posted by Nicolette Beard @ 6:10 PM
As the earth’s resources continue to decline or, more correctly, as the world’s population continues to expand, sustainability is top-of-mind for many industries.
Launch: Water is the first in a series of forums NASA formed in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. State Department and Nike. Experts will gather at NASA’s Space Center in Florida from March 16 – 18, 2010, to “identify, showcase and support innovative approaches to sustainability.”
Organizers have begun a global search for visionaries whose innovative technologies or programs show promise in making tangible impacts on environmental sustainability including water, air, food, energy, mobility and sustainable cities.
Many in branding and corporate communications roles know that Savage has been creating sustainability reports for years. They’re often known in the industry as Health, Environment & Safety reviews or Corporate Compliance reports. Not too “exciting sounding” compared to LAUNCH: Water. It could be the name of a new Theme Part. The title grabbed my attention.
“NASA offers a culture of problem-solving, deep technical expertise on sustainable systems such as the International Space Station, and a unique capacity to capture and analyze data about our home planet,” said NASA’s Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and host of the forum.
For those unaware of our work in this area, we recently completed both a print and online sustainability report for Sysco Corp. presenting ways they’re reducing miles driven and fuel consumed and broader corporate responsibility initiatives like fighting hunger.
The sustainability forum will be broadcast live.
UPDATE: The folks at SmartPlanet.com have a list of the 10 entrepreneurial innovators in the water sustainability department.
5.28.2009
posted by Bethany Haley @ 9:17 AM
I attended the APDF (Association of Professional Design Firms) Annual Exchange two weeks ago and not surprisingly the two “big” topics of conversation were related to social media and sustainability. I am not sure I feel like talking about Sustainability today but Social Media is worth some mention. Stephen Randall was the guest speaker related to this SM topic and he definitely gave me some food for thought – not just for my business but for my clients. His presentation reinforced that you should not view SM as a marketing campaign or promotion – that good social media practices are authentic and build trust over time – needless to say, the sales and connections will follow. As far as corporations, he highlighted Whole Foods as a good adopter of social media. Several “takeaway” points and challenges that I think are worth sharing:
- Your website doesn’t have a “voice” – social media is a platform to create that voice, build up a dialog with any intended (or unintended) audience. This works on a personal and a corporate level.
- Feel challenged to “bust open your firewall” – put your work, information and other content that you typically think of as “VIP access only” out for the world to see.
- Take on an attitude of sharing vs. promoting.
Other interesting places to go/tools to use: wiffiti, iLike, slideshare.com
