The Necessary Revolution - Peter Senge et al - Part 2

The Necessary Revolution
- Peter Senge et al.

2017 Reading Challenge - Day 57

 February 26, 2017 

Book 17 - The Necessary Revolution:
How Individuals and Organizations are Working Together to Create a Sustainable World
by Peter M. Senge, Bryan Smith, Nina Kruschwitz, Joe Laur, Sara Schley (2008)
 Part 2 - pages 55-118
Reading Time - 70 minutes

Several of the chapters in this section look at some specific case studies. One focused on a Swedish car dealership owner (Ford) and how he was the catalyst for bringing ethanol powered vehicles to Sweden. He worked with people who were already on board, which is a key insight. Don't try to convert people... find the people who are like-minded and work with them.

Another case study looked at the green building codes and how they are spreading throughout the world. It all started as a collaboration and has moved in the direction of creating buildings that produce more energy and more clean water than they use. Buildings are a key issue because developers want to build something for cheap, but that isn't necessarily efficient, and the future owners absorb those costs. Why not build something efficient from the get-go? Because 40% of greenhouse cases come from the "built environment" - that means heating, air conditioning and electricity.

The case study between Coca Cola and the World Wildlife Federation was interesting. They have united along a common concern for watersheds and the sustainability of water. While this might seem like an odd partnership, these are going to be key if we are going to move things forward. No one organization has sufficient resources to tackle the crisis.

Cause the truth is... society is moving in the direction of sustainability and environmentalism. Companies are beginning to recognize this and realize that they either need to be ahead of the curve or get left behind. In fact, if companies can move beyond grudging compliance to government guidelines, they actually move into a space where profits are increased and they are leaders in sustainability. I know I'd rather support a company that is environmentally conscious than one that does not. Our votes, our buying habits, do have power.