Short Term Thinking Shorts Us All

There’s been plenty said about Wall Street’s incredible collapse and the byzantine practices and illusionary (some would say delusionary) financial products that almost brought down our economy. But not enough has been said about the pervasive mindset that...

Transforming Capitalism:

A Conversation About Creating a Regenerative Economy Last week my good friend Otto Scharmer (co-author of Presence: Exploring Profound Change in People, Organizations and Society and author of Theory U: Leading from the Future as It Emerges) invited me to participate...

Creating a Game Plan

Creating a Game Plan for the Transition to a Sustainable US Economy Over the last 20 years, we’ve had a lot of interesting weeks here at the company, but this week promises to be the most fascinating yet. Seventh Generation is hosting a landmark three-day summit...

Restoring the Primacy of the Real Economy

I am at the 2nd Summit on the Future of the Corporation in Boston where I have been asked to speak about “Building sustainability from within: harnessing capital to drive long-term horizons.” Here’s what’s on my mind… Seventh Generation has...

How Unlimited Interest Rates Destroyed the Economy

Thomas Geoghegan, writing in a recent issue of Harper’s Magazine, puts forth a theory that at first glance seems almost too silly to voice, let alone take seriously. He argues that it was not derivatives, hedge funds, gambling insurance companies, or excessively...

Ever Wonder Where All That Money Went?

As the financial crisis continues to unfold, headlines increasingly focus on the pain and hardship ordinary Americans are suffering. Let us not forget that the wealth accumulated by a small handful of Americans, often at the expense of others, was obscene and remains...

A Cure for the Ailing Financial Industry

Our financial system is beset by a whole host of chronic illnesses, chief among them: gluttony, amorality, and opacity. Band-aids won’t mend it; the patient requires immediate surgery. Unfortunately, we can’t apply the scalpel until we X-ray these ailing...

Mother Nature Doesn’t Do Bailouts

“Mother Nature doesn’t do bailouts.” -Glenn Prickett, senior vice president at Conservation International. Thomas Friedman began a recent New York Times column by quoting from a brilliantly insightful fake 2005 story from the Onion. The article cited...