22nd June 2008
Toyota has developed a system to recycle CO2 and thereby help plants photosynthesise.
Energy produced from natural gas provides the CO2 which is then pumped to plants and greenhouses and thereby generate oxygen.
I must find out more about this, it is the steps that business, industry and governments make that will provide the momentum for individuals to change and be more positive about making the earth a happier place to live.
Thank you Toyota.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Miraculously saved
19th June - Urmuqi, China
Saved from the rubble after 50 hours, Zhang Xiaoyan gave birth to a baby girl on 18th June, weighing 3.3kg.
Ms Zhang was trapped under 6m of concrete slabs for over two days after the quake. She prayed for the survival of her baby and held out, never giving up hope.
She has named her baby Ai (Love), in honour of the rescue workers and strangers who have showered her with kindness and gifts.
There are still miracles and beautiful people in this world.
Saved from the rubble after 50 hours, Zhang Xiaoyan gave birth to a baby girl on 18th June, weighing 3.3kg.
Ms Zhang was trapped under 6m of concrete slabs for over two days after the quake. She prayed for the survival of her baby and held out, never giving up hope.
She has named her baby Ai (Love), in honour of the rescue workers and strangers who have showered her with kindness and gifts.
There are still miracles and beautiful people in this world.
Even industry wants it positive
While I have just finished reading a McKinsey article on the tendency of our brains to over indulge in optimism, it is refreshing to read a Financial Times front page headline from 26th June urging the US presidential hopefuls to stop the gloom:
P& chief urges US presidential candidates to end gloom rhetoric.
If I get the chance I would like to shake Mr AG Lafley, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Proctor and Gamble for being bold and telling the leaders in waiting that he was concerned by the "woe is me and ain't it awful" rhetoric they have adopted.
He went on to state that "In my business we don't need excessive negativism....You know we are in a business where phsycho9logy matters - even in the staples business - and in the economy psychology matters. It could go negative on the economy, that could be a problem..... We will talk ourselves into a worse recession"
Mr Lafley shows he is a realist in that he does have genuine concerns about the raising commodity costs, not just for energy, but for all commodities. So he has definitely not fallen foul to the hidden flaws of an over optimistic strategy that plagues so many businesses and financial institutions.
This is instead a refreshing and positive stand from a leader, whether you like him or not, who has stood up and said, look at us, let's stop feeling sorry for ourselves and make business, life, the world a better place.
Thank you Mr Lafley.
Friday, 27th June 2008
P& chief urges US presidential candidates to end gloom rhetoric.
If I get the chance I would like to shake Mr AG Lafley, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Proctor and Gamble for being bold and telling the leaders in waiting that he was concerned by the "woe is me and ain't it awful" rhetoric they have adopted.
He went on to state that "In my business we don't need excessive negativism....You know we are in a business where phsycho9logy matters - even in the staples business - and in the economy psychology matters. It could go negative on the economy, that could be a problem..... We will talk ourselves into a worse recession"
Mr Lafley shows he is a realist in that he does have genuine concerns about the raising commodity costs, not just for energy, but for all commodities. So he has definitely not fallen foul to the hidden flaws of an over optimistic strategy that plagues so many businesses and financial institutions.
This is instead a refreshing and positive stand from a leader, whether you like him or not, who has stood up and said, look at us, let's stop feeling sorry for ourselves and make business, life, the world a better place.
Thank you Mr Lafley.
Friday, 27th June 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Ecological Take Away
Congratulations to Mr Lau the CEO of Microwave Packaging in Singapore for his prize winning innovation. It won the top prize at an award's ceremony last night (11th June).
Microwave Packaging have taken 3 years to develop a take away food container that is environmentally friendly, it is biodegradable. Made from water proof paper it is a fantastic replacement for those terribly wicked styrofoam/polysterene containers we are so familiar with.
The new biodegradeable food container comes in many shapes and sizes and the concept is based on the ubiquitous Milk Carton.
Now you have more to recycle, more that will do less to hurt our earth and keep our blue and green planet a little longer for all to enjoy.
Microwave Packaging have taken 3 years to develop a take away food container that is environmentally friendly, it is biodegradable. Made from water proof paper it is a fantastic replacement for those terribly wicked styrofoam/polysterene containers we are so familiar with.
The new biodegradeable food container comes in many shapes and sizes and the concept is based on the ubiquitous Milk Carton.
Now you have more to recycle, more that will do less to hurt our earth and keep our blue and green planet a little longer for all to enjoy.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Bumper Harvests
Today, the newspapers carried the headline that there will be bumper harvests for Rice, Wheat, Corn and Sugar. Obviously this will not translate into lower prices or abundant supplies immediately, however it gives us hope that we can change the way the World is fed.
The World has always found itself challenged in feeding everyone and in a manner that means that everyone gets a fair share. The recent crisis has been fueled by media speculation and financial speculators.
Now is the time while we desperately need to address the issues of global warming and put aside our selfish desires, to realise that harvests too will fluctuate, this is part of a wonderful fact called "life". We do not say that better harvests will save those suffering and starving now, but rather this should be a lesson to us all, to stop scare-mongering, speculating and sensationalising.
As a global community (if there is one), this is a chance for us to give back to the planet what we have taken and make it a better place for our children, grandchildren and all those who will come after us.
Eat and use only what you need and there will be enough for everyone, even in hard times.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
PEN the World
While watching the news today and hearing that the price of a barrel of oil has hit a new "high" again, I had one of those Jean Paul Sartre moments, like biting on the madeleine or stepping on an uneven paving stone......
I remembered when I was young pondering over why the world thrives on bad or sensational news and why we never focus on the positive, the good things that happen in life, the great achievements of our time, or race, the discoveries of science that benefit our planet (and by that I do not just mean homo sapiens), or the advances we are making in the areas of alternative energy (watch that awe inspiring series Planet Green on Discovery Channel). Any item remotely happy or positive I soon deduced was a mere anecdote at the end of a particular news bulletin. I would wait every evening in anticipation of some snippet of happiness, humour or the unusual.
We human beings have a hunger for the worst, it is nearly always disaster that proliferates our media or the malfortune of someone.
I turned to my thought for the day, uncannily the writer mentioned that they made a decision to never listen to the news or read a newspaper as it did not make them feel good. That the human race is largely responsible for the media creating drama in the news, as we watch more television when a disaster occurs and purchase more newspapers when there is controversy.
Small wonder then that the marketing departments of these media conglomerates seek out the topics that drive revenue.
Even in Spiderman, the editor is continually seeking the story coup that will damn the web slinger.
So, today I have decided to set up a site, forum, blog whatever you like to call it for the sharing of the positive, for the dissemination of the good that is going on, for telling the cynics that life can be good and we can save the earth. This is a celebration for everyone who yearns for good news.
My aim is to delve through the daily papers, news bulletins or other sources and find one positive and uplifting news story a week, maybe a day, who knows and post it up to prove that popular news is positive.
Watch this space :)
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