WE NEED FRIENDS WHO ARE DREAMERS

“We need friends who are dreamers” - Noa Olenik

As many of us are preparing for #NYCW, I wanted to share some of the inspiration and insights that stuck with me after an amazing few days with sustainability leaders in #TerraTuscany, that can hopefully spark some ideas for next week and beyond. I can’t wait to meet up with as many of you again as possible, and I’m sure your passion and insights can inspire all those who weren’t with us, and who are also leading the way.

?I open with Noa's words because we are all on this journey together. Regardless of which sector we represent, there are no solutions that don’t require collaboration. And there is so much learning (and joy) to be had when we open ourselves up to friendship – especially across all sorts of borders. That, beyond anything else, is what I came away with from our time together: new friendships, all with people who happen to be dreamers. Thanks, Marvin, for bringing us all together.

OK – this is long (hence an article - my first! - and not a post). But it was a rich few days, and I’m a note-taker… Seems a total waste to have these ideas only available to those of us who were there. (We had Chatham House rules, so I'm sticking to takeaways that are important but won't get anyone into any hot water!)

Michael Kobori (he/him) from 星巴克 , among many wise reflections, pointed to my main area of interest – consumers. How we “need to go to the market – consumers and voters of the future (and now)” in order to push leadership and shareholders for sustainability action. Georg Kell , founder of UN Global Compact, echoed this in his comment that we all need to be focused on the “importance of people power.”

(Also, Michael Kobori (he/him) shared one of his mentor’s key pieces of advice from his time at 利维·斯特劳斯公司 – “If you are not making people uncomfortable or you yourself aren’t uncomfortable, you are not doing your job.”)

Gregg Meyer , CSO Steve Madden insisted on staying authentic to your brand, and to admit that sustainability is a journey – you don’t have to know everything before you get started. I appreciated his openness and honesty about the difficult balancing act between being in consumer goods and sustainability, and how to manage that. I especially loved his insistence that “to go on this journey, a culture of learning is fundamental.” We ALL have a lot to learn. Only those brave enough to admit it really make the strides, in my experience.?(Hopeful bit – With significant investment in material science, Steve Madden 's European market is rapidly taking up sustainable products, which will increasingly be coming to US and other markets.)

Daniel Schmid , CSO at SAP gave an inspirational talk about what it meant to set bold targets, even without a clear plan to get there. His opinion is to “set bold targets, even without a clear plan, because people need a GuideStar to reach for in every way, across every element of the business.” His talk about why you don’t need a sustainability strategy highlighted the need that you need a business strategy that is sustainable. Integration across all functions is key – especially finance.

Nancy Mahon , CSO at 雅诗兰黛有限公司 shared a similar perspective – the importance of CSO’s having “empathy” with all other C-suite leaders, and to focus on driving value in the company. She also shared how important it is for a CSO to have co-ownership of sustainability goals with finance. She urged those who are CSOs and on sustainability teams (or considering joining those ranks), to resist sinking solely into the increasing reporting requirements, but to continue to aim high and ensure your company takes up its role as an activist. (She also shared that those of us who are consumers should vote with our wallets and WRITE LETTERS to CEOs of companies we appreciate. Those (I’m assuming) hand-written letters make a huge difference, according to Nancy. So maybe start buying envelopes and stamps again... (Also, thanks Nancy for the recommendation to get eyeglass frames in Italy! I found a small family business of handmade frames in Florence in my 3 hours off and am very happy.)

Sarah Thuo from 安永 asked a critical question we all need to keep central – “Where does the funding from carbon credits go? To the countries and local communities who have earned and deserved them?” Not often or enough. For us to avoid (my words, not hers) a new form of colonialism and imperialism, we need to think hard about where we invest, and who drives those decisions. Sarah added that “buyers must demand to know where the funding is going.” ?Sarah, thank you for bringing this up. And thanks to all those who acknowledge the importance of regulatory measurement of carbon capture, but the need to streamline it so that more funding goes to the ecosystems and local communities we all rely upon.

