January 23, 2008
Happy to be going Hybrid..
Well, I took the plunge and received delivery of my new hybrid car. Its so neat to watch the battery power go into the drivetrain through the interactive video screen, rather than gasoline. And with a "gas usage" meter constantly flashing in my face, you'd be surprised at how it already has changed driving habits...
My kids are proud, my pocketbook is happier and the environment is going to breathe just that much easier than if I had bought a gas-guzzling SUV. Now all I have to do is sell the Porsche :( and my environmental footprint will indeed be improved that much more. Not so sure the kids are going to be happy about that event though as much as they were this one!
Sass
Posted by sass at 09:05 AM | Comments (5)
October 17, 2007
Blogs can be dangerous to you health
Bloggers are now beginning to face the same scrutiny and consequences as traditional media. I find this perfectly normal yet a reflection on the "freedom of internet fallacy" that many believe exists.
The internet is no more free as a media than television or print, its just that the "cost of creation and distribution" is far less than other route of information dissemination. It costs very little to setup a blog, far less than to create a printed media and attempt to distribute it. Therein lies the catch22 for bloggers.
Whereas some may see this as a license to write whatever they want, the truth is that bloggers should be held no less responsible than other writers, whether paid or not, for what they write. Governments, in my opinion, have every right to implement the same rules for organized media vs individuals who setup their own "information sites".
By no means do I condone draconian controls such as those exercised in countries like China, I am just stating that it must be dealt with equitably, with no more or no less authority placed over blogs than over other websites controlled by paid-media companies.
Bottom line, remember to be careful about what you write and particularly if your words can be taken to injure another.
Sass
Posted by sass at 01:21 PM | Comments (2)
August 26, 2007
Talk is cheap, yet its a start...
CNN has sponsored a weblog on "fueling america" into the future which gives a sense of what many Americans feel is industry's failure to provide environmentally friendly power alternatives to the petrol engine, while stating clearly that they don't want to give up power, comfort, etc..
So we basically want to have it all, and nobody blames them. The issue is how to pay to get to where alternative fuels (hydrogen, ethanol) are delivering the same or better customer value, as perceived by...the customer.
Sass
Posted by sass at 08:35 PM | Comments (0)
July 16, 2007
Blog Break
Have decided to take a small July blog break. Lots going on everywhere so you'll need to stay tuned for news from me for a while. Enjoy your July and will be back onto it with a vengeance in about 10 days or so.
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:38 AM | Comments (0)
April 22, 2007
Happy Earth Day!
What are you doing for Mother Earth today? Walking or biking instead of taking your SUV? Cutting down on the use of disposable diapers (not likely if you want your baby to be comfortable and you are not in a situation where you use resusable ones)? Using cloth bags instead of disposable plastic ones?
Guess what? Most of us won't change much today. We'll talk a talk, yet we won't walk the walk. Laura Turner Seydel, daughter of Ted Turner, walks the walk. Her new home is showcased at www.ecomanor.com and she is heading up Earth Day events, in addition to several commitments to agencies and foundations, like the Captain Planet Foundation, which ICP Solar is now sponsoring.
The question becomes...when are we affected enough so that we actually make a decision to make a difference? Is it the big deal made about one day that is important?
All I know is that we can make a difference, step by step, one at a time. However if we listen to governments in the North American continent today, the feds are saying that Kyoto would kill our economy so let's all forget about it. They are saying they have their own plans to reduce carbon emissions and these are the same people that are funded by oil companies and dine with their lobbyists.
My response? Go out there on Earth Day and participate in any local event you can. Make a difference by showing your kids that this is important enough. They are the generation that will really take this to the next level because they will have to, not because they will only want to.
We must embrace conservation and we must embrace the use of benign, renewable energies. Not in 30 years. Not in 20. Now. It is indeed the best earth day to date and hopefully next year's will be better than this one. And if we can continue that trend, then one day, it will be no longer necessary to have an Earth day, because actions that protect our earth will be first and foremost in our daily DNA make-up and we won't have to use single day celebrations to remind ourselves of this great thing called the preservation of that being which feeds us and our families each day...Mother Earth!
Ancient North American proverb says: "We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children".
Happy Earth Day folks! From Google and Yahoo, come some interesting new logos for today:
Posted by sass at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
April 17, 2007
Where does it end?
Shocking and sad news today about a massacre at a University in the United States. I sometimes wonder where it all ends.
There is no doubt that massacres such as this one, and many far worse in numbers, occur around the world. However this was not an act of war. It was not a terrorist (in the common accepted definition). It was simply one angry human being with a gun.
Somebody please remind me why we need guns outside of the armed security forces? I'm often told to temper down my blogs for fear of upsetting potential customers. In this case, frankly speaking, you will get my complete mind and nothing short:
There is no possible explanation nor justification of "freedom" to permit the carrying of guns by anyone other than a law enforcement officer or a hunter. So you want to kill deer as they are frolicking near dear-feeders...fine (we supply solar cells to deer-feeder makers and we never stop to think about the deer). However can someone please illuminate me as to why, in this modern day and age, we find excuses to justify the bearing of arms by anyone who gets a license to do so? What is it about guns that enriches our lives?
