Fabian Pattberg

Monthly Archives - October 2009

Using Scribd to find useful Sustainability publications

October 29, 20097:15 pm

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Todays post is one of my weekly resources posts again.

I don’t know whether you ever got the chance to take a closer look at Scribd but there are some interesting resources and publications for free on there.

scribd Using Scribd to find useful Sustainability publicationsWhat is Scribd?
Here is what the website says: “Scribd is the largest social publishing company in the world, the Website where tens of millions of people each month publish and discover original writings and documents.” And they really have publications for everyones interest.

I have had a closer look and I believe that there is also value for the Sustainability professionals to use this platform.

Here are there interesting pieces of information on CSR and Sustainability which you might useful.

A guide to CSR in Europe
http://www.scribd.com/doc/20798847/A-Guide-to-CSR-in-Europe-oct2009

Sustainability in Coal Mining Operations
http://www.scribd.com/doc/16917184/Sustainability-in-Coal-Mining-Operations

The Seven Sins of Greenwashing
http://www.scribd.com/doc/20439899/7-Sins-of-Green-Washing

Has anyone else got experience in using Scribd? Would be interesting to know what you think about it.

Sustainability Activist, Influencer or Observer? What are you?

October 26, 20094:32 pm

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What kind of Sustainability person are you? The question I wanted to pose to you today is whether you believe you are an Activist, Influencer or Observer when you are looking to promote Sustainability? ( I am assuming that you care about our planet, responsible business practice i.e. Sustainability because you are reading this).

identity Sustainability Activist, Influencer or Observer? What are you?I feel that this differentiation is very important in the context of Sustainability and making a difference in this world to change it for the better. Each of these three categories imply positives and negatives in my opinion and I have outlined what I mean with each of these categories below:

Activist
Activists are people that are especially active, vigorous advocates of a sustainability cause. They do what they say in a way that is not always acceptable for the general public.  They shock or break the laws in order to get attention for the cause they are support. This can be positive or negative depending of the persons viewpoint. Activism is very controversial and highly sensible. Do not get me wrong. We need activists but they have a certain extremism which many people can not relate to easily. Examples obviously include the Green NGO’s such as Greenpeace, etc in this world.

Influencer
Influencer’s are people that are a compelling force on their specific topic areas. Their actions, opinions and standpoints effect our behavior directly in the way that we have a close bonding to this person right away or after a short period of time. This is the clear difference to the the activist. Influencer are moderate and measured. I make us change behavior. For a classic example of an influencer in the Sustainability is Al Gore. He did not settle for a fancy post in an organization somewhere after we lost against Bush but traveled the world to promote his message of saving the planet and to raise awareness about Climate Change. His presentations about the progress of climate change stick in your head and you are able to take away the aspects that help you change your behavior. A true influencer.

Observer
Is someone that observes from a distance and does not really get involved and does not participate. We are all observers when we get to know a topic. But once we know about it we have a choice. Either to dive deeper into the information or to move on. I have once read (sorry no source) that 97% of the population are observers.

Question: Who are you? How do you see yourself?
I am definitely a influencer. Or at least this is what I am trying to be. But this is not about me but the message of this post is that we need more influencers in this world. We have enough activists and just to many observers. Influencers are the ones that really have the largest leverage to make change happen in this situation we are in globally.

So if you think you are an observer then please take a moment to reflect and visualize where your passion is with regards to Sustainability. Once you have figured that out then it will be a lot easier to be become an influencer. Passion empowers you to move forward and this is what an influencer and the activist need to do. They do not stand still but move forward and change it. Observing doesn’t get us anywhere so please join me to be an influencer and help us secure our future.

Picture Credit: HaPe_Gera

My Top 5 Sustainability News this Week – 23.10.2009

October 23, 20095:32 pm

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news rss My Top 5 Sustainability News this Week 23.10.2009This is another edition of you Friday afternoon news of the week list. I have been reading a lot news items but these where particularly interesting this week.

Enjoy and have a great weekend everyone.

My Top 5 Sustainability News this week:

  • Attraction To ‘Do Good’ Brands Is Escalating – According to this global survey of 6,000 people in 10 countries, 57% say a brand has earned their business because of its works supporting social causes: From MediaPost
  • Two-Thirds of American New Media Users Feel They Can Influence Business Practices by Voicing Opinions Online: From CSR Wire
  • Copenhagen climate talks are last chance, says Gordon Brown UK’s Chancellor: From the Guardian

Picture Credit: lumaxart

Using LinkedIn Answers to promote Sustainability

October 22, 20097:46 pm

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Todays post is a resource post about LinkedIn Answers and the potential to promote Sustainability.

I have only just started to use LinkedIn Answers but I think the potential for sharing knowledge by being a platform for asking questions on Sustainability and getting answers to them from professionals is really enormous.

So what is LinkedIn Answers about?

The biggest benefit from LinkedIn Answers really is that you can get fast, accurate answers from your network and other experts worldwide and that you are able to showcase your knowledge, expertise, and interests by answering questions.

This is the look and feel of the interface:

l answers1 Using LinkedIn Answers to promote Sustainability

This sharing of knowledge by question and answer is especially important in the context of Sustainability. Sharing the knowhow and information individuals have is essential to pool the best practice and innovation for our fight to save the planet and our way of living. Sounds important I know but we need to everything no matter how small it may seem to make an impact.

