January 2008: Signs of Expanding Business Consciousness

I'm blown away by a confluence of events this month.

Globally:

• The business story of water (far more important -- although currently lower priority on the world stage -- than oil) turns up as a dominant theme at the World Economic Forum.
• The Wall Street Journal hit my doorstep this week with an above-the-fold headline that I would have taken for a gag 10 years ago: "Bill Gates Issues Call for Kinder Capitalism".
• Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott told 7,000 Wal-Mart managers that the company must up its ante in the stewardship of the environment and how workers are treated by suppliers. (Among other things.)
  

Nationally, we don't know who our next President will be. But we are assured of change; it looks like we're energized by the need to choose. (When I went to drop my vegetable scraps at the Greenmarket for composting, I talked to some grizzled union guys who were out in the cold carrying signs for Hilary.)

And you know what? I even think that the roiling financial markets portend a much needed injection of reality.

Locally, here in New York, Mayor Bloomberg signed a plastic bag recycling bill into law. On January 30th, the NY City Council is poised to pass an even more important e-waste recycling bill. (There is some question about whether the Mayor will sign off on this one -- New Yorkers, stay tuned!)

Yeah, some people don't believe Lee Scott. (Other concerns: does Wal-Mart think it is equivalent to a nation?)

The Journal quoted Bill Gates as saying, "I think life has value." This may not be the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. But there's something very right going on.

And it is happening right now.

The perennial question: how will each of us choose to participate?

(Photo by re_birf, used under Creative Commons.)