared to Adobe, where all of the various programs work together. We could do a strategy study of Quark. :-) Plus, I wonder if this new identity will help, when it seems the product isn't that different.