2Sustain

If you missed the 60 Minutes interview with Al Gore last Sunday you should definitely check it out.

Gore was in full swing as crusader and activist, working to mobilize forces in the fight against global warming and environmental degradation. His latest weapon in the fight is Madison Avenue in the form of a $300 million ad campaign. This is a fascinating development in the ever-evolving “epic drama” around global warming currently being played out on the world stage among businesses, governments, NGOs, and citizens.

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William F. Buckley died two weeks ago.

Now, I am surely not a fan of ultra right-wing conservatism a la Mr. Buckley — nor of ultra left-wing liberalism for that matter. However, despite disagreeing with many of his political beliefs, I have immense respect for Buckley’s incredible life and career. He was by all accounts a force of nature who had an immeasurable impact on the conservative movement and single-handedly nurtured and inspired multiple generations of its leaders. So this got me thinking….who are the key leaders in the global sustainability movement?

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I must say I was pretty inspired to see so many enthusiastic, energetic people at the Business for Social Responsibility conference a few weeks ago here in San Francisco. Getting 1000+ senior executives to carve out three days from their busy schedules to get together and share ideas on building more sustainable businesses is no small feat…and the success of the conference says a lot about where sustainability now ranks in the pantheon of public awareness, corporate priorities, and citizen consciousness.

It also speaks to a fascinating convergence we are seeing among the worlds of business, government and nonprofit advocacy. For evidence look no further than the event’s keynote speakers: Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, Venture Capitalist Vinod Khosla, Mattel CEO Bob Eckert, Greenpeace Executive Director Gerd Leipold and KPMG Chairman Sir Michael Rake, most notably. What’s more, the attendees were a veritable who’s who of nonprofit sector leaders, top government officials, and heads of sustainability for Fortune 500s.

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