On Saturday of this past weekend, my son Ethan asked the actress who played the daughter of the store owner in the movie Crash "did you buy blanks on purpose?" She replied "why of course", as if to say "what right-minded person would buy real bullets to use on another human being?".
I do not have many answers tonight as I write this blog entry, saddened by the events which occured on Monday. It simply continues to bring perspective to my own life and that of my family and friends. Cherish the day you will spend with them, for you just don't know when it may be the last. We had such an incident in Montreal a few months ago and it hit close to home when a friend was inside the school which was attacked by a madman. I pray that we are able, as a society, to rethink policies which make such outbursts possible in the first place.
Sass
Posted by sass at 02:22 AM | Comments (0)
March 03, 2007
The need for speed...
Anybody remember when Bill Gates stood up many years (probably decades) ago and said that technology was going to make our lives simpler? OK, so do anyone of you feel that technology has simplified your life...or has it made it more complicated?
Everything today is faster, and the expectation of response time is not anywhere what it used to be. I remember when over 20 years ago I worked for my father's company and bringing in the telex was revolutionizing the speed of information. We were hesitant to use it (due to cost), yet it changed the speed with which answers could flow. The fax was an immediate document (as quickly as you could type the page or write it and then put it into the machine). Email came next and then people started sending more jokes than serious work communication. And then finally we got SMS and IM messaging for the most instant gratification money could buy.
Do we have overload? Will you wait TWO DAYS for an email to be responded to as this article implies? I'm not so sure that even as it was being published, it had not already become obsolete. I know that if my team doesn't get a reply from me in two days (without expecting that I am offline which happens but twice a year) they get worried.
Technology addicition, overload or dependency. Call it what you wish...it has NOT made our lives simpler Bill. Rather it has blurred work and play, rest and drive. It means that as we got faster, so did our competitors, vendors, customers, shareholders...and thus all that happened was that the expectation of response went skywards.
I think the day we can relax is the day when we need not think anymore. The implants will carry our thoughts at lightening speed across the galaxies and we'll just sit and veg with our virtual lives. What a sad thought.
And so leading from these thoughts, I made a decision...I am shutting off my laptop on Saturdays. I will not respond to emails on Saturdays unless a deadline may be missed or a project flow will be affected by my non-response. For those who know me, this is a HUGE decision, yet frankly speaking, as my good friend Laurent says "balance is king", and I'm feeling today that I have lost a bit of it to the technology race.
Shabbat shalom (aka "have a peaceful Sabbath"),
Sass
Posted by sass at 05:38 PM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2007
The Blind Chase of Fortune...
With Anna Nicole Smith dying this past week, suddenly three men all want to be the father of her baby.
Just imagine the talk in a few years, the "lucky" one will have with their child:
Question:
"So why did you want to be my dad? Because you loved me and knew I was yours?"
Answer:
"Not really kid. Your mom was a pain to live with yet you stood to inherit millions because of her legal pursuit of the estate of her former dead rich old husband".
I challenge all three candidates to renounce their rights to the fortune. As Solomon found out who the real mother of a child was by offering to kill the child, so too would we (and the child) find out who the REAL father is, as defined by the person who cares about taking care of his offspring, not about the money. Could be interesting to see who drops out if the judge DOES order a DNA paternity test.
Sometimes the chase of money blinds us from all else, and isn't it a shame that it should be so when a life hangs in the balance. As for the lawyers, well they are guaranteed to get their share of money in this case one way or the other.
Sass
Posted by sass at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)
February 03, 2007
Polution Police with Punch...
Some news today that France has proposed a worldwide environmental watchdog agency to look over and possibly penalize countries which surpass their allotted polution limits. It would seem that scientists and government officials are beginning to read from the same book.
So it seems that recent reports that the world is heating up DUE to manmade events would seem to have made climate change, the environment and renewable energy sources "a la mode". If this all leads to more legislation supporting solar power, yours truly can only say "its about time!".
The fact that the "temperature" has risen on this topic, especially at Davos, is good news for our industry. Investment in this sector surpassed $1billion in that past quarter in Silicon Valley and is likely to continue. We are seeing the solar cell become the microchip of the last century. I know I've used the analogy before yet I truly believe it will become even more obvious as the races form between the different technologies which are surfacing.
We've had little fall out in our industry to date and its just very possible that despite the huge build-up of capacity, that any surplus will be shortlived due to new initiatives put into place by governments worldwide. Whereas they tended to reduce incentives in those countries that had them before, perhaps this new wave will soften those landings and maybe even reverse the trend in Germany and Japan to reduce subsidies and also increase the pace of subsidy in the "new markets" of Spain, France, Italy, USA, and China.
Bottom line..solar power is only one answer to the climate change, yet its a powerful one that can be implemented in the same manner as a multi-server IT environment, totally independant at first and then linked to serve a global community.
Sass
Posted by sass at 05:39 PM | Comments (0)
February 02, 2007
When business goes green...
Seems like the business world has discovered the color GREEN. When an insurance executive can urge western governments to pass on green technologies to countries like India and China, it means they recognize the need to get environmental?
