Happy Planet...

Happy Planet...

If you believe the world is going to hell in a handbasket, you're probably right. But you should watch this:



Makes me want to move to Costa Rica.

Best stuff out there...

Best stuff out there...

Right now I think some of the best stuff that is being published is by Krista Tippet on Speaking of Faith. Every week I download the podcast, and every week I'm inspired and moved by the content.

This week was Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature, talking about Moral Math. Everyone should listen to it...

And then go back and listen to:
A Voice for the Animals, a conversation with Alan Rabinowitz about the Human - Animal bond.
The Ethics of Eating, Barbara Kingsolver on eating.
A Monastic Revolution, talking with Shane Claiborn about the new evangelicals.

How could I forget: Land, Life and the Poetry of Creatures with Ellen Davis and Wendell Berry.

So much good stuff.

Another interview - Inventing a new financial system…

Another interview - Inventing a new financial system…

INTERVIEW 2: Chris Meyer, Board Member, Common Good Bank

Story of Business Innovation: Write at least 300 words about the innovation itself. Please answer the following questions:

• WHAT is the innovation?
• HOW did the innovation emerge?
• WHO was involved in the creation of the innovation? What did they do?
• WHAT quotations from the interview best describe the innovation?

“Common Good Bank is an alternative financial system that is meant to facilitate strong, vibrant, sustainable local economies so that people can be consistent in all three ways they’re connected to companies.”

These words by Chris Meyer, Common Good Bank Board Member, hint at the audacity of the innovation that is Common Good Bank (CGB). This innovative financial startup is seeking seed money to launch operations, and is still very much in its infancy. However, once launched, CGB will provide a financial home for individuals and businesses who care about sustainability.

CGB seeks to provide a competitive financial system that saves the world from domination by publically traded corporations. In the view of Meyer and CGB, the number one reason we have an unsustainable economy is that public corporations exist solely to maximize wealth for their shareholders. They are legally bound to put their bottom line above everything else. This single fact forces business leaders to make decisions that maximize short term profitability and remove from consideration any other factor of consequence such as energy, pollution, climate change, or the health and welfare of employees, except where these factors impact short term profitability.

At the core, CGB aims to support strong local economies of independently owned businesses. This comes out of a mission to advance the greater good of the community. This mission impacts lending practices, decision making, profit-sharing, transparency, ownership, and business operations. CGB will also provide all the major consumer services of a financial institution like savings and checking accounts, debit/credit cards, mortgages and car loans. There will be incentives for green activities (fuel efficient vehicles, renovations that increase energy efficiency, etc). Also, the democratic nature of CGB will give members control of community lending priorities and which not-for-profit organizations the bank’s profits will fund.

Meyer’s entrée to Common Good Bank came after completing an undergraduate degree at Goshen College (Indiana). Meyer had been studying history, business, economics, public policy, ethics and religion. Immediately after college he entered a year of voluntary service in a rural setting in South-central Colorado helping low-income people write business plans and launch small entrepreneurial ventures. During this time he authored a white paper to capture his vision of a new, sustainable financial system that would work for the good of the community.

Meanwhile, at about the same time, William Spademan published his paper “Common Good Bank – A Society to Benefit Everyone” in the Friends Journal. (http://www.friendsjournal.org/common-good-bank-society-benefit-everyone). When Spademan and Meyer met in 2007 they immediately recognized the similarities in their visions, and Spademan invited Meyer to join his advisory board.

Impact of innovation: Write at least 250 words about the impact of the innovation:

• WHAT was the impact of the innovation? What people or organizations were affected?
• WHAT were the short-term effects? What were the long-term effects?
• WHAT observable evidence suggests that this impact has occurred?
• WHAT quotations from the interview best describe the impact?

The Common Good Bank is still positioning itself to begin operations. For this reason, we can’t point to specific, measureable impacts on people or organizations. However, the organization has taken some baby steps and we can point to those activities as signs of impact.

First, it has developed a corporate charter, bylaws, and a business plan. These documents have been reviewed and approved by bank regulators. They form the foundation for what the bank will become and how it will operate. According to Meyer, “There has been a lot of good work that has been done. We’re doing what we can without financing… When we get the capital, we’ll be ready to go.”

Second, this ground work has generated a great deal of interest in more than a dozen communities across the United States, as well as internationally in Sweden, Zimbabwe, and Brazil. From a small group based in rural, western Massachusetts the group has grown to nearly 3000 interested persons. This groundswell of support indicates the way the Common Good Bank ideas resonate with people who are frustrated with a financial system that considers short term impacts over all else.

