http://community.maddockdouglas.com?src=forumtopic_rss The Innovation Engine Community - Sustainability Forum Thu, 28 Apr 2011 04:26:05 GMT admin@maddockdouglas.com The Innovation Engine Community 60 http://community.maddockdouglas.com/brand/witness/community.gif http://community.maddockdouglas.com?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/76852/Sell-Silver-Bullion-For-Money/?src=forumtopic_rss Jewellery could possibly be used by guys and females alike. Traditionally, mail jewellery has bundled a broad variety of pieces ranging from customized wristwatches to gold chains, wedding ceremony rings to cufflinks. for cheap pandora just about any time it, among some groups it absolutely was regarded as uncouth for just about any person to positioned on chains, necklaces or rings, even so this really is now usually accepted. Despite a a excellent offer more relaxed attitude within of our culture, numerous companies even now have rigid suggestions pandora gold beads charms concerning what could possibly or could possibly not be used while at work. In some positions this really is understandable; obvious well being and safety regulations allow it to be considered a necessity that people in food preparation or health care positions refrain from placing on something that could arrive loose, even so this also extends to other customer facing positions such as individuals in retail. As a symbolic representation of wealth, really pandora online usually one of the most high-priced pieces of jewellery could possibly be the lowest obvious: while bigger pieces could possibly be considered a excellent offer more obvious and "blingy," smaller, a excellent offer...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/76852/Sell-Silver-Bullion-For-Money/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Thu, 28 Apr 2011 04:26:04 GMT anping http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/76852/Sell-Silver-Bullion-For-Money/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/62683/Fun-innovative-and-green-a-great-idea/?src=forumtopic_rss Just saw this umbrella stand. http://www.stimulantonline.ca/stimulus/2319/let_it_rain.html The concept is, you put your wet umbrella down, and it waters the stand, which in turn sprouts greenery. I know it's a gimmick, but it left me with a smile, and made me think about how easy it is to actually do something positive. Would love your thoughts on the subject...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/62683/Fun-innovative-and-green-a-great-idea/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:17:19 GMT Marc Stoiber http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/62683/Fun-innovative-and-green-a-great-idea/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16546/Sure-I-ll-go-green-as-long-as-it-isn-t-noisy.../?src=forumtopic_rss Big news yesterday. Sunchips decided to phase out its compostable potato chip bag ">http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/green-noise/ Word is, the bag was so noisy, it put people off their chip-eating experience. Whether you think that's a crime (a small price for progress!) or a win (damn those tree huggers anyway!), it underlines a key insight of green innovation. Consumers want green, but aren't willing to sacrifice to get it. Personally, I believe this is an incredible motivator. Innovators really need to sharpen their pencils and hammer out solutions that are SIGNIFICANTLY better than their non-green brethren. As for Sunchips? I think it's a wonderful example of failing fast, and failing forward. I'll watch the news, but I don't expect them to quit their quest for a compostable bag. Here's to the next (much quieter) iteration of the bag!<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16546/Sure-I-ll-go-green-as-long-as-it-isn-t-noisy.../">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Wed, 06 Oct 2010 14:17:57 GMT Marc Stoiber http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16546/Sure-I-ll-go-green-as-long-as-it-isn-t-noisy.../#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16511/Selling-air-innovation-in-communication/?src=forumtopic_rss Just saw this great little spot from Hong Kong - ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmH3xCpOSW8 A well-known actor delivers an infomercial on pre-packaged air, as a means of getting a younger target market to watch their polluting ways. Is it successful? Viewership of the Cantonese version is well over 100,000 after just 6 days. So yes, someone is paying attention. Will it work? Ultimately, I believe, you need to present people with a viable better alternative, not just fun communication. But it's a start. And definitely easier to watch than the standard doom and gloom message<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16511/Selling-air-innovation-in-communication/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:38:28 GMT Marc Stoiber http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16511/Selling-air-innovation-in-communication/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16495/One-man-s-trash-is-another-man-s...trenchcoat/?src=forumtopic_rss