Next to connecting with likeminded people to share information and knowledge, the LinkedIn Answers platform can also serve as place for where we can answer Sustainability critics (if they will ask a question of course) that are doubting the usefulness of Sustainability. LinkedIn Answers is not the place for a full online discussion obviously but this might be a good information source for practitioners to point colleagues/critics to if they have a question about certain Sustainability topics.

You need to have registered with LinkedIn in order to answer questions but I believe everyone in the Sustainability business sector should have a a LinkedIn account and profile in any case.

All the links you will need:

This is the main LinkedIn Answers website: LinkedIn Answers Main Page

LinkedIn Answers Sustainability: Sustainability

This is the link to the tutorial if you want to get started on LinkedIn Answers: Tuturial

One last note
Just to be clear on this. I am by no means affiliated with LinkedIn and I am not doing any business with them. For me it is important to share this information for the benefit of all and to promote Sustainability.

Video: Killing fields – the true cost of Europe’s cheap meat

October 21, 200911:09 am

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This is an old topic but we need some action to show that the price South American farmers are paying for our cheap meat we have here in Europe is horrendous. I guess we all know that this way of producing soya simply to feed our animals here in Europe is just not sustainable. But this is easily forgotten unfortunately.

This is not an activist video or something similar but a very professional fact driven film. The video is showing what the situation is, that this cycle of reinforcing problems needs to be broken and that there are alternatives to this practice.

We as consumers have a choice and we need to decide individually what we want to do. I have made my choice years ago but becoming a vegetarian. I still consume dairy products but only in a very limit amount (I love my cheese!).

But the choice is yours and I am only here to provide you with some thoughts and information to make an informed decision. But please take the time to watch this video.

Elements of Trust for the Sustainability and CSR professional on the Web

October 19, 20091:33 pm

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I am currently reading Chris Brogans and Julien Smiths Trust Agents book. And one of the key themes of the book is the trust agent concept. A quote from the book reads: “Trust agents aren’t necessarily marketers or sales people; they are the digitally savvy people who use the Web to humanize businesses using transparency, honesty, and genuine relationships.”

trust Elements of Trust for the Sustainability and CSR professional on the WebReading this prompted me to take a critical look at my own industry, the Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) industry, and what people we trust in this industry.

Do we truly trust people like John Elkington, Jonathan Porritt, George Monbiot, or Al Gore? Only to name a few.

I am not so sure. We like them and agree with most of what they do and stand for. But do we trust them? Doesn’t trust really mean a lot more then just agreeing with someones views?

These are big questions and they are tough to answer but I believe there are certain key elements we are looking for when we decide to trust someone or not. Especially in the context of the web and the fact that you can not meet the person face to face right away.

Today I am looking for the elements of an online presence you should look out for when someone claims to be part of the CSR and Sustainability sector.

Elements of Trust for Sustainability and CSR professionals on the Web

  • Does he/she have a blog or a website where I can take a look at what they do? Company websites are okay but the really interesting content and context is usually on the blogs. We seem to trust blogs more then company websites.
  • Is this person using social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc to reach out to more people? If not then how is he/she communicating their messages online? A Twitter and LinkedIn profile is a must nowadays.
  • What is the first impression of the content he/she is providing on their website/blog? Is the blog being used for self promotion only or is this real content with a proper message that adds something to the discussion of the particular topic?
  • How long has he/she been working in the sector? Is he/she just out of university (not bad- but not so much business experience of course) or is he/she a seasoned professional that is now discovering the web and is willing to engage us online now?
  • What is their general business experience other then in the Sustainability/CSR sector? The Sustainability and CSR business sector is not so vastly different to normal business sectors so general business experience is a very important aspect of trusting someone.

These are just a few, but in my opinion most important points to look for in new people coming into the Sustainability and CSR field.

Have I missed anything? What do you think could be added to this list?

Picture Credit: purplejavatroll

Back from Wales and looking for feedback

October 18, 20098:08 am

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We came back from Anglesey / Wales yesterday. We had a great week with some beautiful weather. Really lucky for this time of year as this region usually has a lot of rain very windy days in October. Some pictures will follow later this week.

I now have a lot to catch up on. Even though I checked my emails every day I have 50+ to answer and lots of Twitter, etc correspondence. This is the first part of this Sunday. icon smile Back from Wales and looking for feedback

During the course of this week I had a lot of time to reflect on how I want to continue running this blog and I decided to add more personal thoughts to my posts as well as be more frequent in terms of posts during the week.

What are your thoughts on what I should write more about? Any suggestions and additions to the topics I am  already writing on? All feedback is very welcome.

Holidays in Anglesey – Wales

October 13, 20098:34 am

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angelsey Holidays in Anglesey WalesEveryone needs a holiday every now and then. icon smile Holidays in Anglesey Wales

That is why my family and are currently on holiday in Anglesey in the most northern part of Wales. Our first holiday this year.

Beautiful coast line, peace and quit and very very long walks on the beach and coastline with the my wife Anne and our dog Poncho.

I will be back on Monday so stay tuned for some new posts on Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Media.

Have a good week everyone.

Picture Credit: mrmrwatson