According to Meyer, “One measure of success is that the bank is giving some measure of hope to people who have such negative attitudes towards banks and banking systems. Since this recession, a lot of people are fed up with banks and financial institutions. Common Good Bank provides an alternative to that and provides people with a little more control in their financial institutions. One of the things we have done is generate enthusiasm for a better type of financial institution, and a certain amount of hope in people who thought things were hopeless.”

Ultimately, Meyer says, “Common Good Bank will be an enabler of a lot of good things, if not directly doing them itself. It is more than a single business doing one or two things. It is facilitating the growth of an entire economy, which is the real meat of it – to be able to support everyone who is interested in creating a sustainable economy.”

Once launched, then this aim will make it easy to measure CGB’s impact by tracking the number of sustainable business ventures it supports.

Motivation and Purpose: Write at least 250 words about the motivation, purpose or inspiration behind the innovation.

• HOW did the original idea come about?
• WHAT was the motivation or purpose for doing the innovation?
• Does the innovation relate to a sense of mission, purpose or meaning? If so, HOW?
• WHAT quotations from the interview best illustrate the motivation behind the innovation?

Meyer is motivated to engage in the work of CGB because of his faith, and because of his prophetic insight into the current state of the world.

Since he was a very young man, he has had a vision that the world we know today is, in his words, “heading over a cliff.” Three things in particular make him think the world will change dramatically in his life time. Those three things are climate change, peak oil, and the collapse of the financial system. In his words, “We’re going to have to change – out of necessity. Whether that change is abrupt and very uncomfortable for many of earth’s people, or whether it is relatively smooth – I think that is the question. It’s not IF, but HOW.”

That insight met his faith during his undergraduate studies, when he had the opportunity to connect faith to business. For him, the connection happens in two important concepts: yieldedness and compassion. Yieldedness is the recognition that there is a higher being who loves us and calls us to do the right thing. Compassion is embodied in life and teachings of Jesus. Compassion is genuine caring and loving for all of life; a deep sympathy and kindness towards all of life.

For Meyer, that call to compassion makes him care about sustainability, the ecosystem, other humans – everything. Compassion “brings in the practical. Faith is not just believing something, but doing something.”

Ultimately, Meyer says, “The epitome of compassion is Shalom, where God, humans and creation are in fulfilling relationships. In trying to apply the Shalom concept to the modern world, I believe it mirrors the idea of sustainability. It’s a system of mutual benefit of all involved – that does not take away from future generations – that can exist perpetually.”

Given Meyer’s faith – his yieldedness – and his understanding of the call to compassion or Shalom, he fights despair with action: “Its hard a lot of times. There is so much to worry about. I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. But we need to enjoy life too. And ultimately, is there anything else I’d rather do than work towards shalom? The answer is ‘No, there’s not.’ And any tangible progress along the way is heartening.”

Headline: If your story were published on a front page of a local newspaper, what headline, or title, would you give it?

Inventing an alternative financial system

Interviewers Story: Tell us your story. Write at least 200 words about your experience:

• Why were you interested in interviewing this person?
• What did you learn or how were you inspired from the interview?
• What was the best quote you heard during the interview?
• What did you find most interesting about the story?

Last year I met a person who was working on the Common Good Bank idea, and I was intrigued by the concept. As we talked about it, he identified Chris Meyer as one of the thought leaders of the movement. I knew of Chris as a newcomer to my church, but had not made the opportunity to speak with him. The BAWB interview provided a nice reason and structure to open a conversation.
I was impressed with the audacity of the vision: an alternative financial system. I went into the interview with the expectation that he was creating an alternative model for a bank. As we talked I came to understand that he was talking about more than an alternative financial institution – he was talking about a wholly new financial system. This new system is based on a foundation of justice and peacemaking – what in the Judeo-Christian tradition is called Shalom.
I was most inspired by how Chris consciously transforms despair into positive action. I identified with his comment: “Its hard a lot of times. There is so much to worry about. I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders… And ultimately, is there anything else I’d rather do than work towards shalom? The answer is ‘No, there’s not.’ And any tangible progress along the way is heartening.”

There is a lot to be pessimistic about in 2010. Chris Meyer and The Common Good Bank choose to say ‘No’ to pessimism and take positive actions to plant seeds for a wholly new economic model.

Something more positive...

Something more positive...

