Blog Archives: December 2011
December 19, 2011
Protecting Our Oceans: Key to Sustainability
Aron Cramer , President and CEO
In February, I will speak at The Economist's "World Oceans Summit," a valiant—and valuable—effort to increase awareness and commitment to preserving the oceans. The world's oceans cover three-fourths of the Earth's territory, but they occupy far less than that in terms of mindshare regarding sustainability. This Summit may help change that. Read more
December 16, 2011
Introducing the ‘Nice Consumer’: Can She Lead Us to the Sustainable Consumption of Fashion?
Cody Sisco, Former Manager, Advisory Services
Many smart and opinionated people are split on the answer to the question of whether less is more, which has become central to the sustainable consumption debate. Read more
December 15, 2011
Expanding the Response to Conflict Minerals
Amaya Gorostiaga, Former Manager, Advisory Services
With a grant from the GE Foundation, BSR is exploring ways for companies to partner with key stakeholders to support local-development and capacity-building efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Companies, in partnership with civil society and government representatives, can play a role in supporting targeted and strategic social initiatives that address local-development needs in the region. A number of companies have already joined a wide range of actors to drive progress toward stopping the indirect financing of armed rebel groups through mine-certification schemes and mineral traceability. But while there is much to be said of these important efforts to create a clean and legitimate minerals trade, the multi-stakeholder response should also go beyond supply chain traceability and focus more attention on the millions of livelihoods that depend on the artisanal mining sector. Read more
December 13, 2011
Chinese Entrepreneurs on Environmental Protection in China
Xiaoshu Wang, Former Associate, Advisory Services
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been traveling around China to interview 35 Chinese entrepreneurs in different industries on how the business sector can promote environmental protection. These interviews will inform a new, three-year member strategy for the Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology (SEE)—an association founded in 2004 with the goal to solve the desertification challenge in Inner Mongolia. Now, seven years later, SEE has nearly 200 members spread all over the country and faces a new challenge: Its members are not satisfied with supporting a single anti-desertification project. Instead, the organization wants to address broader ecological issues across the country. To do this, SEE will be working closely with BSR’s CiYuan initiative, a project focusing on building cross-sector partnerships to enhance the value of social investment in China. Read more
December 12, 2011
What the Eurozone Crisis Teaches Us About Durban
Aron Cramer , President and CEO
For the past few years, I have tried to see the results of the COP meetings in Copenhagen, Cancun, and Durban through a “glass-half-full lens,” arguing that even weak agreements keep the process going. Read more
December 6, 2011
In Your Words: AMD CR Director Tim Mohin on Leadership
Tim Mohin, Corporate Responsibility Director, AMD
This guest blog is part of BSR's ongoing series exploring what leadership for sustainability looks like in today's world.
December 2, 2011
The Power of One
Vijay Kanal, Former Director, Information and Communications Technology Practice, Advisory Services
Earlier this week, I attended the Social Innovation Summit 2011 in Palo Alto, which featured an impressive lineup of speakers and panelists, including current and former CXOs of major companies, heads of foundations, sports and music celebrities, and a representative from the White House. Since the conference was held in the heart of Silicon Valley, participants also included a number of tech entrepreneurs who had made their financial fortunes and were now giving back to society. Read more
December 1, 2011
Women’s Empowerment and HIV/AIDS: A Call to Action on World AIDS Day
Racheal Meiers (née Yeager) , Director, HERproject
When I was in college, I thought “women’s issues” was a soft political science—post-conflict reconciliation and diplomacy, poverty alleviation, and democratization were the tough issues that required the most attention on the global stage. Years later through my work on BSR’s HERproject and global research on gender inequality, I now understand that in fact women’s empowerment lies at the heart of solving (or failing to solve) most global development challenges—including the fight against HIV/AIDS. Read more
