Who will Save the Earth? No one.

Who will save book publishing? What will save the newspapers?

What means ’save’?

If by save you mean, “what will keep things just as they are?” then the answer is nothing will. It’s over.

Seth Godin’s recent blog post is extremely relevant to those who think the sustainability movement is about
saving the world. Who will be saving the planet from environmental destruction? Save cultures from disappearing? What does ’sustainability’ actually mean? If we sustain business as it is – even if it’s green -  then we will perish. Al Gore’s PowerPoint  in 3D.

Sustainability is about transformation. It’s about making business consider something other than one bottom line. Many are racing to develop metrics systems that, like alchemy, can measure carbon, water, and other factors, to come up with a green labeling system. It’s a step, but it’s still keeping our system in check.

Consultants Ed Quevedo & Sarah Isabel Parriott of Paladin Law Group are engaging with enterprise level corporations and cities to create a unique system of measuring that accounts for other factors – how many bike lanes a city may have, how many less sick days employees are using; how many cappuccino machines are there within a 200-foot radius? Things that matter. Factors that make a business add real value.

If we are going to make change, Ed & Sarah remind us, we must be asking, is this business helping those it serves, is it treading lightly on the earth? What can a business do to regenerate instead of generate?