The Inspired Protagonist

Blood on Their Hands

Inspired Protagonist — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Less Safe Than Ever Before

Inspired Protagonist — Tue, 06 May 2008 06:26:09 -0700

Every day that the Bush administration stays in office we are less safe, and not just from growing worldwide terrorist networks. The administration is once again undermining the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to determine the health dangers of toxic chemicals by letting non-scientists have a large and often secret role in the vetting process.

The Day of Reckoning

Inspired Protagonist — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

I recently spent a day and a half in our quarterly board meeting. Many more hours went into preparing for it. I have put more than 30 years of my life into pre-meeting stress and anxiety and post-meeting exhaustion and reflection. These meetings are almost miniature rites of passage. Days of reckoning.

Influencing the Influencer

Inspired Protagonist — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Anyone who's read this blog for a while knows that I'm no fan of Microsoft. I've owned a Mac my entire life. My one, brief experiment with a PC ended when I returned a wonderful little Sony Vaio because the software drove me out of my mind.

Meeting a Remarkable Man

Inspired Protagonist — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Recently, I spent the afternoon talking with David Suzuki, a man whose brilliance is matched only by his humility. Overlooking the St. Lawrence River in downtown old Montreal, we sat for several hours. David Suzuki is a rock star of the environmental movement in Canada, perhaps the US equivalent of Al Gore. His diversity of friends --from Anita Roddick and Richard Branson to Amory Lovins and Sir Isaac Stern -- shows he's a magnet for other extraordinary people.

We Sold Our Eco-Dream to Timberland

Inspired Protagonist — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:19:14 -0700

Who wins when multi-national corporations acquire small, natural-products companies? The anecdotal evidence suggests it's not the entrepreneur. While there are a few potential success stories, such as Groupe Danone's acquisition of a majority stake in Stonyfield Farm and Estée Lauder's purchase of Aveda, there are more stories of sadness and regret -- Ben & Jerry's sale to Unilever and the Body Shop's sale to L'Oréal among them.

Green for All: Race, Class, and Environmentalism

Inspired Protagonist — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:31:45 -0700

I celebrated Earth Day by participating in a discussion of race, class, and environmentalism at a community event in Poughkeepsie, NY, sponsored by Vassar College. Because my son had just come out of the hospital, I was late and unprepared. In fact, I hadn’t stopped to check on the subject of the talk, let alone gather my comments prior to the trip up from New York City. My first reaction was, “Oh my god (the Pope was in town) what am I going to say?”

The Health Implications of Climate Change

Inspired Protagonist — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:27:07 -0700

The World Health Organization recently dedicated its annual World Health Day to the intersection of disease and global warming.

And that's a great thing!

Monsanto: An evil company?

Inspired Protagonist — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:07:20 -0700

I have often wondered whether a company can truly be evil. Not a company run by evil people, but a place where decades of evil have seeped right into the corporate fabric.

It Was Bad, and It Wasn't a Dream

Inspired Protagonist — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:48:19 -0700

It had all the makings of a nightmare:
"Seventh Generation Battles Carcinogenic Chemical Controversy"
""Organic" and "Natural" Consumer Products Found Contaminated with Cancer Causing Chemical!"