I've been doing some interviews for Business as an Agent of World Benefit as part of a course I'm taking. Here is the official purpose of the interview process:

The goal is to gather information on businesses that have recognized a social or environmental issue and have solved it by turning it into a business opportunity. By bringing to foreground stories of such innovative enterprises, Business as an Agent of World Benefit at Case Western Reserve University hopes to generate a conversation amongst like-minded individuals about ways businesses can form a synergistic relationship with society, environment and the world.

Business is a powerful institution that has potential for resolving the problems plaguing the world. By designing innovative business models, businesses can ensure profits for its shareholders as well as stakeholders by contributing to world benefit. Going beyond philanthropy, business ethics and corporate social responsibility, when business acts as an agent of world benefit both sides of the equation- society and environment as well as the business entity- emerge with more self-sufficiency and prosperity.

Here is my write up from the first Interview:

A new source for green energy…

INTERVIEW 1 – Tim Braun, CEO, Lucid Energy

Story of Business Innovation: Write at least 300 words about the innovation itself. Please answer the following questions:

• WHAT is the innovation?
• HOW did the innovation emerge?
• WHO was involved in the creation of the innovation? What did they do?
• WHAT quotations from the interview best describe the innovation?

Once in a while, a new idea comes along that holds the promise of addressing a number of important and seemingly disparate problems. A new product under development by a 14 person start-up company in Goshen, Indiana, holds that promise. The disparate problems are the need for clean energy generation and water distribution. The new product is Northwest PowerPipeTM (NWPP).

NWPP is an innovative new product – perhaps a whole new industry – that captures and commercializes the energy of moving water in situations where traditional turbine technologies cannot work. The new product is the brainchild of Lucid Energy Technologies’ management and engineering team with cooperation from Northwest Pipe Company, and will be the first commercial application based on the innovative Gorlov Helical Turbine in a pressurized water system.

The Gorlov Helical Turbine (GHT) was invented by Alexander Gorlov in 1996. Gorlov, Professor Emeritus of mechanical engineering and director of the Hydro-Pneumatic Power Laboratory at Northeastern University, was awarded the prestigious ASME Thomas A. Edison Patent Award for his invention in May of 2001. The turbine design, a combination of a wing foil and a DNA spiral, is highly efficient in low flow fluid environments making it a game-changing technology for distributed power generation.

Lucid’s innovation was to modify the GHT into a spherical shape for installation in gravity fed water conveyance pipeline and wastewater systems to generate electricity. In many communities, especially in California, water is stored for municipal water systems in reservoirs upstream of the community. These reservoirs sometimes have traditional hydroelectric (or hydropower) dams on them, and those dams, such as the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, incorporate traditional (or conventional) hydroelectric turbines. Water from these dams is also delivered for public consumption via large diameter pipes to downstream communities. The water in these pipes contains a great deal of energy, and NWPP will extract some of that energy to generate electricity.

While one system alone captures any where from 5 to 100 kW, multiple systems can be installed in series, still with minimal disruption in flow or pressure. Ultimately, the combined generating capacity may rival larger, capital intensive projects.

According to Braun, NWPP stands at the nexus of two pressing problems: energy and water.

“The more I learn about what we’re doing, the more I realize it’s as much of a water use issue as it is an energy issue. The water problem is as big as the energy problem. They’re inextricably linked.”

He went on, “Water conveyance is the single largest consumer of electricity in California. Water transmission and water treatment consumes 8 to 10 percent of all the electricity in the state of California. Water conveyance uses one third of the State of California’s electricity budget. So this is an immense energy issue. Most energy generation requires a lot of water. It also requires a lot of energy to supply water. Reducing the embedded energy in water is a major objective in the water scarce, population and agriculturally dense Pacific states. The fact that we have a zero water consumption electricity-producing device is a big deal. The fact that the device reduces the embedded energy in water is at a very interesting nexus of two problems.”

Impact of innovation: Write at least 250 words about the impact of the innovation:

• WHAT was the impact of the innovation? What people or organizations were affected?
• WHAT were the short-term effects? What were the long-term effects?
• WHAT observable evidence suggests that this impact has occurred?
• WHAT quotations from the interview best describe the impact?

Given that the product is still in development, it is too early to measure the contribution of NWPP to the energy grid. The company has installed a single prototype in one water delivery system (Riverside, CA). Though the output is relatively small, that prototype generates electricity at the expected rate, given the rate of water flow through the pipe. Furthermore, the NWPP system has an undetectable impact on the water flow. This is important because it means NWPP is able to extract energy from the water without degrading the water utility’s ability to deliver water to their customers.