In the UK, outdoor concertgoers usually leave behind hundreds of tents and temporary shelters - an unnecessary landfill clogger. But now, ingenious entrepreneurs have figured out a way to turn those tents into eco-chic clothing. Check it out at... ">http://springwise.com/weekly/2010-08-18.htm#withintent Makes me wonder, how many things around US are prematurely consigned to the dumpster? And what sort of innovative way could we repurpose them? The all time champions of super-reuse are the Africans. Look at http://www.afrigadget.com/ and prepare to be astounded. Would be interested in hearing your ideas on items that deserve a second, or third life. Marc<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16495/One-man-s-trash-is-another-man-s...trenchcoat/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:36:31 GMT Marc Stoiber http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16495/One-man-s-trash-is-another-man-s...trenchcoat/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16494/The-Hunt-For-Miracles-is-this-sustainability-s-Apollo-Project/?src=forumtopic_rss Just saw an inspiring piece of news - ">http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/business/energy-environment/19fuel.html?_r=... It reminded me of the sort of big (no, HUGE) picture thinking that JFK put forward when he announced the Apollo mission. I believe the 'go for it' mentality is inspiring and will produce results. But will this sustainability leap forward be positioned properly to get the traction that Apollo did? Would welcome your thoughts.<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16494/The-Hunt-For-Miracles-is-this-sustainability-s-Apollo-Project/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:34:03 GMT Marc Stoiber http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16494/The-Hunt-For-Miracles-is-this-sustainability-s-Apollo-Project/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16490/Bringing-the-spirit-of-innovation-not-blame-to-the-oil-spill/?src=forumtopic_rss I've written a number of pieces on the BP spill on this site. There was one thread that carried through each of them: pointing fingers and trading blame is an exercise in futility while we're staring at a growing ecocide. Instead, I believe we need to pull together, and engage our massive collective brainpower to engage both the gov't and BP, and start innovating solutions - fast!! So I was encouraged to read about the X-Prize awarding a million dollars to the team that created the most effective means of cleaning up the oil. Here's the story: ">http://sustainablelifemedia.com/content/story/strategy/xprize_releases_detail... Now, what I would love to see is the networks doing stories on how these folks are making huge strides. What the greater public needs is a story that makes them feel that with brains and determination, innovation can move mountains. Would love your thoughts Marc Stoiber<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16490/Bringing-the-spirit-of-innovation-not-blame-to-the-oil-spill/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:28:57 GMT Marc Stoiber http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16490/Bringing-the-spirit-of-innovation-not-blame-to-the-oil-spill/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16474/Is-a-garage-really-green-because-it-says-so/?src=forumtopic_rss Just spotted: a mobile car service that 'green' tunes your car. Check it out at ">http://springwise.com/weekly/2010-08-04.htm#greengarage They do make some improvements over the standard garage treatment - using lead free wheel weights, for example. But does that qualify them as green? Or will that kind of positioning just lead to frustrated consumers throwing the 'greenwash' monkey wrench at them? Love to hear your thoughts...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16474/Is-a-garage-really-green-because-it-says-so/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:15:53 GMT Marc Stoiber http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16474/Is-a-garage-really-green-because-it-says-so/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16390/A-wake-up-call-for-innovation/?src=forumtopic_rss A recent article in BNET, http://tinyurl.com/2bjlayc points out that 50 to 100 million people are emerging from poverty every year and that this new market will want goods that are cheap, simple to make in large numbers, and green. If that's not a wake up call for innovation, I don't know what is. According to the BSR Report 2009: Innovating for Sustainability , businesses will need to create solutions that "enable the rising middle classes to improve their well-being without draining the world's already-stressed natural resources. Designing products that meet the needs of these populations - health, mobility, and information - will deliver good business outcomes and good social outcomes." While consumption levels are on the rise in developing countries, the opposite may be true in the developed world. Author Richard Florida forecasts in his new book The Great Reset: How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post-Crash Prosperity that in the future green products will enjoy more cachet, and frugality will become the new status symbol. Florida writes, "Instead of showcasing logos and material bounty as a mark of achievement in life, people - successful, affluent people - are beginning to wear their lack of consumption...as a badge...