Sorry, I don't buy it. What is important to these companies is MONEY. And that's perfectly fine. If its fashionable to be green, blue, violet or mauve, they will be whatever it is that makes them and their stakeholders....money! So long as they are supporting the environment, I don't care WHY they do it.
As for governments, I am very happy that they are understanding the need to get green. I just came back from Shanghai and I returned with breathing problems. Many of the inhabitants of that city drive and walk around with masks on their faces to cover up the polution which is rampant. You can't see the beautiful skyscrapers because the air is so thick and the smog so prevalent, its a matter of a few hundred feet rather than miles through which you can't view the skyline.
While there are people dedicated with all honesty and sincerity to the greening of the earth, what we need to focus on is the positive that can come from convincing business and government to adopt green policies which are win-win. Those governments which support green industries are in fact supporting industry and knowledge-building in an area which will growingly dominate economies more and more in the future. So while they would have a self-interest in the long term which serves health of their societies, the short term benefits can be jobs and taxes in the areas of environmental technologies.
Business has always been about making more green...I guess the prophecy now becomes self-fulfilling.
Posted by sass at 08:18 PM | Comments (0)
January 28, 2007
Even a prince is concerned about his carbon footprint..
News that Prince Charles is cancelling his regular ski vacation in Switzerland to reduce the carbon footprint he creates through such air travel. And partly due to this and other actions, he has just won a "green award" as well!
Anyone know what their carbon footprint is? No, its not what is left in the sand or snow when you walk on it with carbon heels :). This is the amount of carbon gas emissions you produce through your daily life, or that to which you contribute by sharing transportation (of course the Prince was flying a private jet so ALL of those carbon emissions could be attributed to him).
Are you interested to know how much in carbon emissions you're saving the planet when you walk or bike instead of take the car to the corner store? I think its an interesting concept worth exploration....
Sass
Posted by sass at 07:36 AM | Comments (0)
January 17, 2007
Sustainable vs Unsustainable...
The world is full of people who forget that for every yin there's a yan. Mother nature is the greatest balance tool ever seen by man. Treat her with disrespect, simply because you want to grow industry, and she lashes back. Take for example...China..the development beast!
In a small area of southern China, they can't drink the water nor feed their farms. The mines dump their water, untreated, into streams which the chinese villagers used to take their drinking and irrigation water from. Now they are dying of cancer because nobody warned them that drinking "orange water" would cause this.
And if you think this is limited to one small area of China, it is estimated that 300million don't have easy access to clean tap water!
Every development and every industry growth has a cost, if not mitigated and controlled properly. While coffers and pockets and ipod sales are growing in China, so is the heavy cost of runaway development. I suspect the "environmental cleanup" industry should look there for tremendous opportunities given what I've seen first hand.
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2006
Just because you believe...should we all?
Interesting article in this morning's CNN website about a Republican government official who believes that more control should be put on the immigration policies of the USA with respect to a specific group of people, namely Muslims.
The lawmaker believes that it would be in the USA's best interests to limit legal immigration of people from the Middle East or of other Islamic origin. He takes exception to another recently elected government official wishing to place his hand on the Quran rather than on the Christian bible.
Ah, the times they are a changin', and with this change come out fears of insecurity by an establishment which to date, remained unchallenged. Now islamic students ask why references to the Ten Commandments and New Testament can be made, yet none to the Quran. Where does it end? Should we have references to ALL organized religions in the USA on official's walls or should they be free to post that to which they prescribe?
Franky speaking, my personal belief is that religion is a personal matter, not something for public consumpton. Yes, we do say "in G-d we trust", yet that statement in no way limits how we believe, what we believe and in whom we believe. The key issue to me is true faith. IF you really believe in the book you are placing your hand upon, then nobody can tell you which book to choose. IF its YOUR office, you should be free to put up one, two, a hundred religious references of your own choice. Nobody should judge you based on what you put on your wall, more than what is in your mind and heart. Simple as that.
The issue I believe is that there is a new reality in the USA, with a new population strength in the Muslim community which dares to speak, whereas before, those who spoke were seen as rebels, now they do so as full citizens who wish to participate in every corner of American life, their way. These are interesting times. Diversity is what the world is about. Get used to it Senator.
Sass
Posted by sass at 07:27 AM | Comments (1)
December 16, 2006
Speak freely...when its about someone else...
There was a conference recently in Iran about the Holocaust, sponsored by that country's President, as an exercise in "Freedom of Speech". A gathering of Holocaust deniers and former Ku Klux Klan heads.
I find it rather hypocritical that while the conference was touted of one for freedom of speech, any negative report about the government in Iran, from within Iran, would not meet with the same enthusiasm by the government to "speak the truth". As reported by a BBC reporter, it would seem that the Iranian government feels completely comfortable when freedom of speech is used to help those who deny the greatest man-made catastrophe in humankind, yet if that same reporter were to make a negative comment about the goverment and publish it, their fear of his effect on public opinion would lead them to censor him/her.
