7gen Bloc

Two weeks ago the Financial Times reported some impressive results from the Employee Ownership Index. “In the UK in recent years, the Employee Ownership Index has outperformed the FTSE All-Share. An investment of £100 in the EOI in 1992 would have been worth £349 at the end of June 2003. The same amount invested in the FTSE All-Share would have been worth £161.”

Women like a lot of things, some may even say they have too many things. Too much make up, too many shoes, too many of the same black t-shirt. But there is one thing women can never have too many of: Tampons. If they’re on sale, if we won’t need them for weeks, or even if we are just in the store, we buy tampons!

Last week’s Fortune magazine ran a most incredible story. It details a partnership between Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus and Danone, the French food company, to build a yogurt factory in Bangladesh. What’s so amazing about the story is that Danone believes that profits are not necessarily “always” essential to creating shareholder value, that there are times when it is appropriate to deploy corporate capital in the pursuit of social benefit that will ultimately create additional brand value.

As I’ve said in previous posts, Seventh Generation is not just a product but an idea. To continue with this idea, there is always a mind behind an idea. Jeffrey Hollender is that mind for Seventh Generation. All of his hard work, incredible values and intellect are not solely appreciated by the employees, bloggers also notice. CSRFanatic’s latest post expresses appreciation for Jeffrey. “He sets a high standard for building an enduring a great company through his unwavering dedication not to compromise the company’s vision and mission.”

The silence is eerie. After the intensity of Bombay, the endless noise of drivers who rarely remove their hand from their horn, as they literally seem to try and move other cars out of their way, the silence in Vermont is both a refuge and an oddity. In some way I feel as if I have been cast out into the wilderness, isolated from civilization.

I thought that the politically correct name for the city was Mumbai, but many successful, well educated natives actually still prefer it’s original name, Bombay. This city of 18 million is almost beyond comprehension. Home to both Bollywood, India’s hugely successful movie industry and the world’s largest squatter village of one million people, Bombay is all the contradictions and extremes of India on steroids.

The University of Vermont had the honor of hosting a talk led by Van Jones. Van Jones was one of the founding directors of Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. He is also very concerned with the environment. He is a member of many organizations such as, Rainforest Action Network, WITNESS, Bioneers, the New Apollo Project and the Social Venture Network. The University was very thankful fortunate to have such a passionate figure come and grace us with some of his knowledge.

I sat in the corner of a local coffee hideout the other day, listening to the walah of the store come alive in my mind. It seems from the many conversations that the Academy Awards were alive in everyone's dialogue, and sure the movies were a theme, but the ongoing "discuss" on the green-theme rang out. Gore was a hit. The awards were offset. And the loud call to the wild is that CO2 is it, a way to unite the common with an initiative that will end the threat of our many years of not paying attention.

So it is over. The judges will soon go into hibernation and look and pick the ten-best. Thank you all who submitted. I deeply appreciate your passion and your effort to create meaningful change. Also, we have 133 strong entries, and we have officially opened the site for viewer voting! truths.treehugger