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16390/A-wake-up-call-for-innovation/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Wed, 30 Jun 2010 02:40:39 GMT Brad Peirce http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16390/A-wake-up-call-for-innovation/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16375/Innovation-s-Over-Price-is-Back/?src=forumtopic_rss According to a recent article in BNET, http://blogs.bnet.com/management/?p=2045&amp;tag=nl.e713 innovation is no longer the key driver of new product development but has now become the cornerstone of process development. The article points to ease and price as the two most important factors in consumer purchasing decisions. Do people agree? How about within the context of the emerging green marketplace? Large investments in efficiency and the emergence/resurgence of "systems thinking" surrounding sustainable operations, manufacturing, and supply chain would certainly justify this statement. However, recent studies have also shown that people are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly and cause-related products. What is your opinion?<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16375/Innovation-s-Over-Price-is-Back/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:26:11 GMT Brad Peirce http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16375/Innovation-s-Over-Price-is-Back/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16058/Why-pick-low-hanging-fruit-when-you-can-get-fruit-off-the-ground/?src=forumtopic_rss Heard a great thought from David Yarnold, Executive Director of the Environmental Defence Fund: &quot;Efficiency as a means of greening business isn't low hanging fruit. It's fruit that's laying on the ground.&quot; The quote came from a panel discussion at the Fortune Green Conference (hosted by Fortune Magazine). Yarnold and his co-panellists were discussing what green measures made the most sense for companies to pursue. Referring to Lee Scott (also a speaker at the Conference) who said Wal-Mart had saved millions simply by paying attention to energy waste, Yarnold hammered home that corporations could do well (both being profitable and environmentally responsible) by simply paying attention to turning off the lights, the machinery, and the idling engines. At a time when everyone is reaching for shiny new things to save the earth, this sort of 'so-simple-that-it's-brilliant' innovation is refreshing.<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16058/Why-pick-low-hanging-fruit-when-you-can-get-fruit-off-the-ground/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:53:45 GMT Marc Stoiber http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/16058/Why-pick-low-hanging-fruit-when-you-can-get-fruit-off-the-ground/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15956/Asia-is-looking-for-innovation-will-we-help-provide-it/?src=forumtopic_rss My friend Peter is on sabbatical, touring Asia for 6 months. He painted a pretty interesting picture of the strengths and shortcomings of Asian countries vis a vis equity, equality and sustainability - http://www.sustainablelifemedia.com/content/column/strategy/asian_lessons_in_... This brought a thought to mind from a speaker at the recent Globe 2010 sustainability conference - that we can't create an 'us and them' system of sustainability, where we're racing the Chinese and Indians in green innovation. Instead, we should be opening up to their ideas and problems, and viewing them as a model for what we'll most likely be facing in the near future. Wonder what sort of innovation is inspired in you by reading Peter's article? I for one am thinking of all the amazing (and amazingly inexpensive) water purification systems I've seen out there (including a version of a clear pop bottle that, when put in the heat and sun for a day, disinfects water). Thoughts?<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15956/Asia-is-looking-for-innovation-will-we-help-provide-it/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:27:31 GMT Marc Stoiber http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15956/Asia-is-looking-for-innovation-will-we-help-provide-it/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15864/How-fad-diets-could-help-shape-a-sustainable-revolution/?src=forumtopic_rss Starting in 1994 the FDA required all food products to have the updated nutrition label, a decision at the time that might not have seemed like a big deal. In the years following this move we began to see a flurry of diets and fad diets that caused consumers across this country to judge products based on what they found on the back panel as much as they did on the name on the front. Who knows how much