ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
In a recent conversation about the role of his company in ensuring a sustainable future in times of increasing uncertainty, MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings’ Shiro Fujii said, “We don’t see ourselves simply as an insurance provider, but as a risk solutions expert.”
PRESS RELEASE -
As part of our Climate Resiliency Community Challenge, five universities have been selected to conduct research that will help communities in the southeastern United States build resilience to climate change.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
The UN estimates that nearly 2 billion people will be on the move by 2030, traveling to destinations all over the world. Travel and tourism can bring us a billion opportunities to make the world a better and more sustainable place — or a billion disasters, if we do not manage it properly.
NEW METRICS -
With 65% of the Caribbean’s reefs generating tourism dollars, the study reveals
an opportunity for tourism-associated businesses — such as cruise lines,
airlines and hotels — to work together to protect the region’s environmental health.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
From naturally pest-resistant grains to vitamin-rich flowers and drought-defying roots, they outline 50 nutritious foods that are better for our health and environment.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
In the northwestern city where I live, when you walk out the door, the first thing you see is smoke. It blankets trees and houses, it hangs thick in the air, it covers the foothills, it seeps out from between buildings; it hangs, illuminated by streetlights at night. The shroud of smoke over the sun means less people are enjoying the great outdoors, but there’s one thing that hasn’t changed: People are still driving to work. Regardless of how much air pollution we have to contend with, the economy must go on. Yet this same economy is contributing to climate change.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
A resilient organization must operate in a way that ensures all associated entities survive and thrive.
In a healthy ecosystem, everyone has a niche and a role; feedback loops are short and constant, ensuring accountable and creative decision-making is happening at all levels. Functioning in this way not only strengthens internal functionality, but allows organizations to better nurture crucial outside partnerships.
So, what if an organization functioned like a climax ecosystem? Sharp feedback mechanisms, efficient supply chains, and self-organized teams create organizations that are always ready for the next big opportunity.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
The Dow Chemical Company and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have released a new study focusing on how nature can help protect business assets from natural disasters. Based on research completed as part of the ongoing Dow-TNC collaboration, the study demonstrates that asset protection strategies can include green infrastructure — such as marshes, mangroves, coral and oyster reefs — along with more conventional infrastructure — such as dikes and levees — to protect business assets from hurricanes and flooding.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
At the World Travel & Tourism Council 2015 Global Summit in Madrid today, Sustainable Travel International (STI) unveiled an industry-wide campaign, entitled “10 Million Better,” to monitor and scale up social and environmental benefits from travel and tourism.The 10-year initiative convenes leading tourism corporations, organizations and destinations around the globe with the goal of tracking and demonstrating improvements in the lives of at least 10 million people and their families by 2025. Improvements to be monitored include growth of income and opportunity, and better protection of destinations’ natural, cultural and heritage sites.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
As the effects of climate change on our global ecosystems continue to reveal themselves, fears are growing that it could threaten food security, particularly a vital source of protein that has sustained humans for centuries. Luckily, bean breeders at the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a global food research consortium, have announced the discovery of 30 new lines of “heat-beater” beans that could keep production from crashing in large swaths of bean-dependent Latin America and Africa.
NEW METRICS -
JetBlue has released a first-of-its-kind report correlating the long-term health of its bottom line with the long-term health of ecosystems, particularly the Caribbean.