John V Willshire’s Post

In traveling to New York for #ClimateWeekNYC, I found myself with some downtime on the plane. When building a startup, you are often moving too quickly to have time to reflect. I haven’t done much writing recently, but as I got on the plane I wanted to organize some of my thoughts into a more structured format. What started as some exploratory reflection turned into some refined viewpoints about where carbon markets stand and where we can adjust direction to properly stimulate the Voluntary Carbon Market and demand for engineered carbon removals. I’d like to thank Susan Su, Mowgli Holmes, existing resources from McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and many others not directly mentioned for helping in refining my thinking here. As we enter the latter half of Climate Week, it’s important to understand that we need a combination of so many types of solutions to stay close to 1.5 degree targets by 2050. If we thread the needle and foster the type of environment to generate powerful narratives, build highly-creative products, and work from first-principles with incentive alignment in mind, we can create tremendous value for both corporations and end-consumers in the process of full decarbonization.

***No Complex Theory Required*** Just A Natural Awareness I view natural inclusion as a discernible reality, not an abstract or complex theory. And I also think it could help many who truly care for our world greatly in their endeavours to enhance ecological awareness. That's why I made this simple video presentation, which anyone is welcome to borrow and share:- https://lnkd.in/etgCJdJj If you would like a copy of the slide presentation, just let me know. #nature #naturalinclusion

Are theme parks safe? 🎢 New UNSW research uncovers systemic risks in the industry, drawing critical lessons from the 2016 Dreamworld tragedy. Swipe through to learn more about the research insights that could instigate change. Read the full article on #BusinessThink: https://lnkd.in/gkCtKgCm 📌 michael quinlan Sarah Gregson

"Build back better", does that ring a bell? A term frequently used during the pandemic while looking forward, envisioning the world after Covid. A chance for a restart. But what happended? A question I have asked myself many times since and so did Dr Kumi Naidoo in this webinar the Great Unraveling organised by The Post Carbon Institute that i accidentally attended thanks to a post by Anna Pollock. Thank you for that! I am constantly on the search for more knowledge, inspiration and insights on the subject of sustainability, - and some days I must admit I am struggling to keep my fighting spirit going - so when i read the opening phrase in the invitation to the webinar it talked strait to me: "Have you been feeling a sense of unease about the state of the world? From climate change and biodiversity loss to social inequality and overconsumption, it seems like multiple crises are converging at once. What’s really going on here?" It was truly enlightening and inspiring to listen to Kimi Naidoo and Lyla June Johnston sharing their storys and experiences on how to act in order to fix this. So many wise words were spoken and I highly recommend you to look at the recording. I specially take with me what Kumi said: ”Be creatively maladjusted!” Because we can not fix this within the same system that got us here. Kimi said something else that I also often say: It is not about saving and protecting the planet. She will be just fine without us humans. It is about our own survival, our chances to continue to thrive on this planet, and for generations to come. We need to understand that we are part of an ecosystem, depending on its health. We do not stand above any other species, rather that we are a part of an ecosystem, and dependent on its function. Nature with all its species is my best friend. Ours. Hopefully yours as well. So how about we once and for all take the term #buildbackbetter seriously? Let’s start to show nature some love! #regenerativetravel #sustainabletourism #reformtravel https://lnkd.in/d6vT5Z5N

LIFE IN SERVICE OF BUSINESS? OR BUSINESS IN SERVICE OF LIFE? The recording is now live for our Living Between Worlds conversation last week, where we explored the question of "What might it be like if we did business, and everything else, as though we actually belonged to the living world?"  Take a look, let me know what the conversation provoked in you (and where you’d like us to take these monthly conversations for possibility in the future).  And please join us Wednesday, April 17th for our next Living Between Worlds, and a conversation with special guest Bill Reed. A co-founder of the LEED green building rating system, Bill is a principal in two firms, the Re-source Group and Regenesis, and an eloquent, effective, and busy pioneer of Regenerative Development—an integrative, whole and living system design process. (Registration link in the comments below.)

for economic/finance-minded people especially, a well presented environmentalism 101 from Mr. Gardiner, and discussions of great directions continuted Target 18: Creating the Right Incentives for a Nature-Positive Future - Opening Session (https://lnkd.in/gr3y5pMx)

Water. It is the central theme of an exhibition at the Belgian cost that started last weekend. It concerns photographs from the Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky (www.edwardburtynsky.com), indicating the often complex relationship between humanity and water. The photographer observes as well the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, as (sustainable an unsustainable) agriculture in Spain. He shows water control in the Netherlands next to the consequences of the construction of massive dams. He does this by showing aerial shots to reflect on. By standing still before these big photographs, it came up to me that some of the pictures were a visualisation of what you see in ESG scores or in controversy data. You can define an exclusion of oil sands in a revenue-%, but to realize what it is, you can look at a photo of Burtynsky of oil sands in Canada. You can evaluate a biodiversity score or discover at an aerial photo what the result is when you neglect it. Maybe an interesting exhibition for portfolio managers to visualize what the difference can be between a sustainable and a non-sustainable investment… More info: https://lnkd.in/eqdMKdyX

Please take a moment to listen to this reading for the full context. This very personal reading really struck home. Powerful and relatable. What stood out? ‘’We lived in a time that we could have turned this around ‘’ Why could of? Why do we wait? Why do we delay? In a recent Event Greening Forum "Building Better NZCEvents, Together" workshop we heard , yet again, that the clients should specifically ask for a sustainable option. If they don't ask for it its not supplied. Isn't that back to front? Do our customers have to drive industry change? Are we waiting on an entity that has no knowledge of what we do, or can do, to instruct us before change can occur? From another company we heard that they chose to ''decline a pitch''(RFQ) as it was last minute, short term and not structured as a re-useable option. It was not ecologically or financially sustainable. Their commitment won through. Professional and responsible actions that educate and benefit the customer and the industry. That is having the courage , the commitment, to ''turn this around''. In my day to day we create sustainable solutions. Of these have immediate success. Others take a while to see real time markets - but that is the nature of and commitment to R&D . Researching, finding & developing better ways to offer Better stands to our clients. Most of these are industry based resellers around the globe. And we gladly share that IP in the name of ''turning this around''. Challenge the norms, educate your industry peers and your collective clients. Lets make the events and expo world a space that companies can find the best marketing ROI - but also in the most responsible way. Lets be able to say ''we turned this around''. The Net Zero Carbon Events initiative has info and is launching a Better Stands guide that is invaluable in identifying and implementing global change. Locally the Event Greening Forum is the go to organization. I encourage everyone in our industry to get involved . There is no other way to be able to say ''we turned this around''. #netzerocarbonevents #Eventgreening #sustainablebydesign Xanita

Are theme parks safe? 🎢 New UNSW research uncovers systemic risks in the industry, drawing critical lessons from the 2016 Dreamworld tragedy. Swipe through to learn more about the research insights that could instigate change. Read the full article on #BusinessThink: https://lnkd.in/gkCtKgCm 📌 michael quinlan Sarah Gregson

On the heels of a successful, transformative capital campaign, we captured the essence of what makes the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes so special and why our work is so meaningful. Watch and share, and allow us to reintroduce ourselves - your "third place." https://lnkd.in/gM3RZE3t