I have a strange feeling that the president of Iran has gone beyond even that which is acceptable to his people. This is a country which is quite unlike any other in the Middle East. Iran is not an arab country, yet it is often lumped in with them as such by those who do not understand its distinct character. While women agree to be covered in public, once inside, they take off their veils in discos that would rival the best the West has to offer. So while acceptance of the law is overt in public, its refusal is covertly done for fear of reprisals. Is this the president's definition of "freedom"?
Although I have no personal connection to Iran, I firmly believe that its people will one day rise strong enough to permit a change of course so that it can take back a rightful and respected position in the world society. This leader is an anomaly in its history and the same students which rose up against their restraints under the Shah will one day lead the same type of revolution against the same type of strangling authority which deny them true freedom of speech, and freedom of life.
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2006
Exit Strategy for Lovers of Oil
Well its already begun...the oil men are figuring out their "swan songs" as they know the last days of the Bush administration is upon them. "George W" is now considering up opening up drilling for oil near Alaska in a place home to endangered wales and already dwindling salmon runs.
While I am sure that he'll make a case for "homeland security", since everything under the sun these days is being pushed under that umbrella, there are far better ways to ensure American self-reliance...the sun that shines on the contiguous states provides more than enough power, if cultivated, for the US' growing needs. The challenge is how to convince Mr. Bush that therein lies not only independance from foreign oil, but also very coveted and valuable industry jobs and careers.
Years ago we heard Bill Clinton cry out "its the economy, stupid!". I believe we are now seeing the days of "its the GREEN economy, stupid!". The GREEN economy will create tens of thousands of jobs in the coming years around the globe. If America wishes to claim a substantial chunk of it, then there need to be investments and government support for industry beyond the demand-side of the chain. Without dissing the demand side, the fact is that all that creates is installation and distribution jobs, while the development and manufacturing side will create intellectual property far more valuable to a society, and thus higher paying jobs across the board.
Think about that George W. Be the president whose legacy was NOT to open up drilling in some of the last vestiges and refuges of our wildlife. Rather be the one who left a legacy of the "greening of America" not through simply the planting of more trees, but more like the seeding of more green, young minds.
OK, so I'm dreaming in green technicolor...but hey...it all started with a dream for me too.
Sass
Posted by sass at 06:12 PM | Comments (0)
December 01, 2006
Carbon Catastrophe Climbing
We hear now that the amount of carbon being dumped into the world's atmosphere is actually climbing rather than receeding, this despite conservation initiatives. No surprise there.
The fact is that if the world does not engage both a conservation and energy-source change at the same time, its like dieting without exercise. Ask any forty-something woman what the secret to a slim figure is and they'll tell you...Watch what you eat AND Exercise.
So the fact that there is usually a combination of factors required to successful weight (or carbon) control is just pure common sense.
Hopefully the accelerated pace at which the world is adopting renewable energy and involved in initiatives like Kyoto...the sooner the pace of increase of carbon emissions will be reduced.
Sass
Posted by sass at 05:41 PM | Comments (1)
October 30, 2006
Political Plays for Power...
So who exactly owns the rights to the sun or the wind? Is it like the land owned by government (essentially representing all of society)? Should you have total dominion over your land as long as you are not harming a neighbor, or does the government have the right to impose its will for the greater good of society?
This is how I characterize the political debate occurring here in Quebec, as I am sure it has occurred and will occur anywhere the government gets involved in the distribution, creation and allocation of power. This weekend, at a local opposition party's convention, there was a huge stir created over the "ownership" of wind power. Many of the people attending the Parti Quebecois' convention believe that, like hydro, wind power should be nationalized. Unfortunately for them, and quite rightly may I add my two cents, their leader, Andre Boisclair disagreed.
it is part of the culture of Quebec to want to cocoon and have the "parent state" control our "national heritage and values". In so doing, Quebec is one of the lone remaining provinces or states where the ownership of all power for consumption by industry or residents, falls within the mandate and control of a nationalized entity, called Hydro Quebec. Since nationalization of the power industry in our province, there has been little change to the method of generation. An overwhelming percentage of our power comes from hydro, which is interestingly promoted as "clean energy". While I may agree that its generation is clean, I am not sure about the animal and human communities which are dislodged from otherwise peaceful habitats in order to generate that power. Hydro-Quebec clearly positions itself as caring about the environment and has itself begun to install wind power in certain areas under smaller scale to begin with.
Now of course, this brings me to solar power, and how they might attempt to wrest control of solar power as they are trying with wind. Who owns your roof? Who owns your neighbor's? What if your roof could generate the power you needed and even give back to the grid? See where I'm going with this?
Technology of solar power can help to change the realities of politics, and vice versa. We live in a society which is transformed as new technologies enter, and it is up to us to embrace new technologies that serve the general good of our planet and communities. The issue is clearly one of control.
There are "good" reasons for control such as ensuring equity of availability, quality control on the solar power systems installed...and then there are "bad" reasons for control such as preventing a legacy industry from being challenged, control of revenues through old business models that a particular society is unwilling to change, protection of polluting industries due to strong lobbies for oil companies, etc...
The question for our society is...how long do you retain control for "bad" reasons while denying your community the chance to participate in an exercise which benefits all of mankind?