In the meantime, perhaps the most important impact of the innovation is the creation of green energy jobs in Goshen, Indiana. Goshen is the county seat for Elkhart County, and the closest city to Goshen is Elkhart, just 10 miles away. During the economic collapse of 2008 – 2009, Elkhart has earned the dubious honor of being the “white hot center of the economic melt down Visited multiple times by President Obama during and after the 2008 presidential campaign, Elkhart County ranked near the top of nation in jobs lost during this period. The area has been heavily dependent on the recreational vehicle (RV) industry for jobs, and that industry was one of the first to collapse during the credit crisis.

According to Braun, the workers he “rescued” from the RV industry are exactly the people his company needs. They have the pragmatic, “can do” ability to solve mechanical and technical problems. He explained: “Most of our staff are former RV industry people. And they’re so much happier. They’d much rather work for a crazy, roller-coaster of a startup, and doing what we’re doing. Just working at the issue that we’re working at, employing people in jobs that they’re passionate about, in clean technology, in renewable energy, in downtown Goshen, in the heart of Elkhart County – the ‘white-hot center of the economic meltdown’ like the New York Times said – is an important success.”

The company’s invention has also attracted the attention of the U. S. Department of Energy. Lucid was awarded an SBIR grant in 2010, and Dr. Kristina Johnson, Under Secretary of Energy, cited the company in a presentation in April, 2010, with a CAD image of NWPP. She commented that NWPP is an emerging technology that the department is supporting. This is important validation of the company’s efforts.

Motivation and Purpose: Write at least 250 words about the motivation, purpose or inspiration behind the innovation.

• HOW did the original idea come about?
• WHAT was the motivation or purpose for doing the innovation?
• Does the innovation relate to a sense of mission, purpose or meaning? If so, HOW?
• WHAT quotations from the interview best illustrate the motivation behind the innovation?

Prior to joining Lucid, Braun had built a career in the socially responsible investment community. As an investment advisor with MMA Trust Company (a Socially Responsible Investment firm run by Mennonite Mutual Aid (MMA), and through involvement in the First Affirmative Financial Network, Braun had been exposed to businesses that were focused on sustainability in general, and renewable energy in particular. He had heard dozens of stories of entrepreneurs who had successfully built businesses designed to support a more sustainable world. For Braun, there came a point when he wanted to be closer to the solution, rather than being a middle man who was telling other people’s stories.

“I learned that the world has so many social and environmental problems that if you can figure out how to do this well, you can build a very successful business while pursuing your passions for a sustainable planet. I spent 10 years in the social investment industry, helping people get in touch with those stories of companies that are being very innovative in terms of social, environmental and economic objectives. And I got very tired of being the middle man and hearing all these stories, and conveying those to other people. I had a very viable role as the person helping leverage other people’s capital to bring things to the market who are doing good works. But at the same time, I wanted to write one of these stories. I wanted to get involved. I wanted to get my hands dirty, at the ground level. I wanted to be the story that somebody else is writing about, or telling their clients about.”

Headline: If your story were published on a front page of a local newspaper, what headline, or title, would you give it?
“Creative application of innovative turbine creates green jobs in the white hot center of the economic melt down”

Interviewers Story: Tell us your story. Write at least 200 words about your experience:

• Why were you interested in interviewing this person?
• What did you learn or how were you inspired from the interview?
• What was the best quote you heard during the interview?
• What did you find most interesting about the story?

I had met Tim several years ago. He was my neighbor and a passing acquaintance for a number of years and then I had run into him at a distant airport. We ended up getting bumped from the same flight and shared a round-about journey home together. That is when we first had conversations with him about sustainability. In the intervening years I had heard that he had joined this start up, and had been looking for an opportunity to reconnect and hear more of his story. The technology sounded amazing and creative and I wanted to learn more.

I was especially inspired by Tim’s passion to create something truly innovative and new in the green energy field. And he is facing huge hurdles to realize his dream. He has a great product idea, but due to the nature of water pipeline infrastructure his team has to design it to function with minimal maintenance for 25 years or more. So the technical challenges are enormous. And then the sales challenges are enormous. He has to find a perfect storm of circumstances of individual motivation, public readiness, and government support to get this product into use. And in the midst of that, he has to always remember that cash is king!

My favorite quote came near the end of the interview. We had been talking about theories of sustainable economics, and he said that he is very interested in questions of no-growth economics, and measuring the true costs of our current economic models. And then he said “However right now I’m just really focused on what do I have to do right now to be successful. I’m grateful that we’re working on a product that enables all these greater theoretical things that we’re talking about, but in reality, I just want to get the damn thing to work.”