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Category Archives - Useful Web Resources

Are you following these great CSR / Sustainability blogs?

November 23, 20105:32 pm

The first thing I do when I get up each morning and turn on my computer is to go to my RSS reader and browse my favourite CSR / Sustainability blogs. My favourites change over time of course but the purpose of today’s posts is to provide you with an up to date list of my current favourite CSR / Sustainability blogs.

Here they are:

David Connor: http://davidcoethica.wordpress.com/
Crane and Matten: http://craneandmatten.blogspot.com/
Reuters Blog – Environment: http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/
Andrew Winston: http://www.andrewwinston.com/blog/
Mallen Baker: http://www.mallenbaker.net/csr/blog.php
Murninghan Post: http://murninghanpost.com
Marc Gunther: http://www.marcgunther.com/
Realized Worth: http://realizedworth.blogspot.com/
Peter Korchnak: http://www.semiosiscommunications.com/
Jonathan Sundqvist: http://www.ecothinking.org/
Julie Urlaub: http://blog.taigacompany.com/blog/taiga-company
The Guardian Sustainable Business Blog: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog
Lauren Bloom: http://www.thebusinessethicsblog.com/
The BSR Blog: http://blog.bsr.org/
The Forbes CSR Blog: http://blogs.forbes.com/csr/
The Green Economy Post: http://greeneconomypost.com/
The Inspired Economist: http://inspiredeconomist.com/
Elaine Cohen: http://www.csr-reporting.blogspot.com/
Earth and Industry: http://earthandindustry.com/
TriplePundit: http://www.triplepundit.com
What they think – Going Green: http://blogs.whattheythink.com/going-green/
Chris MacDonald: http://businessethicsblog.com/

These are the blogs I am reading on a regular basis at the moment. There are obviously a lot more great blogs out there. What blogs could you recommend?

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sepblog/3546156264

Can augmented technology enhance CSR / Sustainability reporting?

October 15, 201011:50 am

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We know that CSR / Sustainability reports are not the most interesting bedtime reading. Despite some great work by the individuals in the CSR / Sustainability departments a CSR / Sustainability report can not really be more then some pictures and text on a piece of paper at this point in time.

Todays post is about introducing you to the topic of augmented technology. Sounds very complex and techie but don’t worry it is really easy to understand. This is the general concept: By using augmented technology, in our case smart phones, we as readers will be able to have an enhanced view and perception of the content and pictures of this CSR / Sustainability report. If I have lost you here please bear with me and watch this video below.

Here is a video to provide you with a practical example of how this technology is being used already (please disregard the horrible facial hair of the presenter )

How can this technology could be used to enhance CSR / Sustainability Reports?
In many different ways is the answer. Here are some possibilities. First from a companies perspective and then from the stakeholder perspective.

Company Perspective
Let’s view this from a recycling/ waste company’s perspective: Here augmented technology (when you hold your smart phone (iPhone, etc.) in front of this picture) can be used to provide the reader with so much more context by using different layers in images. Imagine a derelict landscape which during the course of the years has been transformed into a wildlife sanctuary again. Here the company finally has the company to show past and present all in a sequence and not by having to explain everything in detail with lots of text which no one will read anyway.

Stakeholder Perspective
As a stakeholder, this technology enables us to find the interesting bits and pieces of information much easier. Imagine you are viewing a chart of selected environmental key indicators. Only the past 2 years are displayed in order for you to see the short term progress the company has made. But holding your smart phone in front of this chart you will be able to see 5 years worth of data if you interested in a longer term view of the data.

The picture on the right is showing some glaciers in the Alps. By holding your iPhone towards them, the distance to these glaciers from your location and their altitude is being displayed.

These are only two examples (as you know I like to keep it short) on how this technology could be used to enhance CSR / Sustainability Reports. But enough from me now.

What is your view?
What is your view on this technology? Have you come across it before and do you think this would be valuable to enhance CSR / Sustainability reports?

