Reason is crippled

July 29, 2011

As the old Sufi story goes, one day a blind man was walking through the woods. He tripped and fell over something in his path. Something bony, with a pulse. Turns out that he had tripped over a crippled man who was laying on the forest floor. This poor fellow had been trapped in the [...]

Read the full article →

Top 6 reasons we love video games

July 14, 2011

1. They  help us escape the morbid complexities of  the real world problems
2. They are  shiny, loud and endlessly captivating to our senses
3. They deliver a clear sense of purpose or ‘mission’
4. They offer us an inflated sense of personal power and agency
5. They give us a compelling excuse to avoid chores
6. They let us [...]

Read the full article →

Great Innovation is ALWAYS Intrinsic

June 24, 2011

Just read an interesting Harvard Business Review blog that asks “Can a Big Company Innovate Like a Start-Up?”  It raises some critical business questions for these tumultuous times in which change is the only constant, and the ability to innovate has become a basic survival skill.
However, as innovation becomes the new ascendant ‘Holy Grail’ of [...]

Read the full article →

National Study: Cracking the Cynicism Code

June 13, 2011

Just back from a great week at the Sustainable Brands conference in Monterey, CA.  Wanted to quickly share the buzz of a new national study that we just did in partnership with the Shelton Group as part of their ongoing ‘EcoPulse’ research.  In short, we gave the Roberts Worldview Assessment to a national sample and [...]

Read the full article →

3 Species of Environmental Cynicism

June 1, 2011

In my work as a communication strategist, I’ve discovered three major species of environmental cynicism infecting target  audiences for virtually all of my sustainability-oriented clients. These ’species’ are actually three highly popular mental strategies that everyday ordinary folks use to avoid taking environmental action. As we cover these below, revisit your own experience and see [...]

Read the full article →

Using “Social Proof” to Sell Sustainability

May 13, 2011

One of the most reliable discoveries from decades of social psychology research has been the principle of ‘social proof’.  Basically, this principle suggests that when deciding how to behave in an uncertain situation most people simply copy the behavior of other people around them.  Or to put it in slightly stuffier words:
When confronted with a [...]

Read the full article →

The Psychometrics of Sustainability

May 3, 2011

If you didn’t make it out to the Sustainable Brands conference last year, you missed a good one! This year (SB11) promises to be even better.
Either way, I just got this link to my complete, fully-edited keynote from last years event. Was a big hit with the SB10 audience, and a lot of fun to [...]

Read the full article →

Call it ‘green’ or ‘innovation’?

April 26, 2011

Just wanted to pass along this new Fast Company blog. In it, writer Marc Stoiber argues that the word ‘innovation’ may actually be a better than the word ‘green’ for framing or conveying sustainable business concepts.
I couldn’t agree more — and my (research-driven) reasons are briefly outlined in the section of the article titled ‘Donald [...]

Read the full article →

The Neuroanatomy of Politics

April 20, 2011

Fascinating research just came out  suggesting that political attitudes are related to brain structure. Specifically, the study found that  self-proclaimed ‘liberals’ are more developed in the part of the brain associated with processing complexity, while self-proclaimed conservatives have a larger brain in areas related to processing fear. Or, in their words:
“We found that greater liberalism [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →