It’s smart business, and it’s the right thing to do. I recently set up a meeting between the CEO of a new environmental NGO and several climate tech venture capitalists. The VCs told me they wanted to learn more about the NGO in order to explore opportunities for collaboration. I couldn’t join the meeting, but […]
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Why business leaders should speak up on ESG. If there’s one consistent topic we focus on here at The Instigator, it’s the very big bet that society is making on the corporate sector’s voluntary efforts to address the climate crisis. So imagine my surprise when I came across a Wall Street Journal article this past week reporting that companies
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Great Enviro-Themed Reads It’s been a while since we published a post on books, so I thought I’d share my “hottest” recommendations, just in time for summer. Birnam Wood: A Novel by Eleanor Catton Expectation: I started this book because I thought it was another climate fiction (“cli-fi”) novel — a genre I not only
Not to mention deflect criticism, build goodwill, and accelerate progress. I had a meeting last week that I think makes for an interesting (and important) parable. I met with the CEO of an excellent environmental NGO — one that I very much respect and am pleased to advise. The organization is planning to initiate some
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How to Turn Big Challenges into Big Opportunities GreenBiz published an adapted version of the following post on April 11, 2023. I had the pleasure of participating in the Aspen Institute’s recent climate conference in Miami. It’s always a good event, but this year was a particularly opportune moment to survey the landscape and assess where things stand
How Business Can Accelerate Climate Resilience Efforts The following is my keynote address to Indiaspora’s Third Annual Climate Summit held last week, which brought together environmental experts and community leaders who are engaged in seeking out solutions to the current climate crisis. My remarks sparked a lively Q&A and I thought readers of The Instigator would like
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How the private sector can help us win The following is a speech I delivered this week to all employees at an innovative company called GridPoint. The company provides businesses the knowledge and tools to optimize their energy usage through a subscription service, with the goal of lowering both their emissions and costs. (Disclosure: I’m
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Read this book and wake up to the future. How does an analyst forecast an organization’s success? Typically, they begin with a “SWOT” (Strength-Weakness-Opportunity-Threat) analysis, with a lot of focus on what the organization is doing to address the T. But if you don’t see a threat, or see it fully, you can’t address it
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A Post-Davos To Do List Dear Weary Travelers CEOs, Welcome back. I know that the Davos experience — mostly fun, very engaging, always interesting, sometimes even glamorous — can be exhausting. Racing across town for around-the-clock meetings with world leaders and other important people at the World Economic Forum is a cool but daunting exercise. Some of
Re: why we all need to eat less meat To kick off the new year, we bring you this special issue of The Instigator that follows extensive investigative reporting. Below is a confidential memo written by the Chief of Staff at one of the biggest environmental NGOs to his CEO. Names have been deleted to protect our sources. Okay, just
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