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10812666@N03/4271298758

My Top Five Sustainability / CSR Communication Examples

August 16, 20104:45 pm

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Today we received our organic vegetable box as we do every Monday. Inside where some great vegetables and this little note:

My Top Five Sustainability / CSR Communication Examples

What a great short note to say that this lettuce is not perfect but that there is also nothing wrong with it. This is what I call direct and easy to understand communication. I, as a customer, would like to see more of this kind of communication. But obviously this is not the norm we all know when we talk about Sustainability / CSR reports and related documents.

This kind of communication as illustrated above is therefore I believe even more important if you are communicating your Sustainability / CSR topics as a business.

Why? Because Sustainability / CSR topics are not as easy to communicate as a soft drink that has less sugar then the leading brand for example. A Sustainability / CSR message is a lot less exciting and relies more on facts and is generally considered ‘boring’ by most of its stakeholders.

So what are good examples where Sustainability / CSR topic have been communicated in a way that is easy to understand, direct and something I would call as good communication?

My top five currently are:

To sum up:
Good and effective Sustainability / CSR communication needs to be direct, uncomplicated and friendly but at the same time focused on the cultural context of the individual target group.

Here is an example: A message of Sustainability / CSR excellence that is intended for the Scandinavian market has to be focus more on the cultural context of the Scandinavian public. This same communication would most likely not work with the audience in the Spanish market.

I will try to find the time in the coming weeks to write a separate post about this crucial aspect in Sustainability / CSR communications: The cultural difference and Sustainability / CSR communication. In the meantime I would love to hear your views on the points I raised in this post.

Do you like this blog? – Connect with me on Facebook

July 16, 20102:35 pm

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Today’s post has a very simple message: I have now set up a Facebook Page for this blog. The purpose of this page is to show who ‘likes’ my blog (obviously).

It is also a source of information on whom to add to your Facebook network with similar interests. Most bigger websites nowadays have this Facebook page element on their site and I usually use it as a tool to find new interesting Facebook connections.

So if you like this blog please join me on Facebook as well:

Podcast: A guest at GreenSmith Sessions talking about CSR & Sustainability

July 14, 201012:46 pm

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I love podcasts and the way they enable you to have a great conversation, record it and share this with your network afterwards all at the same time.

That is why I immediately agreed to be interviewed by Paul Smith aka GreenSmith when he asked me several weeks ago if I was interested to be his guest in one of his sessions. Paul and I have known each for years now and I was really honored to be the second person he interviewed in his new series called GreenSmith Sessions.

During our around 20 minute long conversation we are talking about CSR / Sustainability and the BP oil spill disaster, what the US and EU can learn from each other with regards to CSR / Sustainability best practice, CSR / Sustainability reporting and other related topics.

This is the link to the post on Paul’s blog post: GreenSmith Session #2 You can also download it via this link ‘Download Postcast’ or listen to it by visiting Paul’s post here: Listen to GreenSmith Session #2

Please let me know whether you enjoyed the podcast conversation, have anything to add or any other feedback on the topics we discussed.

A list of Sustainability blog and website networks

July 12, 20102:22 pm

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There are thousands of sustainability related websites out there but as far as I am aware of there are only a few blog / websites networks that specifically run a number of Sustainability-related websites and have them connected into a single network (What is a blog/website network? – Wikipedia) or run them as part of their website portfolio.

The purpose of today’s post is to introduce you to these blog / website networks that I am aware of. I am also dividing them up into medium and larger networks for better comparison.

Medium sized blog/website networks:

Simple Earth Media
About: Simple Earth Media is an industry-leading environmental new media and social media company whose brand mission is to create a compelling, organic, educational network of environmental online venues that engage an ever-growing audience concerned with sustainable lifestyle habits and business practices.
My opinion: Some really great looking sites with interesting content. One of my favorites together with Live Oak Media.

Important Media
About: Important Media is a decentralized, niche blog network, dedicated to covering those issues which are important to our collective and individual well-being, from humanity’s survival to human happiness.
My opinion: Important Media is a continuation of some sites of the former GreenOptions network. The site itself needs some improvement but the networked sites are really good and useful.

Live Oak Media
About: We are a new media company publishing websites that focus on energy, the environment and sustainable living. By leading the conversation about green issues, LiveOAK aims to advance the principals of sustainability by making them meaningful and accessible to a mainstream audience.
My opinion: This is personally my favorite blog/website network at the moment. Really useful.