Sass
Posted by sass at 07:54 AM | Comments (0)
September 15, 2006
The Dark Side of our Freedoms..
As many of you know by now, there was a tragedy in Montreal, Canada this week, with the killing of one innocent woman and the serious injury to 19 others, through the act of one single, deranged person with guns in his coat.
This tragic event underlines the need for our society to truly examine the effects on our children of the "dark side" of entertainment, media and the internet. I separate the three as follows:
Entertainment in the form of Marilyn Manson and the like of "dark side" entertainers must be questioned for its value to our society. What is it about us that requires such people to be labelled "entertainment"? Can someone please explain to me how the allowance of such "fun" helps us create responsible, open-hearted, positive and constructive members in our society? Is it all in the name of "freedom"?
Media in the form of KKK and NeoNazi websites or gothic ones like where the killer of this week posted his blogs and the like, give value to our society? What is it about us that requires us to permit such hatred to be spread to our children? Is it all in the name of "freedom"?
Internet is a subset form of media which is so engulfing, that I'll categorize it separately for the purpose of this commentary. It is completely democratic, in that there requires no formal structure or resources to post whatever it is we wish to. So we have a helter skelter, "do as you wish", "write as you wish", "hurt as you wish", approach to the ability of webhosts to create sites which push those like Kimveer Gill even deeper into the dark side. Is it all in the name of "freedom"?
I once challenged someone to tell me who, in the West, we think we are to impose our definitions of "freedom" on countries like Cuba and others who are considered "pariah" states. As far as I know, children in Cuba have no fear of guns when they walk into their schools, predators of children are dealt with in terms that would be unthinkable in the "free West", and guns are not "fair trade" for anyone who cares to register one. Drugs are not tolerated and crime is punished most effectively.
Two children of friends of mine were in the buildings at Dawson College when the shooter began his rampage this week. I am thankful that they escaped unharmed yet I cannot sleep well knowing that it is US as parents that permit the kind of thoughtless entertainment or media (print or internet), which simply pushes people who are on the edge and in need of help, to the dark side which welcomes them with open arms and no limits to express their darkest thoughts and in many cases, gives them encouragement to act them out.
I fear for our children that we do not realize soon that freedom is not to be defined within the thin passage of the type of government we have, yet rather by the true freedoms of life that we should enjoy. I know this is an edgy subject and I may incur the wrath of gun lobbies, civil liberties unions and the like. My answer: "Frankly my dear....."
What can we do as individuals? Perhaps start by knowing our children better. By helping them understand right from wrong, and hey here's a thought..holding parents responsible for the acts of their non-adult children in situations where harm is caused. Now just think how that might change people's manner in life if they knew that they could simply not produce children like popcorn and then put them out into society to deal with the damage done through their lack of attention or caring for their produce. I know this would not have helped in the case of this week's events since the killer was 25 years old. I just think we are not sufficiently held accountable as parents for the things we permit in our own homes. He did live at home and did take those pictures from his parent's home after all..
Sass
Posted by sass at 08:25 AM | Comments (2)
August 24, 2006
"Once you know how to die, you know how to live"
For those of you who did not recognize those words of wisdom, they are Morrie Schwartz's.
Sometimes you really don't need to say more than the author has said himself. I've only recently discovered Morrie's writings and frankly speaking, I was so taken aback that it made me think long and hard about many things in my life that I need to do. So please take a read of some of Morrie's story, sit back and think as to whether or not he's got it right.
Sass
Posted by sass at 03:39 PM | Comments (1)
August 10, 2006
Beating Breast Cancer
On Friday September 8th, 2006, local ICP Solar team members will join me and hundreds of others to help end the
devastating effects of Breast Cancer by sponsoring and helping to organize the Linda Saab Golf Event, here in Montreal, Canada.
My goal is to raise at least CAD$15,000.00 this year, which represents $.25 for every new case of cancer that will be diagnosed in Quebec this year. Please help me reach my goal with your pledge. Your donation is tax deductible.
In order to reserve your name on a hole card or play on that day (12:30PM tee-off), I need to receive your payment by August 22nd latest.
Participation choices are:
HOLE SPONSORSHIP GOLD SPONSOR CAD$500 (US$450) FULL TAX RECEIPT RECEIVED (PLEASE PROVIDE JPEG LOGO FILE BY AUG 22ND)
GOLF PLAY, BRUNCH AND DINNER CAD$150 (US$135) $50 TAX RECEIPT RECEIVED
DINNER GUEST (EVENING EVENT) CAD$ 70 (US$65) NO RECEIPT
Please make your cheque payable to the Linda Saab Breast Cancer Foundation. Following the event, I will send out a brief recap of the tournament to all my sponsors.
Thank you in advance for your support. Please call me or my assistant Rhodyna Joachim if you have any questions or comments. We can be reached at 514-270-5770 (Sass ext. 105, Rhodyna ext.147). Confirmations of hole, golf or dinner participation may be sent to rjoachim@icpsolar.com.
Payments may be made by cheque or money order, in either Canadian or US dollars. If you are out of Montreal and prefer to make a bank transfer, please advise and I’ll get you the Linda Saab Foundation bank account details.