The absence of key decision makers from the "global majority" in many climate fora has been a passion of mine, and I was heartened to find others outspoken on this issue, including Sarah Thuo , Michael Kobori (he/him) , and Patricio Lombardi , especially…

Many of us were there to focus on the link between biodiversity and climate, which all too often goes unacknowledged. Lee Pearson , who is working in one of my favorite places – the Philippines - reminded us “to go back to the science” and that of the 23 things the latest IPCC report urges us to do, 3 out of the top 5 are centered on biodiversity – addressing deforestation, doing (smart, please!) reforestation, and working closely on working land and seascapes for agriculture and aquaculture.

Sandrine Dixson-Declève from The Club of Rome and author of “Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity” was unafraid to call out income inequality as a key impediment to change, and the need to look at intersectionality of climate within social issues (something we all know, but can fall by the wayside in “climate solution” talks too often). I also really appreciated her insistence that women step even more into the foray – “We need women who are ready to stay women and not become men” in this fight. (Harper McConnell, Global VP 玛氏食品 , and the woman generous enough to give me her ONLY emergency instant coffee in an emergency, I promise you the picture change from our conversation is coming soon. It - and you - deserve a separate post.)

Patricio Lombardi and I both have relationship with Pope Francis (very different, but still life-altering). The Pope’s letter to Patricio when he became Latin America’s first ever Minister of Climate Change encouraged him to do the job well for Misiones, Argentina (which holds 52% of Argentina’s biodiversity and is part of the Atlantic Forest, a critical ecosystem), but then to TEACH OTHERS TO ALSO TAKE UP THE MANTLE. Thank you, Patricio, for doing so, and for our new friendship. (And the chance to brush off my porte?a accent from my years spent in your home country).

Noa Olenik 's work enabled me to talk about underwater archeology, a passion of mine since my work with amazing people at the Smithsonian. But I digress. She founded Rewind to explore/test the potential of the Black Sea’s anoxic base as a sink for sequestered carbon in wood and agricultural waste that would otherwise release methane as it decomposed. (@Noa is a dreamer, and I’m certain, a new friend.)

I loved how Pierre Abadie of Tikehau Capital insisted we focus on the “unsexy” solutions – those that require workers wearing yellow vests and installing the wiring we need for electrification, etc. “During COVID we gave daily standing ovations for our healthcare heroes. Where are those ovations for the real heroes of the climate movement?” I also loved him admitting that he has likely talked to more than 12K would-be investors over the past few years, and that 99.9% of the time he strikes out.?All you need is that 0.1%, but the resilience and grit required to keep going is also a key ingredient. (And something many of us can relate to and need to keep hearing, so thank you for sharing.)

Simon Glynn 's insistence that “the action we need is radical, not incremental” spoke to me. Otherwise, he worries this “decade of delivery” will continue to become a “decade of disclosure.” His work providing research to corporate clients on how to best drive change is a helpful tool for ALL of us. Check out his latest research of more than 60,000 people in 23 countries focused on the right mix of carrot/stick approaches to incentivizing climate action. ?

Mary Wilson , thank you for sharing the work you've created Taza to spearhead, and for adding me to your “Women in Sustainability Leadership” group. Friends already.

Elena Zafirova , thanks for being the kind of person that doesn’t flinch about the idea that EMPATHY is a key ingredient to climate action. I loved learning about your work and background and can’t wait to keep talking. We discussed a number of books. I HIGHLY recommend Strangers in Their Own Land to anybody thinking about empathy and how to get past political divides and search for common ground. It was, in part, inspiration for the program I launched called GlobalWe. Equally, Harald Neidhardt , it was fantastic speaking with you about the ways we need to use imagination about the future to drive mindset shifts in ALL people.

Ok…that’s a LOT. If I missed your name, it wasn’t because I didn’t love meeting you! I probably just met you as a human, sans notebook. Like Edo Perry , who (very rightly) convinced me to do the wine tasting rather than the yoga session. Good call. (Also, I love that in less than 2 days we discovered mutual obsessions with 1) fossils, 2) really good bookstores, and 3) botanical gardens.)

See? You never know what you'll discover...

See many of you next week, I hope. And stay in touch, please.