win wins

I found an interesting announcement, that deserves to be headline. There is a company called Unity Homes who is helping bring affordable, energy-efficient housing to residents who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina. The community of North Gulfport, Mississippi celebrated a few months ago the launching of a prototype for modular green homes priced for low-income buyers. The green home has Energy Star qualified appliances, high efficiency heating and cooling systems, energy-efficient lighiting and locally produced green building materials. The homes are 52% more energy efficient than a similar size house built in a traditional way. The company aims at selling the 1200 square ft. homes at US $85000, for which they plan to establish a factory in the community, which could be ready by the end of 2007, producing 250 houses a year. How is that for creativity.

Trust with no words

When we arrived at the bus station in Dubrovnik a woman in her 50s with very poor English approached us, offering to stay in her house. It is a popular custom in Croatia, to wait for tourists at the harbour or bus stations to offer accomodation in private homes. We decided to check it out- it seemed so much more intriguing and interesting to see a local home from the inside, how life goes in the "real" city, than to check in in a traditional standard hotel. She paid for our bus tickets, guided us into the walled city and we walked up several hundred stairs before arriving to her place. She fixed turkish coffee for us, brought cookies and took us to the roof, overlooking the city. How is trust developed? What makes it possible, for a modest middle aged woman to trust foreigners, not being able to communicate much because of different languages, to give us the key of her home, which means access to all she has? What makes it possible, that she leaves the home to go for more tourists, unconcerned by strangers staying behind? We only stayed a day, but in a strange way, we connected in deeper ways that words can build. When we were leaving, we hugged as I have hugged my closest friends, my family, those hugs that connect souls where there is total trust and open hearts. While I am unable to pronounce her Croatian name, and possibly would not recognize her face in a crowd next week, our brief interaction had the maximum intensity of human connection. There were not many words - yet we gave something to each other that I sense will not expire, a timeless experience, a lasting impact. What made that possible?

Rocky lands

I just spent the last few days in Croatia, visiting the islands of Hvar and Kurcula. (Croatia has 1185 islands, only 47 are inhabited). The islands we visited have mountains and a stoney ground. However, travelling across the island we saw miles and miles of hillsides, criss-crossed with lines of piled rocks. At some places there were like small walls, in other places they were piled like small towers with an entry. In between the piled stones, the earth shined green, planted in some parts with olive trees, in others just green bushes. It made me think how many days or rock piling this had taken, centuries ago. How one person at a time, how whole communities engaged in clearing up the rocky lands so that some earth could be uncovered, recovered and made fertile for theirs and future generations.

Plant a Tree

Always talking about what is the small step that we can take, the little personal contribution to leaving a legacy...

This morning i've found one. It's called help planting a tree.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mrs. Wangari Maathai with support of the United Nations Environment Program has launched the Plant for the Planet Project: She wants to reach the goal of planting 1 billion trees in 2007, and for this they need the help of you, me, community groups, businesses and governments.

The Billion Tree idea emerged when a corporate group told Maathi that it was planting a million trees in the US. She responded, "That's great, but what we really need is to plant a billion trees."

"As we all know, we cannot live without trees. The average tree inhales 26 pounds of carbon dioxide and exhales enough oxygen for a family of four for a year.

For this reason, planting more trees is an important and practical part of the solution to global warming. Trees are economically important as well, providing communities with timber, fuel and food, and acting as a source of gums, latex and medicines for all societies. Trees are also essential to the environment, preventing erosion and desertification, and conserving soil and water sources; forests are home to 90 percent of terrestrial species. "

Through the Billion Tree Campaign website www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign, you can log in to make a pledge to plant a tree (you can pledge to plant a single tree, or up to 10 million trees) and then follow up once you have planted.

The campaign has identified four target areas of greatest need: degraded natural forests, farms and rural landscapes, sustainably managed plantations, and urban environments, but all pledges are welcome. Simply planting a tree in your backyard can have a positive impact on the environment.

When less becomes Moore

The wind has stopped. After three days of noise today the morning was calm, silent, it seemed suddenly empty. It was unsettling - that emptiness.

I thought of a story told by Yoga teacher Dena - when observing the reclining woman sculpture of Henry Moore - the substance of the woman comes out when he leaves it blank. She pointed at that metaphore as a reflection on how the absence shapes the presence.

winds

Since yesterday there are strong windgusts, up to 21 mph/33 kmh. I am not used to wind and i keep hearing the unsettling noise. It creates in me a state of alertedness that i cannot explain.

I recall meeting people in the city of Comodoro Rivadavia, very South on the Argentine Atlantic coast. It is called the capital of the wind, and the motto is "a city with energy". The winds in Comodoro are permanent and strong, all year long. People develop psychological disorders because of continuously being exposed to the wind, working, walking, fighiting it. I wonder where birds hide. Or do they let go and cruise? Winds undo hairdo. May be they are meant to undo the narcissism. Winds push us back, create resistance, don't let us move forward. Or may be they do push us forward?

When confused

I received this image from Tato, taken in the Argentine Patagonia. It reminded me that when confused on what direction to go, reflection helps.