It’s our way of giving back and once again, using the power of the sun for a good
cause!
Posted by sass at 08:10 AM | Comments (3)
July 28, 2006
Two seasons...Winter and "Construction"...
In Montreal, it is said that we go straight from winter to "construction" season, due to the fact that winters are so cold that you can't dig into the ground until it thaws in May and you cannot get construction workers to brave those sub-zero temperatures unless you pay an arm and leg in extra costs.
So what we end up with is a crunched up holiday season as well, since construction workers seem unable to take their holidays during the quiet time of the year, the last two weeks of July end up being when 25% of quebec labor takes its' time off.
Given the growth we are enduring at ICP Solar, even yours truly had to cut short holidays this year and end up just taking several "long" weekends. I put that in quotes since even as I am here on a supposed holiday, I am blogging!
Nevertheless, summer is a time to spend as much of it with my kids and wife. Starting September, the kids head back to school, the wife back to the gym and my travel picks up substantially again. Lucky those construction workers are....they get breaks when its cold, breaks when its hot, and breaks in between, not to mention the gleeful eyes of "yummy mummies" whose husbands are off to their desk jobs each day...
Solar Summer regards,
Sass
Posted by sass at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)
May 27, 2006
Everest Peace Achieved...can we do the same?
Simply reproduced is an exerpt from the Everest Peace Project website proclaiming victory as 10 people (including Israelis and Palestinians) reached the summit:
Some final thoughts (for now!) - and Thanks Everyone!
May 25th, 2006
Hi Everyone,
I can’t tell you how proud I am and how I have appreciated all the encouraging and positive emails and messages that we have received over the last several weeks. Thank you!
The Everest Peace Project was just a thought in one person’s mind almost four years ago and now it has become a global project that has affected, inspired, and touched people across the world. Millions of people have now heard about our mission of peace and cultural understanding. The EPP website has been viewed by people from two hundred different countries; there have been hundreds of news stories across the world – including feature stories in Israel and in UAE, which reached over five million people.
In my mind, success was just in getting everyone together at base camp – having just one person reach the summit would have been icing on the cake. However, The Everest Peace Project summitted ten people and we all have made it back to Kathmandu safely. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought we would summit so many. In a season that has seen a lot of tragedy we are very fortunate and blessed.
We made world history by assembling the most diverse Everest team ever – and had a summit push that consisted of Palestinian and Israeli men. Israeli David “Dudu” Yifrah – made a heroic and bold statement of peace when on the summit of Everest he unfolded a joint (sewn together) Israeli and Palestinian flag (see the picture on the site).
And it is not over…we have professionally filmed our Everest Climb for Peace and we will be making a full-length documentary film with the intention of having this shown all across the world. Stay tuned…!
I would like to first thank our heroic climbers and Sherpas who all risked their lives to prove an important point: that people from various faiths and cultures can work together cooperatively and accomplish amazing things and that in an atmosphere of peace and through friendship and teamwork anything can be done – and that even the tallest mountain in the world can be climbed.
I would also like to thank all of main financial sponsors:
Panasonic
Epson
Everest Technology Solutions
Jacada
The Camp
And our main individual sponsors:
Pete Richichi
Mark Princevalle
Rosalie Trumbull
Masa Maeda
Judy Chang
Gear and product sponsors:
Mountain Hardwear
The North Face
Trango
URI
Jansport
Thuraya
Alpine Aire Foods
Philips Environmental Products
ICP Solar
OR (Outdoor Research)
Princenton Tec
Easton
The Coleman Company (in association with ICP Solar)
Black Diamond
Dezart Cinematic
WebSideStory
Clif Bar
Aikimbo
OutdoorRetailer.com
Explorer's Web
MountEverest.net
Thanks everyone for making this historic event become a reality!
From Kathmandu, Nepal
Love,
Lance Trumbull
Posted by sass at 07:19 PM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2006
One man's freedom...
This past week, the power of the press has been demonstrated once again while exposing deeper issues than simple "freedom of press" surface-level discussion. I'm writing of course about the global uproar regarding the cartoons printed in some European countries of Islam's Prophet in certain manner so as to depict him with bombs and other stereotypical shots.
Not being a moslem, I may not have the depth of feeling of insult that many feel at these cartoons, so I must advise upfront that my viewpoint is without the emotion I might otherwise have if I was a moslem.
There has been much debate on television about the concepts of respect, freedom of speech and violence as an answer to address these issues. It all brings to the forefront the real chasm between cultures which leads different peoples to read the same expression either as a joke or as an insult. In the end, my conclusion is that there is so much context to attach to these events that one cannot have a debate about it within the thin focus of simply the cartoons themselves. Let me explain.
Pre-holocaust, a cartoon depicting Jews being killed would have had a different reaction than post-holocaust. Does anyone remember the outrage that the song "Aqualung" created in the 1960's in the US bible belt states, which today is played on airwaves without any furor? As Einstein once said about having given the same exam two years in a row "the question is the same today but the answer is different". We cannot remove the current context of islamic villification, invasion and extremist fundamentalist or reactionary forces from the current debate. As a pure distinction from Christianity, there is no single voice at the top of Islam today. So whereas a "pope" could have a calming effect on Catholics upset about something a muslim might have written or drawn, the same cannot be said about moslems worldwide.
