Purpose Inspired #46

PICTURE OF THE WEEK - BAT        

REFLECTION OF THE WEEK - SPONGE CITIES        

A favourite cartoon of our children used to be SpongeBob SquarePants. I was reminded of this when I recently read about sponge cities: urban landscapes that act like giant sponges to passively absorb, clean and use rainwater. I’ve been in Lagos during rainy season when the floods create mayhem. Now many cities face a similar challenge – and climate change makes it worse. Prof. Kongjian Yu is a Sponge City Architect (fabulous job title!) who is installing terraced wetlands in the heart of 250 Chinese cities. These are saving lives and billions of dollars. So how spongy is your city?

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK - PUBLIC GOODS        

“We must accept that, in the case of public goods (like clean air, water and a healthy environment), markets tend to fail”

Quote from The A to Z of Corporate Social Responsibility | | More quotes on?social responsibility ,?sustainable business ?and?transformational change

ARTICLE OF THE WEEK - THE FUTURE WILL BE BETTER THAN YOU THINK        

This article by Claire Chapman is based on an interview with me about Thriving. She says: "While not denying that we are in a fight for our lives, Visser is optimistic because technology is accelerating a convergence in the renewable energy sector, in electrified transportation, in agriculture, and in science and medicine. The connectivity of many social movements is expanding. This convergence illuminates a path where nature, society, and the economy really can thrive."

Read the article | More in the?Thriving series

PODCAST OF THE WEEK - NAVIGATING THE CHAOS        

This episode of my Purpose Inspired podcast describes what I learned about business responsibility from George Soros and Ervin Laslzo. In the podcast, I talk about: Capitalism in crisis; Towards open societies; Chaos looming; and Connection and consciousness.

Listen to the episode | |?Browse ?other episodes

POEM OF THE WEEK - SCULPTED LIFE, CRAFTED LOVE        

Each life is like a block of stone / With endless possibility / And as we live, we hew and hone / Our dreams of who we want to be / Each choice we make, each chance unknown / Unveils a face of mystery / Each flag we plant, each throw of bones / Brings clarity to what we see

Each love is like a quilt being sewn / With stories of eternity / And as we love, we’re not alone / Like roots entangled tree-to-tree / Each risk we take, each layer shown / Reveals another hidden key / Each season brings us nearer home / Upon the journey to be free

Poem link | More philosophical poems | String, Donuts, Bubbles and Me (book)

CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY        

A comprehensive textbook that introduces students and practitioners to CSR theory and practice, looking at the past, present and future. The text includes 25 case studies and over 60 sets of discussion questions (nearly 200 questions), which allow teachers, students and practitioners to reflect on the presented content and to discuss, debate and dig deeper into the issues. The text itself is written in a highly readable style, without sacrificing academic rigour (there are over 200 references cited). The result is an inexpensive, accessible and searchable introduction to a management discipline that has become critical to the future of business, written by one of the world’s leading authorities on the subject.

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THOUGHT OF THE WEEK - #GENEROSITY        

We live in selfish times, all caught up in the age of the individual – my needs, my rights, my wants, my desires – it’s all about “me”. It is easy to become cynical in such a world. But then a disaster strikes, a catastrophe unfolds, and the outpouring of generosity revives our faith in humanity. Why wait for a crisis?

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THRIVING FEATURE - IF WE WANT TO THRIVE, WE MUST DARE TO HOPE        

Hope is, in a very real sense, a survival imperative. And the more challenging the circumstances, the more crucial hope becomes. Today, there are signs of social, environmental and economic breakdown all around us, and we need to face these problems head on, without denial. We should avoid blind optimism or false hope. At the same time, we cannot let the challenges overwhelm us. We need to recognise that positive changes and breakthrough innovations are happening too. We need to ground our stubborn optimism in pragmatic hope – hope that is rooted in action and an understanding of change.

Read the article | More in the?Thriving series

MORE FROM PURPOSE INSPIRED        

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