The words of this sage man continue to impress. I am sure you can argue against a lot of what he says, but on what grounds? His works point out that many become defensive of his teachings because of their taboos on religion, reproduction, socialism, Marxism, and free enterprise.
To those inclined to hate business school students, I caution you. There is some incredible work being done in the halls of our schools to address the crises confronting us today. We owe a lot to Professor Robert Landel, an influential advisor to industry. Systems thinking makes all the sense in the world to me, and I talked about it a bit in last week's Wall Street Journal.
Why am I going to work for a company that many could argue feeds the very evils of which Hardin speaks? Because I believe that the solution lies in part within business and enterprise. Change on a mass scale can radiate from operational change. I choose to believe that.
Simple solution? Probably not.
Easy solution? Doubtful.
A solution? Definitely.
"The necessity to take the industrial world of growth to its next stage of evolution is not a disaster, it is an opportunity. How to seize the opportunity, how to bring into being a sustainable world that is not only functional but desirable is a question about leadership and ethics and vision and courage. Those are properties not of technologies, markets, governments, corporations, or computer models, but of the human heart and soul."
–Donella Meadows et al., Beyond the Limits (1992)
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6 comments:
Saving the world through potato chips? I agree that systems thinking is a great approach, but why would you choose to work for a business that creates an unhealthy product? Why not support a business that is providing something more meaningful than high fat snack foods? I appreciate your idealism, but think it is misdirected.
i rarely comment on my own blog. but i have to know who you are, 'm'. i can't figure it out from your profile as it's unpopulated. i would rather respond to you individually instead of on this post. please post your email and i will delete the comment and respond.
what i put on this blog is a snapshot of thoughts, not a complete representation of who i am. i hope you understand that.
thanks.
I thought I recognized your face in that wsj ad. congrats for being chosen to do that!
"m" I would argue that it is the perfect avenue. First, one of the 4 tabs their site offers is a "Being Green" drop down so clearly this is something they want to go after. Second, it is a huge brand that can have a huge impact on people's thoughts through marketing. Third, and lastly, it is going to be companies like Frito-Lay changing their processes, packaging, and materials that will have the largest impact - much larger than individual consumers. Sure I can recycle, but a company that finds a new way to package something that uses 30% less material is going to be much more impactful than my individual acts.
Mandy - I just got on a "Going Green" team at my company and was wondering if you had any resources (books/blogs/sites) that I could tap into for ideas. Thanks!
Hey Mandy, I don't necessarily agree with much of what Garrett came to stand for, but I certainly agree with his pugnacious spirt and willingness to follow a strain of through through to its logical conclusion.
Also, I have to say I was proud of Darden and proud to be your friend when I read your WSJ article. There is something a-brewin' around these-here parts and I believe it has a lot to do with folks like you -refusing to accept the definition of "good life" that our yuppie,bimmer-driving,half-caf-hold-the-foam-screw-the-earth-latte-drinking predecessors trying to foist on us.
Joie de vivre is our biggest threatened resource. People forget that relationships matter more than money, and anyway stewardship of our planet is just one more way to care for generations of future people. See you around.
Mandy,
Do you enjoy being challenged on your blog? And, if you do have you grown from the challenges?
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