Social Bridges present a weekly rundown of the best posts on corporate social responsibility, sustainability and greener options.

1. How can we contribute towards a better world?

This simple but thought-provoking motivational piece is a must read for those who care for the humanity.

2. Intellectual property rights in BoP movement - what should we do?

Bright Simons opines that intellectual property rights should be given equal importance in the SME business. Read more.

3. Money matters but what’s the currency?

Complementary currencies are given a new dimension in Pete Burden’s article.

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Social Bridges present a weekly rundown of best posts on corporate social responsibility, sustainability and greener options.

1. Ownership matters in social business?

Rob Greenland thinks that the social impact of a business matters more than does its ownership. Read his full post here.

2. Are economy and climate change foes?

Ramsus Benestad opines that economic prosperity and climate issues are interlinked and we can’t ensure an economic growth if we silence the voices highlighting climatic issues.

3. ‘Slow’ food chains?

Is there be a ’slow’ food revolution in the making and what actually slow foods are? Read this to know more.

Here is Social Bridges’ take on this issue.

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This excellent presentation gives us an idea about the dire consequences we are about to face. Water shortage has become a global issue and it’s time that we rethink our water consumption strategies. If we don’t act now then it will be too late. This presentation is really an eyeopener.

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Sustainability is the core part of any successful environmental or social project. To incorporate sustainability as a fundamental part of education and curriculum is now seriously considered by the social scientists. The concept is still fresh and many new ideas are being put forward. Most, however, have agreed that the best way of doing this is through practical examples rather than boring textbook chapters.

The practical examples of sustainable education should be started from primary education. In the case of developing countries, primary education has to coincide with the local environmental issues. If I elaborate further, students can be taught about deforestation and its impacts on their local environment. Next comes the contribution towards the solution. These students can be encouraged to not just plant trees but also to care for them and nurture them. In this way, a practical and sustainable approach towards the environment will be developed among the children.

It’s interesting to note that these little sustainability practices are not limited to children. Brad Allenby of GreenBiz thinks that unless and until the older generation, baby boomers to be more precise, are not taught about sustainability, we would not be able to bring the ‘change’.

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Andrew from Good Honest Dollar has discussed the phenomenon of aggressive pricing in ample details. Social Bridges is grateful to him for allowing cross-posting from his blog. Here is what he thinks about this marketing gimmick.

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Green is the new buzzword but is it so simple for a country to shift gears towards a green revolution? Conceptually its pretty simple but the harsh realities of life puts it in a totally different perspective. That’s exactly what Australia is facing these days.

The country has vowed to reduce its green house gas emissions by 60% in just 42 years i.e 2050. A time-frame of forty two years looks very simple in writing but it’s actually a very ’short’ time for big economies. The government will start implementing the ‘green’ plan from 2010 but is facing a lot of dilemmas. The Wall Street Journal blog not-so-recently took an intensive look at the situation.

The biggest fear is that the country’s biggest industries, that also generate the highest greenhouse gases, will simply leave for the ‘not-so-greener’ pastures. The economy will definitely get a severe blow out of this mayhem. The second issue faced by the Aussie government is that it gets major chunk of its energy needs from coal power (around 80%). If the government imposes restrictions on coal-fired plants then it’ll face a severe energy crisis. The government is thinking the following solution.

So what’s the solution? Pass the buck. The government wants to give away pollution permits to the dirtiest industries exposed to global competition, for the first decade at least, to make sure they don’t flee for balmier shores. For the worst offenders, the government figures giving them free permits for 90% of their emissions should do the trick. For coal-fired plants, the government wants to match some free permits with government investment in clean coal to cushion the sector’s transition.

The common Aussie will bear the brunt of all this ‘drama’. Keith Johnson adds in the blog, “The permit giveaways would mean fewer government revenues, which means less cash in public coffers to help families adjust to higher fuel and power bills. And since the dirtiest parts of the economy have their bar set so low, the rest of the economy has to run that much harder to meet the overall targets.”

So any lessons for other countries on the greener path? Don’t panic and shy away from adopting greener strategies. Aussies will definitely sort out the bottlenecks though they are not meeting the targets. At least they have taken the lead. So the lesson for other countries, especially developing ones, is to follow suit but… with a more practical approach.

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Fort Mason Center of San Fransisco will be hosting the Social Capital Markets 2008, SoCap08, event from October 13-16. The conference is aiming a get-together of all of the people and organizations with a similar deep passion to change the world through sustainable businesses. The conference defines its objectives as:

At SoCap08, attendees will learn what works and what doesn’t in this new world of social capital and social entrepreneurs, which hybrid social & business models reach sustainability and which don’t, and where this emerging industry is headed. Attendees will be able to network with their peers, discovering a whole new realm of people they had hoped existed - organizations, groups, and individuals who share the same intention to launch and support sustainable businesses designed to impact global and local problems. Investors and entrepreneurs will find themselves helping to build a new community, gaining encouragement as they realize that they are not alone, but are part of something big, important - and rapidly growing.

There will be an ‘open space’ workshop at the end of the two-day event which the organizers have termed as ‘unconference’. At this event, participants will debate on all issues related to social investments, among other things.

The registration forms are available here for downloading.

