The New Year gives us a chance to reflect on how far we have come and how far we still need to go. One of my favourite quotes is, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you will end up somewhere else.” (Yogi Berra). So in an effort to define a direction, I decided to write a brief list of some of the things I believe we need to accomplish by the end of the 21st century. Here’s the list: Achieve net negative global carbon emissions from human activity Produce energy from exclusively renewable sources Mine global landfills to produce … Continue reading 21st Century Innovation Targets

Every group needs two things from each member: fitment and commitment. They must mesh with the culture, values, and purpose of the team: fitment. They also have to make a decision to stick with each other member, the group as a whole, and the reason for being: commitment. This is true of any group, including true friends, loyal partners, and good companies. Continue reading Fitment and commitment

In order to build civilization, humans have always required physical raw materials. For most of time, these materials have been naturally occurring substances with crude modifications (think stone bricks or wooden planks). Left to their own devices and given enough time, these materials decompose and erode harmlessly back into the ecosystem. In the last two hundred years, we have developed the god-like ability to create materials that have incredible structural resilience and will almost never wear or break down (think plastic, carbon fibre). Much of our societies are now comprised of these super-materials. This has allowed us to make enormous … Continue reading Where will compost take us?

I recently posted a list of my top five general picks for books to read if you don’t read often. I’m interested in business, and there are a whack of marvellous business books that will help you refine your mind and develop your voice. For the entrepreneur or executive alike, here are my recommendations: How to Win Friends and Influence People: Dale Carnegie Let My People Go Surfing: Yvon Chouinard The Promise of a Pencil: Adam Braun The Wealth of Nations – Book I: Adam Smith Shoe Dog: Phil Knight To me, each of these books shed light on a … Continue reading The “I need to read more books. Where should I start?” List – Business Edition

This is an important question. If something is a matter of kind, then you can segregate, separate, and discriminate between the kinds. If, however, it is a matter of degree, you no longer have the ability to apply a taxonomical system. You must learn to appreciate the potential variation, the existence of a unit as potentially fitting into more than one distinct category. As we learn more about the universe and it’s constituent parts, we are realizing that everything is made up of a small set of uniform building blocks, in massive quantities, that when combined in different ways make … Continue reading Is it a matter of degree or of kind?

Not because of the exercise, but because over time you forget to think it’s a burden to do minor physical activity in daily life. Taking the stairs is a gateway habit for future health and prosperity with no added dissonance. Continue reading Is it more healthy to take the stairs?

Every decision, every action, every omission, and every sacrifice transforms you. Something once perceived as a barrier can be surmounted and is thereafter seen as an opportunity. Do a task once and it’s easier the next time. Avoid a challenge and it grows more menacing. Each decision counts. Each action matters. Continue reading Does this little thing matter?

It’s not the idea of single use that should be questioned, but the execution. It should never create permanent waste, and should cost more. Compostable wares and the infrastructure to support the post-disposal processing, funded by a single use tax. That’s all.  Continue reading “I’ll take it to go”

As I sit here in the back table of Cafe Myriade, gazing through the early-morning faces and warm lighting out into the dim grey morning, I can’t help but feel at home here. Always a warm smile on the busy baristas, always a soul-comforting cup of south-American-bean-soaked-hot-water. So simple of a place. Some tables, chairs, a coffee machine, some milks, and a massive, never ending supply of roasted tree-seeds. Yet it creates an environment so warm, welcoming, and calm. All they do is serve stimulants, but the atmosphere is calmed by the activity. There is no wrong here. No you … Continue reading Cafe Myriade