Red Knots that tie us together

I received an article from a major Argentine newspaper, about the Red Knot.

'The Red Knot is a tiny migratory bird that flies from Tierra del Fuego, the most South point of Latin America, all the way north up to the Canadian Artic.

This bird undertakes a journey of 32000 km (20000 miles), flying at an altitude of 4000 mt (12000 ft), and has been studied because it is a real flying maching. To prepare for the demanding trip, they need to build up a special energy reservoir, which they accomplish feeding on fatty food, at the same time they enlarge the size of their muscles, wings and heart, and reduce the size of their stomachs.

But this bird is in extinction. In a bit more than the last decade the population of Red Knots has diminished by 75%, and according to a scientist from a Canadian institute for wildlife research, the reason is the overfishing of a specific crab (cangrejo herradura), which is found in the Delaware Bay, one of the critical feedings stops of the bird. Several US states have initiated a campaign to control the overfishing, but it will take between 8 and 9 years until their reproduction becomes significant.

I wish i would remember well a quote i heard, something like the flap of a butterfly wing in the Amazon impacts the stockmarket in Tokyo... It was a quote to alert on our interconnectedness. I think the Red Knot story is a better example for me. What a responsibility we all have, in what we daily do... I'm barely beginning to notice it. Eating crabs...!?

envirornmental literacy

A year or so ago i did an email campaign, with a colleague, where we sent emails into a number of magazines, major newspapers in the US, tv stations, and radio stations inviting them to be responsible and to use their reach and influence with the readers/audience, by raising environmental issues. We called it Environmental Literacy. I never heard back from any, but i was thrilled to see the recent Fortune issue all dedicated to CSR and environmental impact of business, and today this: BUSINESSWEEK Chief of Correspondents Joseph Weber to Receive the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics Journalism Award i am not taking credit for this, but i think every one of our voices count. We may not know where they are heard, but voice is noise.

About Marginality

I read some reflections by my friend Tamara. She was sharing some thoughts about marginality, that she and her group had generated. They defined marginal as the person standing outside and looking in. What an interesting image. What is outside, and what is inside? I remember one day at a cool bar, they had led a rope around a small area, and a person was guarding that those in the outside wouldn't mix up with those in the inside. The difference was that to be in the inside, the guest had to pay more, by actually buying a full bottle of champagne. In the outside, you could get a glass. There was no other difference: same tables, long chairs, same lights, actually, not even walls or anything indicating the limit - other than a rope. But people in the outside were looking and creating the "inside"with their longing looks. People in the inside, were creating the outside with what seemed like an special enjoyement of the rope. The owners, were cashing in by selling inclusion and exclusion. Tamara's reflections mentioned that we all are marginal at times, and when we are not, we are marginalizing others.

Things are moving

I found this event that will take place in London. This is good news! The Body Shop, Procter & Gamble, Vodafone UK, Microsoft Belgium and Reuters are just a few of the major companies that will be gathering in London to take part in a key discussion forum 'CSR Delivery, Engagement & Leadership' looking at how to implement Corporate Social Responsibility in an effective way. CSR plays a major role in enhancing employee relations, productivity and innovation. Many companies also recognise that it improves reputation and branding. However the difficulty lies in transforming CSR from an abstract ideal into a concrete plan of action. CSR cannot be implemented throughout an entire company by just one person. The strategy must be introduced throughout each company section in a convincing way to ensure that all employees, at all levels, buy into corporate responsibility. To achieve it's optimal effectiveness the CSR strategy must be integrated into a company’s daily activities. The event hosted by Osney Media and will take place on the 19th & 20th April 2007 in Central London. Joining them in the discussion will be an impressive speaker line-up featuring senior representatives from Ipsos MORI, Ericsson, Dell, Goodcorporation, CSR Network Henley Management College and FTSE Group to name but a few. These industry experts will provide solutions enabling companies to: Build a CSR oriented leadership Involve managers and employees and get people on board Integrate CSR with the global strategy of the company Communicate CSR and make people understand and embrace it Deliver CSR throughout the company to make it really happen Learn how to play out CSR principles in practice Explore the role of benchmarking in developing CSR strategy Discover how to address the challenges of engagement

Richard Gere beyond the widescreen

As i was driving i listened to part of an interview on NPR of Richard Gere, by Terry Gross. Mindblowing. She asked him how he dealt with fame, and if his Buddhist studies have helped him with that. He responded that he had met the Dalai Lama, and talking about being famous, "he knows what it is to be a public person. No one - n o o n e - likes the lack of privacy that comes with fame. But as I met the Dalai Lama, i learned from him that every single encounter with others is an opportunity given to us to leave a mark." E-v-e-r-y s-i-n-g-l-e e-n-c-o-u-n-t-e-r... that gave me a LOT to ponder.

Inspiration, everywhere

As long as you can see them... My friend Graziella, who had a transformative experience on the shores of the Orinoco river, in Venezuela, and as a result began a project of a book, through which she wants to share with others that there is a world beyond the accostumed Western, comfortable lifestyle of the privileged. May be the privileged are not those we think.