6 ways to be the most informed person in the room

Depending on your lifestyle, you may not have enough time to keep up with the news every day. But, the news is not the only resource you can use to keep informed. Now days, technology has provided us with a wealth of options to keep our mind up to speed.  Outlined below, are some of the most useful resources for keeping you educated and informed.

1.       Books or Audio Books

Read or listen to a non-Fiction book on a topic of your choice. Put in an audio book on your way to work, or try reading for 30 minutes before you go to bed.

2.       Documentaries

Try watching a documentary instead of Blockbuster new release. Netflix has a very comprehensive assortment of documentaries that are nominated for international awards.  

3.       Social Media

Follow your favorite activist, author, or journalist on Twitter, Facebook, or through their personal blog. This option is fast, easy, and relatively free (as long as you have the internet).

4.       Take a class or purchase a digital course

Check out the listings of classes at your local university or community college. If you do not have time to take a class you can buy a college course on DVD, CD, or MP3 through Great Courses on just about any topic you can imagine.

 

5.       Ask a stranger

Next time you strike up a random conversation with a stranger make sure you ask them if they have any movie or book recommendations. You may not get to learn much from a person in the few minutes of time you share, but if you get a good recommendation you may learn more than you imagined.

6.       Get involved

I always learn more when I jump into the action and get a first hand experience. 

Remember, the most informed people are those that are able to form an objective opinion. This means they look at a problem from multiple points of views.  For example, try watching Fox and BBC or try reading books by conservatives and liberals. It is your responsibility to get educated and the sooner you become informed, the sooner we can work together to make the world a better place.

In the very least, these suggestions are great ways to keep your dinner conversation and small talk up to speed.

Consumer Resources

Do not get frustrated, there are organizations that can provide you with a consumer report on the environmental, health, safety, and social responsibility of companies, products, and services. You only need to know where to look.

Depending on what kind of information you need you make want to check out different types of consumer resources. I commonly use any of the following resources to help me make decisions when I am buying something.

Local Resources
St. Louis Green
Sustainablog

National Resources

Good Guide

The Daily Green

Green America

Green Biz

Gen Life

Certified B Corporations

Let me know what resources you use...

Voting with Your Dollar

It is very difficult to make a decision on what to buy at the store these days. For instance...

I will go to the grocery store and pick up a new cereal just because it says "Organic." But, as I proceed to the checkout line I start to think... just because that cereal is made of organic ingredients doesn't mean it is really "green," truthfully the box isn't even made of recycled materials, the plastic bag covering the cereal is non-recyclable, and the ink used to print on the box was most likely made of toxins ... maybe I should just pick up that other cereal I like... I'm not making much of a difference... I'm just one person buying cereal.

 

Have you ever had this kind of experience when you are shopping? You go to the store wanting to make an educated decision about the products you are buying, but you are never sure you are really making the right choice. Whether you are interested in buying socially responsible products that do not perpetuate child labor or you are just trying to feed your family healthy food, making the "right" decision is tough. 

First, ask yourself, what do you want to accomplish by choosing the "right" product? For me, I want to choose a product that is healthy for me and the environment. I do not want a product that is enabling immoral business practices like financial irresponsibility or unsafe working conditions. Most importantly, I want to purchase a product that directly or indirectly increases the sales and profits of the companies that are doing business "right." 

In the present marketplace, doing business "right" is difficult to track because the system is so confusing and convoluted. In my opinion, I want every business to participate in some the following efforts:

·         Sell eco-conscious and socially responsible products   

·         Invest money in R&D for green, healthy, safe, and morally responsible products

·         Offer transparency of business practices or products and services

·         Use product Life Cycle Assessments to implement comprehensive sustainability goals   

·         Build LEED certifiable buildings 

Most businesses are only starting to realize the profitability of doing business "right" because they have not yet implemented multilevel sustainable and socially responsible initiatives. They are testing the water to see how the market reacts. We cannot expect businesses  to jump head first into being the most responsible company on the planet. Let us be honest with ourselves, we Consumers are fickle and we change our mind all the time. But, if we can keep interest in the "right" guidelines we will give businesses the time to change. Once they change, they will not go back as soon as they see how profitable sustainability can be.   

For now, I am going to use my dollar to vote for the ones that are trying. As more consumers use their money to influence the popularity of "right" products and services, these businesses will begin to have the faith and equity to change. 

Don't forget, you are the one with the power to change this economy because you get to vote who gets your dollar!

Corporate Sustainability

If we can make sustainability understandable to corporate and industrial mindsets we will have the opportunity to see great change in our lifetime. This means we must learn how to communicate in a manner that these entities will appreciate. By measuring and calculating the relationship between the economy and environment we will learn how to sell sustainability to the heart of our consumerist society.

How I communicate the advantages of sustainability to corporate and industrial mindsets:
Gain a competitive advantage in the market place
Use subsidies to your advantage
Strategic policy management for the long term
Lower operating costs and increase profit margins
Improve your risk-benefit-analysis and liability schemes
Promote cutting edge technology that improves your bottom line
Rebrand your image
Expand your marketability