And yet would Christians react with the same violence level as there have been in the past two days in arab and other islamic-dominated countries? Likely not. Nevertheless, let's also remember that freedom of the press is not something that many of those people are used to. They are used to a single line of thought, whether government or religiously led. Variety of opinion, democracy of thought and freedom of expression are not so common in countries led by sheikhs, dictators or self-elected (and sometimes falsely) so-called "democratic" leaders.
Therefore in the end, we must judge actions within context. And in no way,shape or form will I ever condone violence as an answer to anything. Just as the west must look inwards at the context of the world today and the changes within its own societies that might change the legal definition of libel and slander, so must islamic communities consider the change of reaction that is necessary when dealing with such affronts.
A real eye opener that once again confirms the age-old adage that one man's freedom is another man's prison.
Sass
Posted by sass at 05:10 AM | Comments (3)
January 21, 2006
Power Tragedies...
Today, yet another set of miners died in the USA, all in the name of the pursuit of energy.
If you think about the benefits of renewables, we can't ignore two specific areas where solar power delivers far more than traditional carbon emitting sources: safety and security.
There are no mines to dig, oil wells to drill or dams to put up with solar power. Imagine the day when each house becomes its own solar power generator. You'd eliminate the risk of electro-magnetic fields caused by power lines that are close to where your kids play. Nothing could be more safe.
As for security, think about the lives lost in sea drilling platforms, mines or oil pipeline explosions, that you have heard about just in the past year. And it would take just one nuclear power plant to be successfully targeted for a major disaster to occur in our homeland.
The case for solar power becomes even more compelling than a simple environmental one. The fact is that there is no safer nor more secure power source than the sun, millions of miles away, providing the photons that solar power cells can convert into something that will provide you and your family the warmth, light, breeze, or entertainment power you seek.
Meantime, we all sympathize and extend our wishes of condolences to those whose loved ones have perished in the pursuit of cheap, polluting power.
With the power source choices that our society now enjoys, we must ask ourselves "why" we continue to pursue the "dark" side of power.
Sass Peress
PS. I will not use this message to promote anything my company does. I just want us all to think hard about the policies we want our governments to pursue in the name of providing us with the energy we need.
Posted by sass at 05:36 PM | Comments (0)
December 24, 2005
Father and Husband first...
Well it's finally here..the very first two week break I have ever taken since starting ICP SOLAR back on September 26th, 1988.
Today I was honored by Mitch Joel who accepted a position on our Board of Advisors. Mitch and the Twist Image team are simply an awesome crew of people to which ICP will always be appreciative for having helped us create the greatest brand in solar. Now what we have to do is honor it by delivering to customers the expectation we have created of the simplest solar power solutions which will improve their lifestyle choices.
As for me and the next two weeks, its daddy and hubbie time with solar energy of a different kind...the beach! My kids and wife just can't believe I will be without laptop nor mobile phone for two whole weeks and even miss the Consumer Electronics Show (our largest show of the year) for the first time since inception of ICP. I can finally do this because I have a partner I can trust to take the team to heights its never been and create partnerships with our customers like they've never seen. What a feeling!
So from me to all the readers out there who bother to take of their time to read my thoughts, please have a wonderful holiday season and all the best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year in 2006.
Over and out,
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:39 AM | Comments (3)
November 14, 2005
Tormenting Tennis Tales
Today was all about tennis. My three sons participated in a tennis tournament at the club we are members at and I played one solid hour of play with my 8year old daughter Emma.
The three boys had made it to the second round (one to the third) prior to today and we only hoped that whether they won or lost, they would simply do their best. Well the good news is that having watched them play, I know they all did their best. I was going to report as "bad news" that they all lost, but I remembered something that my dad once told me.
We have a wonderful uncle (great-uncle to me) named Fahmi. Fahmi was once telling my Dad about his successes when he was interrupted with the following "Uncle, don't tell me about your successes, tell me about your failures". What wisdom that was then and remains today. The revelance struck me as I saw my three sons eliminated (some worse than others) in rapid succession. What I hoped was that in defeat, they had learned something about themselves and their opponents, to use in future such encounters.
The most important lesson I felt they learned today....learning how to lose. Winning gracefully is not quite as difficult as losing gracefully. Respecting your opponent and congratulating them for a job well done is a difficult thing for adults, never mind a 10 year old child.
I juggled between watching them on the other courts and playing with Emma. Emma had not a care in the world. She was just so happy that the once-a-week hour which I had booked at the club was consecrated to her because her brothers were all busy on other courts. We had a great time, she hit some fabulous shots and I just relaxed watching my girl simply enjoy the attention she exclusively had (a rare thing in a house of 4 kids!).
We certainly don't wish our children many failures in life. But I wonder if it isn't in the definition of the term that we also can't find more wisdom. How can losing be winning? Perhaps it has more to do with the term of time within which we define the game.
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:38 AM | Comments (0)
November 04, 2005
How Suite it is..
