Thursday 22 January 2009

2009 - Year of the OX

We are soon to enter a New Year, according to the Chinese Calendar, and one that is ascribed to the OX, and to the qualities of "diligence, reliability, sincerity, strength and sound judgement". Sounds like some good parameters to start the year, and so I want to feature a business that may fit all these parameters that is solidly moving forward, and that's about getting more out of less - in this case, more out of our waste.

WSN Environmental Solutions, which operates in the south west of Sydney, offers a " shift from landfill to resource recovery with the use of technology solutions that treat waste as a valued resource, divert waste away from landfill and produce outputs such as compost and green electricity." As well, the company offers guidance on how best to manage a wide range of waste, including commercial waste such as bricks, timber and tyres.

This is one business that made sound judgement and is looking forward. As we move to this Year of the OX, and into a tough year financially, we can all stop to assess what parts of our business are important and what will take us more soundly into the future.

Pic Ex Flickr The Ox by Grumbler %-|

Sunday 11 January 2009

It's faster than kayaking..

I was out kayaking around the inner Sydney Harbour today, not far from our iconic bridge, and saw a rather strange looking vessel on its way to Darling Harbour. Later, I went there to see and photograph the EarthRace which claims to now hold the world record for a powerboat to circle the globe. And the interesting thing is that it is powered solely by renewable biodiesel fuel, including some that was made from cooking oil that otherwise would have been discarded. The mission of the Earthrace team is"to connect with people, and encourage debate and understanding about biofuels, carbon footprints, and the many other aspcts that affect our environmental footprint. "

And it's a positive message - have fun but also tread/cruise lightly. I was thinking this morning about how I could make my little kayak go somewhat further, to explore more of our beautiful waterways. Maybe a solar powered turbine or some other planet friendly device that could extend my range, not quite around the world but maybe to a few islands in the harbour I would like to visit from my home base.

So that's another potential opportunity - a small, portable marine engine that runs on renewable energy for us not quite so fit kayakers and rowers!! Business opportunities in this new energy era do not always have to be large scale investments - there are lots of areas where we need to consider new ways to transport ourselves, whether it's across the globe, or across the harbour.

Tuesday 6 January 2009

An EON of Values

It's the ECO2NOMY..  If we look forward at 2009, we also will be looking at new values - new values for our assets, new values for our economy, and new values for the way we live and grow our businesses. In the US, incoming President Obama is working on his top priority - stimulus for the ailing economy. How to stop the slide to even deeper recession, and how to extract a new system out of one that is no longer functional.

It's a challenge, but it's more than that - it's a whole new way of thinking. We now have the opportunity to re-value our industrialised and consumer lifestyles, and the values of Energy, of Ownership and of Nature (EON).

Energy is the new economy, and whoever can produce clean energy will be the managers of that new energy era. Our values about this are the most important ones, because we, as one global family, will continue to fight with each other unless we can find equitable ways to access low cost and clean energy sources.
By Ownership I do not mean a move to a socialist economy - we have all observed the issues that come with that. Ownership is about stuff that we all, as one planet, should own - like intellectual stuff, pictures, words, formulae for medicines, and the air, sea, resources, the land. Certainly, there will be licences to manage and provide services, but Ownership? We need to ask these questions.
And thirdly, our new values will embrace Nature or else. This is not so much a choice but a sword hanging over our collective heads. Nature has its own power, its own agenda, and will very easily restore its own balance with or without us. Nature does not need us, so we need to include Nature as part of the EON of values.

Values come first - if we value something we then take steps to protect it. This downturn has given us a space to stop and consider big stuff, not just the economy but the values that underpin the way we live. My hope for 2009 is that we stop and consider, and re-value the way we consider energy, ownership, and nature and then set that new course to protect the future.