correlation actually exists between the two events, but it is interesting watching people in a grocery store attempting to evaluate products based on their current diet. &ldquo;I am really watching my calories from fat&rdquo;, &ldquo;I need to have more good cholesterol&rdquo;, or &ldquo;I am not eating carbs, white flour or refined sugar&rdquo;. And while this movement hasn&rsquo;t vaulted the American public into a suddenly healthy nation, it has caused food producers to reevaluate their products and menus. Whether it is the Subway diet, Applebee&rsquo;s advertising 500 calorie meals, or Taco Bell offer &lsquo;fresco&rsquo; items, the principal is the same. Nutrition facts transparency is opening people&rsquo;s eyes to just how bad the food is they are consuming. Many companies are not too...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15864/How-fad-diets-could-help-shape-a-sustainable-revolution/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:05:54 GMT AdamRobertMiller http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15864/How-fad-diets-could-help-shape-a-sustainable-revolution/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15679/Who-Cares-if-Organic-Food-is-Good-for-You/?src=forumtopic_rss I would like to take a minute to discuss (with absolutely no scientific support) the merits of producing and eating organic food. Lately I have been finding a bounty of articles that want to debate the nutritional merits of eating organic food. Some have come to the aid of the organic food industry, but some continue to question the health benefits vs cost of organics. (Almost the exact same arguments about vitamins and supplements are battled in health and research publications) The truth is we may never know the full benefits of eating organic foods. Every human varies biologically and is exposed to different environmental factors, which makes a long term scientific test (over the span of ten plus years) virtually impossible. Add to the fact that two pieces of produce grown on the same farm could have drastically different nutrition levels, let alone an orange from Florida vs one from South America, and we just have way too many variables to produce a viable experiment. After all of this debating, I think we have missed out on one of the biggest known benefits of producing organic food. It is good for the environment. When I reach for the organic...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15679/Who-Cares-if-Organic-Food-is-Good-for-You/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:19:29 GMT AdamRobertMiller http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15679/Who-Cares-if-Organic-Food-is-Good-for-You/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15600/Politics-vs-effectiveness-is-Greenpeace-getting-it-right/?src=forumtopic_rss Most of us are probably aware of the new Greenpeace campaign against Nestle (KitKat chocolate bars precisely). The issue risen by the campaigners is that Nestle sources its palm oil from producers in Indonesia, which chop down tropical forests in order to set up palm oil plantations, hence depriving the Orang Utan species of its natural habitat (more on the story: http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/443698/nestl_under_fire_for_de... Greenpeace has even put up a clip mocking a KitKat commercial, suggesting that KitKat eaters are responsible for slaughtering or monkeys. Acknowledging the honourable cause taken up by Greenpeace, I can't help the feeling of wrongfulness of the whole campaign. I'm not convinced by the organisation's arguments that, being the largest food producer in the world, Nestle has enough power to stop deforestation from occurring AND it is Nestle's responsibility to do so. Sourcing decisions are business decisions, and there's a limit to how far due diligence can go (if I was securing a contract for commodity delivery, I don't think I would think of clauses regulating my suppliers' land bank policy). Secondly, it's a (sad?) fact of life that Indonesia and Malaysia are the world's two biggest palm oil producers. Whereas Malaysia used to be the world's...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15600/Politics-vs-effectiveness-is-Greenpeace-getting-it-right/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:40:16 GMT Maciej Kokot http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15600/Politics-vs-effectiveness-is-Greenpeace-getting-it-right/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15584/Walk-a-mile-for-a-Camel-Drive-16-miles-to-recycle/?src=forumtopic_rss My colleague Frank Grubich alerted me to a tweet that got him thinking. It said &quot;Why is it difficult to dispose of paint? I have to travel 16 miles to a receiving recycling centre. Not very green. My local one won't take it.