Earth hour?

You may or may not have noticed this past Saturday from 8:00 - 9:00 pm that many places in and around Chicago went dark to call attention to our consumption of electricity which produces greenhouse gases.

Here is a link to an article in Sunday's Chicago Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-world-lights-out,0,3671686.story

As you will read, this is a tradition that was started in Australia last year and this year it was hoped that 100 million people would participate.

I was particularly struck by the following comment made by Richard Moss, vice president for WWF, World Wildlife Fund:
There's a widespread belief that somehow people in the United States don't understand that this is a problem that we're lazy and wedded to our lifestyles. (Earth Hour) demonstrates that that is wrong," Richard Moss, a member of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the climate change vice president for WWF, said in Chicago on Saturday.

What is your reaction to this comment? Do you agree that the perception is that Americans don't care about the environment? If so, what can we do to show the world that we are serious about taking care of the environment.

If you believe that we are doing enough give examples. Did you participate in "Earth Hour"? What do you to prevent global warming?

Refreshingly honest or irresponsible?

I found this article on the Wall Street Journal website regarding Wal-Mart and their "green efforts".

As you will read, although Wal-Mart has been touting that it is "going green" it still isn't there yet. They mention that their main motivation to drive out waste or better said "to make more money".

Do you find this suprising from the World's Largest Retailer who has been known to "squeeze" vendors to get more profit out of them? In your opinion, does it matter what the company's motivation is- profitability or making the world a better place- when it comes to corporate responsibility? Does it take something away from a company's corporate responsibility efforts when they mention that they are looking to increase profitability?

Here is the link to the article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120546648773336113.html

Here is a summary from the March 14th Wall Street Journal
Lee Scott Jr. announced at WSJ "ECO-nomics" conference that despite Wal-Mart's focus on going green that they are not there yet.
Mr Scott was questioned as to why if the company is going green that Wal-Mart's carbon emission footprint is growing. He said that the reason for this is because that in order for Wal-Mart to grow they must continue to use energy.
He then stated that "The impetus for the company in doing all this isn't just to please environmentalists, he said, but to save money."

Air Jordans going green?

Nike just released the "green" version of Air Jordan's. This version of Air Jordan's has been designed to be more environmentally friendly by using materials that are less toxic and by cutting down on the amount of waste.

Here is a link to the article that was in the January 10, 2008 Fortune:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/09/magazines/fortune/gunther_nike.fortune/index.htm

One thing that jumped out at my was the price of the shoes- $230! I couldn't help but think that there was an interesting dichotomy here. On the one hand, Nike seems to be taking charge and trying to do something for the environment. On the other hand, how likely is it that the "average" person can afford these shoes?

We've talked at great lengths about stakeholders in a company. Who would you say benefits from this move? Is there a group of stakeholders that doesn't benefit? Let's hear your thoughts!

Diversity in American companies

I'd like you to read this article from the Wall Street Journal

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120370822092186297.html

and answer the following questions:

What will it really take to get equal respresentation at the top-level of Fortune 500 companies?Why do you think that most companies claim to promote diversity however there is not equal pay for all employees? Or equal representation at all levels of the organization? Do you think that the discrepancies are intentional or unintentional?

Why do you think that this topic is included as part of Corporate Social Responsibility?