Large scale blog/website networks:

Mother Nature Network
About: The mission of Mother Nature Network (MNN) can be found at the top of every page on our site: “Improve Your World.” But while many sites limit “your world” to only ”your planet,” MNN defines it in much broader terms. Just as your world encompasses many different aspects—your family, your health, your lifestyle, your business, your community……and your planet—so too does MNN.
My opinion: A really wide variety of topics that are usually always helpful.

Discovery Channel
About: Discovery Communications is the world’s number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 180 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Planet Green and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com.
My opinion: By far the largest network for a reason. A lot of money is being spend to build this. The content is generally good but often very mainstream as well.

These are the blog / website networks I know of that either focus on Sustainability topics or have them as part of their portfolio. If I have missed any others please let me know.

Foursquare, Gowalla and Check.in: My choice of location-based social networking services

June 21, 20103:29 pm

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Every now and then I also writing about the latest social media sites and applications I like. Today’s post is another social media post in this category. A post about one of the newest trends in the smart phone world: Location-based social networking services.

If you have an iPhone or a smart phone that runs the Android software you are able to use the applications that enable you to check in and share information about these places you are visiting with your friends and wider social network.

This sharing of interesting places and events with my social network via these location-based social networking services is quickly becoming one of my favorite applications on my iPhone.

These are the applications I am using at the moment:

Foursquare
Foursquare is a location-based social networking website, software for mobile devices, and also a game. Users “check-in” at venues using a mobile website, text messaging or a device-specific application. They are then awarded points and sometimes “badges.” More about Foursquare: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foursquare_(service)

Gowalla
Gowalla is another location-based social networking website. Users ‘check-in’ at Spots in their local vicinity, either through a dedicated mobile application or through the mobile website. As a reward users will sometimes receive items from check-ins. Items have developed to become a promotional tool for the game’s partners e.g. Incase. As of March 2010 there were approximately 150,000 active users. More about Gowalla: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gowalla

At the moment I am using both services because I really like the diversity of the two services. They are both currently really different from each other. It always seems to me that Foursquare has been programmed by mathematicians and Gowalla by graphic designers. But that is just my impression.

If you are interested in using either of these services my advice would be to sign up for both. Nwo you are asking: Two services? Why not stick to one and do twice the work? My answer would be: Why not? The future of these two services is not certain as this market is only just starting to emerge and I also found that my friends and my social network is split between these two services. They are free so why only go with one?

It is your choice of course but here is a the solution for you to not do check-ins twice when you want to share the same location with your friends on Foursquare and Gowalla.

Check.In

Use the new service called check.in. This is how Techcrunch, one of the largest tech blogs describe it:
‘Check.in is an application that lets you check-in with multiple services at the same time. Or, as they put it, it’s “on check-in to rule them all.’ I have used check.in for several weeks now and can not recommend it highly enough.

This service makes location-based social networking so easy and convenient. So if you into these location-based social networking applications, then you need to get check.in. It will make your life a lot easier.

Stay Positive – Three videos that will make your day

June 11, 201012:54 pm

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It is Friday and I am really looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend with my family. The past few weeks/months have been pretty hectic, disruptive and different to say the least. The overall mood with people also does not seem to be the best at the moment. The global economy still seems to stall and mostly everyone you speak to is moaning about how hard the current times are.

I know that life can be hard sometimes but life is also too short. So why waste a single minute of it by moaning?

Todays post therefore features three videos which are meant to be motivational, inspiring and encouraging. These are three of my all time favorites. I hope they will mean as much to you as they do for me once you watched them!

Video 1: Where the Hell is Matt? – A gentle reminder what it means to be human, how great our world is and how important it is to have FUN!

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Video 2: The Robin Hood Tax campaign – A campaign to that forces us to think different. To make changes that are minimal in some areas but seem to be so hard to comprehend.

The Robin Hood Tax – A Good Idea (HD) from Robin Hood on Vimeo.

Video 3: Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull – May 1st and 2nd, 2010 – Just amazing pictures of the power of nature

Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull – May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.

Have a good weekend everyone and remember to stay positive. Always, no matter what life throws at you!