&quot; Therein lies an achilles' heel of the green movement, and a primary reason people are reluctant to choose green. Earlier green innovation left a bad taste in people's mouths - if you bought green, it meant sacrificing on price or quality. Happily, enough companies have aggressively adopted green as a core brand value (Toyota and GE, for example) that a new generation of engineers is innovating green products and services that compete on price and quality while delivering sustainability. But I'm curious - what are the 'easy innovations' - like more plentiful recycle depots - that will make green the easy, preferable, first choice? And how do we accelerate implementation of these innovations? Would love your thoughts. Marc Stoiber<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15584/Walk-a-mile-for-a-Camel-Drive-16-miles-to-recycle/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:56:34 GMT Marc Stoiber http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15584/Walk-a-mile-for-a-Camel-Drive-16-miles-to-recycle/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15502/Buy-used-handbag.-Save-world.-Repeat./?src=forumtopic_rss My colleague Michael Rivera found an incredible piece of I'm-not-sure-it's-green-but-I-bet-it-will-stir-the-pot information. He was kind enough to pass it along to me. Ebay is making the case that buying used is an incredible way to prevent resource waste, ghg's, and garbage. You'll find it at http://green.ebay.com/ In Ebay's case, it's a wonderful way to wrap yourself in a green cloak without actually doing anything but business as usual. Do they have a case? Yes. Do they come off looking like they're trying to pull a fast one? Yup. Is this a case of the best green innovation - the stuff that links sustainability to our brand - sometimes lying right under our nose? 100%. You have to hand it to them. I buy on Ebay. And I now feel slightly more eco-smug about doing it. Thoughts? Marc Stoiber<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15502/Buy-used-handbag.-Save-world.-Repeat./">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:04:39 GMT Marc Stoiber http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15502/Buy-used-handbag.-Save-world.-Repeat./#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15476/Google-Power-Meter-a-hit-not-a-home-run/?src=forumtopic_rss The Google PowerMeter is a great innovation for two reasons. But it's not a home run for one big reason. Let's start with the good news. First, this service allows users to monitor their home energy usage in a simple, up to the second fashion. Studies have shown that the mere act of measuring and providing instant information on energy usage creates incredible behavior change (the 'Prius Effect'). In fact, one of the Google engineers interviewed on the project said his energy usage dropped 65% with no significant behavior change. The numbers I've heard are closer to 35%, but let's not quibble with success. Second, this is not a 'green' product. It is definitely positioned in the 'tech' and 'making life better' camp. There are already products like this in the market, but I believe this one not only has the chops, but the exciting pedigree of Google to push it successfully forward where others have had marginal success. Had it been positioned as a 'green' product, I believe it would have had to fight the negative 'blink' perception of being a product that promoted austerity and sacrifice - not things people want to hear. So where's the Achilles heel?...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15476/Google-Power-Meter-a-hit-not-a-home-run/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:27:47 GMT Marc Stoiber http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15476/Google-Power-Meter-a-hit-not-a-home-run/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15429/Helping-the-Insurance-Industry-Adapt-to-Climate-Change/?src=forumtopic_rss Marc Stoiber, VP Green Innovation at Maddock Douglas, featured in Sustainable Brands Weekly article on how the insurance industry has - and must continue to - innovate to create green incentives for customers. READ MORE &gt;&gt;&gt;<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15429/Helping-the-Insurance-Industry-Adapt-to-Climate-Change/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:01:36 GMT Nicholas Kinports http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15429/Helping-the-Insurance-Industry-Adapt-to-Climate-Change/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15336/QSR-Magazine-examines-MD-s-MapChange-in-fast-food-context/?src=forumtopic_rss QSR Magazine took a close look at the green perception / reality disparity between fast feeders like McDonald's , Wendy's , Burger King , and Starbucks in a new article. The article was based on findings from the research study MapChange , created by Maddock Douglas's new acquisition, Change. The article poses some good questions, delves into new territory, and opens the door on areas for QSR innovation.<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15336/QSR-Magazine-examines-MD-s-MapChange-in-fast-food-context/">Read more at The Innovation Engine Community</div> Sustainability Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:55:05 GMT Marc Stoiber http://community.maddockdouglas.com/forum/thread/15336/QSR-Magazine-examines-MD-s-MapChange-in-fast-food-context/#discussion?src=forumtopic_rss