Sustainability is about actually doing good. It is not about being less bad.

One of my heroes is Jeffrey Hollender, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Seventh Generation. His 2004 published book (written with Stephen Fenichell) What Matters Most - Business, Social Responsibility and the End of the Era of Greed really inspired me to quicken the pace and settle on the direction of my own work.

I subscribe to Hollender's blog The Inspired Protagonist. The March 23rd post contains reflections on a recent corporate citizenship conference and this quote by Hollender - Most sustainability and corporate responsibility programs are about being less bad vs. good. They are about selective and compartmentalized "programs" rather than holistic and systemic change. I believe this statement really gets to the heart of sustainability becoming mainstream. It is not about being less bad; it is about fundamental changes to how we live and work, changes that must address the main enemies to sustainability, namely population growth, profit for profit's sake, partisan politics, and unenlightened self-interest.

Hollender's March 23rd post also contains some great insights into the inspired thinking of role model company Procter & Gamble.

Please read Jeffrey Hollender's full March 23rd post here.

Be remarkable
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
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