~C (for Conscious Capitalism)

Yeah, I thought it was entirely appropriate that our ad appeared in that magazine.

     I think it an effective mirror on the inherently neutral capitalistic dynamic.  Reflecting simultaneously it's true nature as well as it's potential.  Well done Utne.

     One small step for………

See also this article from Jeff Klein, Chief Activation Officer from FLOW:

Liberating the Entrepreneurial Spirit for Good

http://flowproject.org/

i have a subscription to Utne and it's a well-written, thought-provoking magazine…  i saw the ad and thought it was apropos for the vibe of Utne.

the article made some good points about not having to be all one or the other (greedy capitalist, or off-the-grid minimalist).  capitalism with a social conscience is an idea and movement whose time has come.

fenix

This was an excellent article in my view. I am aware of the Social Venture Network and other similar initiatives that focus on a triple bottom line. In my view, it is encouraging that there some successful companies (e.g., Whole Foods) that are running their businesses this way. This is a very good thing because…

As a worker in a traditional large corporate america company, I am not seeing a whole lot of movement in the sustainable direction. In fact, it is quite out of balance and dysfunctional. Actually, that is the good news in my view because it is costing these companies big bucks and profits to operate this way.

For example, a design change to catch up with environmental requirements in other parts of the world is going cost our company several million dollars in expenses, and no telling how much in lost sales due to a late product release. Engineering on the cheap or according to speed has actually cost us money and delayed our ability to meet the market. We had a choice in the beginning to go the enviromentally friendly path. We declined. Now we are paying. Leadership made the decision based on cost and speed to market and not the environment. Ouch!

Also, it is true that economists are seeing a slowing in productivity. Despite all the false measurement techniques for productivity, it appears that more for less, extreme multi-tasking, and running a large corporation on fewer employees without innovating more efficient processes losing product quality is not working. Can you say General Motors and Ford? Innovation is going to be the key to the sustainable future. Ask the U.S. Steel manufaturers if they didn't fold or get bought out for that reason.

Combine the above with the most recent Kiplinger Letter's prediction for massive enivironmental impacts due to global warming in terms of depleted water supplies, disease, and large population relocations. The environment is no longer something that corporations, special interests, and politicians can sweep under the carpet for much longer.

If you have seen the movie The Corporation mentioned in the article, it indicates that if a corporation really was viewed as a person in terms of behavior many would be deemed as sociopathic at minimum or more accurately psychotic and criminal in its behavior.

All this is to say that in the 20+ years of large corporate life, I have never seen a company I work for change until they took it in the wallet. I know there are exceptions to this, but they are not the rule. So, I find it heartening that there are sustainable business models in place so that when those who cannot or will not change either fold, are bought out, or are forced to change their business practices, there are successful companies out there that can provide best practices for positive change.

I suspect we are in for a ride over the next several years. Greed in of itself is going create the problems that is going to create the growth in my view.

Unsustainably Yours :o)
zb

I haven't checked out Utne in a long time. So thanks for this post and the Ad. Also see
my post on reflections “What would you do, If you weren't afraid”

Also could you help me by Yahooing
Change capital in capitalism” . Thanks a bunch.