Purpose Inspired #69

PICTURE OF THE WEEK - #MUSHROOMS        

REFLECTION OF THE WEEK - #SCIENCE        

Is a science-based approach always good? When I spoke at an event on sustainability inspired innovation hosted by 3M, I noted the company's tagline: ‘Science. Applied to Life’. 3M has an impressive track record of innovation, including on sustainability: their Pollution Prevention Pays (3P) program launched in 1975 has saved more than $1.5 billion. But science is an ambiguous partner. It often narrowly focuses on solving one problem while simultaneously creating others (think GMOs, plastics, biofuels). Worse, science can be perverted by its benefactor, be it the military or greedy shareholders. Today, we need a systemic and purpose-driven scientific approach.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK - #FUN        

“Sustainability folks keep telling us that we would really be much happier if we stopped having so much darn fun!”

Quote from?Sustainable Frontiers?| More quotes on?social responsibility,?sustainable business?and?transformational change

ARTICLE OF THE WEEK - DRIVING CHANGE AND CHANGING DRIVING        

Hold onto your hats! We are about to enter a perfect storm of megatrends that will rapidly transform our economies, businesses and work lives. The changes will be as large and profound as the Industrial Revolution, but will unfold at ten times the speed. In this article, I shine a spotlight on the confluence of three major disruptions - climate change, renewable energy and electric vehicles - and discuss their implications for corporate fleet management.?

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PODCAST OF THE WEEK - EXERCISING THE MUSCLES OF SUSTAINABILITY        

Peggy Van Casteren is Head of SDG & Community Impact at J&J Benelux. In this episode on the Thriving podcast she talks about how:?Sustainability is like a set of muscles in business, which need to be connected, exercised and strengthened; The healthcare industry is evolving from a focus on curing sickness to early interception and prevention of disease; Access to medicines relies on education, partnerships and technology (like drone delivery) to tackle global unmet needs for health; Closing the gender gap in STEM2D (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, manufacturing and design) careers brings opportunities; and Diversity and inclusion stimulates creativity and innovation, with programs like Duo for a Job that works on refugee inclusion.

Listen to the episode | Explore the Thriving podcast

POEM OF THE WEEK - MIND-SEEDS        

I write my dreams in wisps of smoke / That swirl before the dawn; / And when I wake, my mind unblurs / To trace the edge of morn.

I rise with words, like tousled hair, / Still wild and unrestrained; / And when I brush them into place, / They fight to stay untamed.

Once at the gym, to treadmill beat, / Thoughts form and fall in line; / And when I stroke the cool blue lengths / The words swim laps in time.

Returning home, under the shower, / I write in jets of steam; / And after breakfast, at my desk, / I face a blinking screen.

I type one word – a secret key / Which opens many doors – / And gaze upon a sea of words: / An ocean spanning shores.

I dive into the frothy tides / With flailing, keyboard strokes; / And when I’ve splashed and made some waves, / Seek land before I choke.

I write day-dreams in digi-chrome / That spreads like inks that spill; / And when dusk falls, I find my words / Have travelled where they will.

I write my life in daily prose / That walks a winding road; / And as I write, my story springs / From mind-seeds I have sowed.

Poem link |?More poems

BOOK OF THE WEEK - LIFE IN TRANSIT        

This creative collection brings together travel and tribute poems by South African poet and writer, Wayne Visser. The anthology pays tribute to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Antoni Gaudí & Leonardo da Vinci, and reflects on travels ranging from China and South Africa to Ecuador and Russia.

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THOUGHT OF THE WEEK - #THEATRE        

Long before Shakespeare unleashed his genius on the world, there were Bushmen around blazing African fires re-living the drama of their thrilling hunts, and Greeks bringing their pantheon of gods to life in open-air amphitheatres. Plays entertain – and endure – because they hold a mirror to our lives.

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ARCHIVE OF THE WEEK - #EXTERNALITIES        

This podcast introduces the economists’ useful notion of ‘externalities’ or spill-over effects. In the unsustainable economy, companies impose costs on society and nature without paying for these damages – these are negative externalities. The sustainability trend is forcing companies to internalise their social and environmental externalities, i.e. account for them in their own books. Climate change provides excellent examples of the application of economic instruments to promote sustainable commercial activity.

Listen to the episode |?Explore the Purpose Inspired podcast

THRIVING FEATURE OF THE WEEK - ANTHROPOGENIC MASS        

In recent times, human-made materials, which scientists have called anthropogenic mass, have been doubling roughly every 20?years. This is because, on average, each person produces anthropogenic mass equal to more than his or her body weight every week. In 2020, for the first time, the total anthropogenic mass surpassed all global living biomass. The problem is that much of what we are producing is not biodegradable. Rather than being food for nature’s cycles, our manufactured plastics, chemicals, and heavy metals are toxic for life.

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MORE FROM PURPOSE INSPIRED        

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Copyright 2022 Wayne Visser