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As the saying goes - money is king, but some social entrepreneurs are trying to deplore this common myth. Some social entrepreneurs - especially those who don’t find supporting environment in their region/country - have started contemplating (though with different reasons) whether setting up social venture capital funds will actually end up as a helping hand or a bottleneck. It’s true that venture capitals are the driving force behind all things technological but social enterprise is an altogether different ball game. The risks are much higher and the profitability is lower.

This profitability is a major factor while setting up any social venture capital but the more important factors include the friendly business environment right from the government to the financial industry. By the way, this resource gives good pointers about the pros and cons of setting up social venture capital funds.

Social venture capital has yet to take roots in Asia and Africa - breeding grounds of poverty and also the best places to implement new ideas. These are the same regions which suffer from corruption, lack of proper financial organization and regulatory hiccups. Add to this the reluctant attitude of local entrepreneurs to step into the arena of social entrepreneurism. While social ventures are an excellent weapon of poverty reduction, the developing countries need help to implement viable strategies for social entrepreneurs.

The involvement of the governments on a larger scale is a must in the case of developing countries. A social entrepreneur, regardless of how much financial proficiency he has, will ultimately end up in a disaster if a country’s government acts dumb. Facilitating the local and international social entrepreneurs is the key to success if a government fails to ensure well-being of its citizens. Transparency is another issue social entrepreneurs face while working in the developing world. One has to keep the sheets clean if one is eyeing a funding from major social ventures like Acumen Fund or others. Often times these entrepreneurs end up in the same corruption frenzy hence casting a negative impact on the whole concept of social ventures.

The need of the hour is to establish a platform of the social entrepreneurs from both sides of the coin so that each can learn from others’ experiences. As the tilt of western social entrepreneurs is also towards the developing world so they can bring a significant change in the local mindsets. So any social entrepreneurs listening?

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Julian Wong is an established name in the international community of environmentalists and sustainability experts. He is currently working as a Fulbright Fellow at Tsinghua University in Beijing where he is writing extensively on China’s renewable energy industries in the form of his blog, Green Leap Forward. He previously worked as a private equity mergers & acquisitions attorney in New York and Hong Kong and was a member of the New York City Bar Association Energy Committee. Social Bridges arranged a special interview with Mr. Wong to know all about sustainability and greener options.

Social Bridges; You have academic and practical experience in green energy and environment related issues. When did this interest in environment and sustainability developed?

Julian Wong: About twenty years ago as a young kid. Various experiences shaped my ecological leanings, ranging from my religion (a Nature-perspective of God as the Creator of “all things bright and beautiful”), my mother’s emphasis on saving energy around the house, and witnessing the development of Asia first hand while trying to square that experience against the environmental movement from the West. If I had to name one triggering event made a deep impression on me, it would be leafing through the glossy pictures of Time Magazine when it named Endangered Earth as Planet of the Year.

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Social Bridges present a weekly rundown of the best posts on corporate social responsibility, sustainability and greener options.

1. Customer is always right

Lucy Bernholz opines that customer should always be given the first preference to pick the best CSR policies not just by the corporate sector but by CSR organizations as well.

Here is Social Bridges take on this issue.

2. Some good points for the corporate sector CSR departments

This survey gives a detailed view of what the corporate sector CSR experts are thinking these days.

3. Take your co-workers into confidence before you go ‘green’

Don’t forget to get your co-workers support if you want a green revolution at your work place…

4. Environmentalism on corporate boards?

Is environmentalism catching up with the corporate boards? Joann investigates.

5. A new way of recycling

Can recycling be a rewarding exercise for common citizens? The concept looks awkward but some people are actually making profits out of it.

6. Water scarcity and food - what can we do?

Richard Welford takes a look at how the developing countries cope with the issue of water and food crisis.

7. Customers incentive necessary for green business

If you don’t give rebates or discounts and you don’t have good ‘green ranking’ e.g Energy Star label, then your chances of banking the green customers are thin. Read this to know more.

8. Employees asking for more sustainable options

Do involve your employees and ask for their feedback if you are looking for more viable and sustainable business regime.

9. Controversies galore - majority of business still lax about carbon emissions

While going green is the new buzz word but 75% of the business don’t really care about the carbon emissions.

10. Business students can change the world?

Business graduates can be at the forefront of social revolution, according to Moses Lee.

11. Time to turn corporate if your employers are anti-sustainability?

You can start your own business if you are not satisfied with the sustainability ethics of your employers. John Ivanko elaborates.

12. Something about numbers

Numbers can be distracting and same is the case with recycling statistics.

13. Sustainable weddings will be the next big thing?

This interesting post gives some interesting tips and tricks.

14. Africans up for averting climatic disasters

The citizens of Niger have some success stories to tell.

15. Californians investigating green chemistry

California is looking into all the pros and cons of green chemical processes.

16. Food for thought for sustainability experts

Lucy pings again with a juicy post on sustainability options.

17. Why care about sustainable business?

This piece highlights the importance of sustainability with a new perspective.

18. Big apple switching to wind energy?

Michael Bloomberg is planning to turn New York into the new ‘windy city’.

19. Water can be the new fuel but we’re already running out of it.

The Economist takes a deep look into the possibilities of water as the new fuel and the water crisis many countries are facing.

Here is Social Bridges‘ jibe on this.

20. Supply chain management is key to green business profitability

Read this to know why.

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