The financial crisis started on Wall Street but continues to have a profound impact around the world. Among those affected are the poorest of the poor. In this audio interview, Stanford MBA student Joy Sun talks with Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute and a professor at Columbia University, about how the financial crisis is shaping international relations and countries' paths toward economic development.
Harnessing engineering innovation and technology to further social causes is one path to social enterprise. In this university podcast, sponsored by Stanford's Center for Social Innovation, former rocket scientist Jim Fruchterman talks about how he created Benetech, an organization that uses technology innovation and business expertise to solve unmet social needs. He discusses how he has leveraged the intellectual capital and resources of Silicon Valley to create solutions that are truly life changing.
Promoting environmental sustainability is the responsibility of every world citizen, says Nobel Laureate and former Vice President Al Gore in this audio lecture. Speaking at the 2009 Tech Awards, he urges his audience to consider how they may make changes and press for policies that will address global warming. He asks Westerners, in particular, to consider how the consequences of their own actions may be causing suffering for millions displaced by climate change.
How can a country like China, which is still relatively poor, balance economic and environmental concerns? In this audio lecture, Peking University Professor Lu Zhi, who was invited to Stanford by the Center for Social Innovation, offers thoughts on conservation and some of its broader implications. Her message is that reversing the negative effects of rapid industrialization is possible, even in a developing country.
Like Russia, China has been a huge and inefficient user of energy for decades. Now, however, the country is cleaning up its act. In this audio lecture, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, Mark Levine, Lawrence Berkeley Lab energy group director, dispels common American myths about China's energy and environmental practices, demonstrating that the country is becoming surprisingly progressive. He touches on areas such as subsidies, pricing, and emissions policies.
The threat of animal habitat loss is one of the major issues in the environmental sustainability arena. In this audio interview by Sheela Sethuraman, Laurie Marker of the Cheetah Conservation Fund talks about a multi-pronged effort including habitat restoration, resource management education, and job creation to address that threat to cheetahs, in particular. She describes the creative measures she has taken to save cheetahs and improve the lives of the people who live near them.
Biofuels offer an environmental sustainability substitute against petrol-based fuels such as gasoline, yet they are still expensive to produce and are causing a steep inflation in food prices the world over. This panel discussion of experts debates the root causes of the increase in food prices, and the need to tackle the economic and political side effects of biofuel production.
Can environmental sustainability be supported by genetics? In this audio interview, Craig Venter, a pioneer in genetic research, discusses some of his key discoveries that are advancing the state of science in genomics and synthetic life. He shares how, in his current work on DNA programming and building synthetic organisms, he is using the building blocks of life to approach society's most pressing problems such as energy and food.
In this audio interview, forecaster Paul Saffo covers a range of interesting subjects, including different methodologies for forecasting social trends. Topics he offers predictions about include global warming, the mortgage crisis, and the decline of the nation state.
In an age of consumer surplus, where people are encouraged to shop as "retail therapy," where does environmental sustainability fit in? In this panel discussion from the Commonwealth Club of California, leaders in business, design and innovation discuss why a deeper understanding of human nature will be central to a successful 21st century business strategy.
Companies that think about the environment as a social responsibility rather than a business imperative are living in the dark ages, says Carter Roberts, president and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund. In this Stanford Center for Social Innovation audio lecture, Roberts underscores solid business reasons why sustainability is no longer just a nice thing to do, how conservation protects business, and how his organization is addressing the economics, science, and politics of conservation around the world.
Recent fires, floods, and foreclosures may be clear signs that we are caught in twin crises: economic downturn and environmental devastation. In this panel discussion from The Commonwealth Club of California, Van Jones and Darrell Steinberg offer a unique solution to this complex set of problems.
Scientists predict that we have less than 10 years to sufficiently reduce carbon emissions to avert a total environmental disaster. Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield Farm "CE-Yo", tells of his company's efforts over the past 25 years to reduce its environmental footprint while increasing profits. Hirshberg shares lessons from his book Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World, in this Stanford Center for Social Innovation audio lecture.
What does Wall Street make of the trends in cleantech, corporate environmental strategy, corporate social responsibility, and emerging carbon markets? In this audio lecture, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, two Goldman Sachs managers discuss how their investment firm is making the financing of corporate deals contingent upon the incorporation of increasingly stringent environmental criteria.
A growing consciousness of environmental sustainability has taken root in the fashion industry. This new trend, known as "green design," has inspired some top designers to rebrand their products for the environment-savvy consumer and reform their processes to foster environmental preservation. In this panel discussion, experts discuss challenges and new initiatives introduced by the fashion industry in this arena.