I went before a grade two class today to talk to them about solar energy. My daughter Emma's eyes lit up when I walked into the classroom. The kids were all so full of wonderment as we talked and went through all the things you can do with solar energy. I showed them how to make a solar oven out of a pizza box. They asked me how a pump could work by solar if there was water inside because they were taught that water and electricity were dangerous together.
The questions asked with the innocence of a child are often those that lead to our greatest creations. But today, it was one of my greatest creations that reminded me of the importance of protecting her innocence. It just doesn't get any better...
Sass
Posted by sass at 11:08 PM | Comments (0)
October 06, 2005
Reach for the solar sky...and never look back!
Has anyone ever told you that the goals you set were simply too high? I was once told that I could never be a "Warren Buffett". Well, if I accept that as a premise, how will my kids ever be able to be one (if they so wish?). Whose job is it to give them the opportunity and who am I to deny them the "light" that says "you can"?
We often hear of parents who "sacrificed for their children". I have nothing but the utmost respect for them. What I would throw in, is that if they are willing to risk failure just to show their kids that they should not be afraid of trying, then isn't that a tremendous gift to their kids? Perhaps the parent will succeed in reaching the goal, perhaps not. The key, I believe, is that they will have showed their children that chasing dreams is a worthy endeavour. It may often not be in the end that we find redemption, but in the road through which we seek it.
We may see an ultimate goal without understanding all the benefits which may come from simply attempting to reach it. Let's take for a moment the premise that I don't come from "Warren Buffett" stock. So how will my children ever feel that they have the opportunity to mimic that most successful of business persons? Is success measured in business by the legacy you leave behind, the effect you have on an industry, the money you have made, the money you have spent?
I would put forward here that business success is measured ultimately by your ability to create value. There are many models through which to do so. You can make millions working alone, yet not many have made billions working alone. Bill Gates doesn't have to give millions or billions away to have created a legacy of value for hundreds of millions of humans on this planet who use his company's software each day. Microsoft would easily survive his moving on. He's created a market leader like few in the world.
My summary message. Don't accept what others tell you are your "limits". Test them yourself. If you have a dream chase it. You may not achieve it in the time you wished, but I bet that you will learn and win in the path that takes you there. I have learned a lot from successes, but I have learned a lot more from failures.
Ethan, Justin, Joshua and Emma,I want you to aim for the sky..if you only hit the top of the Empire State building, that will still be much higher than I will have dreamed or achieved...well, so far that is!
Sass (and Dad)
PS. Its late and I'm going to go jump over the pile of leaves that autumn has deposited on our lawn. My goal for tonight is to give my kids a good laugh when I fall smack in the middle of them...
Posted by sass at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)
October 03, 2005
The month of many...
October is the month of thanks for Christians, renewal for Jews and Moslems. It is probably something to others as well (please let me know!). Why October? Well, if we look at the month objectively its a month of change, no matter where you live in the world.
In the northern hemisphere, October is the month where it gets colder, while in the southern, the season changes to greater warmth. For many the change of seasons is a time of renewal, giving of thanks, forgiveness and cleansing of our sins. To all of you who celebrate October in whatever fashion, my wish to you is that it brings you the peace, health and happyness which you seek.
I'm signing off from my solar blog for two days for the Jewish New Year. These lead up to the day of penitance of Yom Kippur. I've often wondered why fasting was the order of the day on that ultimate day of atonement. The religious authorities will tell us it is an act of cleansing of the body in addition to our cleansing of the soul, but I wonder if it could not be more of a "secret diet thing" to help us shed the pounds gained in festitivites of the days prior? :)
Whatever you celebrate, enjoy and be well.
Sass
PS. I wonder if writing a solar blog counts as atonement for owning a gas guzzling SUV?
Posted by sass at 05:00 PM | Comments (0)
October 02, 2005
"Too much is like not enough"
How do you feel about Instant Messaging? Its also known as Skyp'ing, MSN'ing, ICQ'ing, IM'ing.
Today's craze is to have your IM open on your computer all the time. If you have teenage kids or work in a company, you know what I mean. IM is all the craze in school. Teenage girls and guys don't have to go through the embarrassment of calling each other on the phone and getting some angry parents...(What, just because its midnight and the younger kids are asleep!). They now reach each other anytime they are connected without bothering a soul, or any parent knowing.
Same goes for work. Have you ever tried to get something done with your supervisor constantly bothering you with his/her latest "great idea"? Fellow ICP'ers, I do mea culpa here as I am one of the greatest users of IM for work. And when you turn it off, we wonder where you are!
All to say that I'm not so sure that IM is the "greatest thing since sliced bread". Sure the instantaneous nature gives you an answer immediately, but isn't that perhaps the greatest challenge? What if the teenage boy isn't ready to say "I love you too" at that moment? I supposed the challenges remain the same no matter the communications medium. How do you differentiate "what's urgent" from "what's important", if "what's urgent" is constantly nagging you through IM?
I need to learn to lay off it, and to not use it for ANY topic which is too serious. Frankly, I'm just starting to appreciate how un-productive and sometimes downright destructive it can be. And if we are challenged in such ways, how about our kids? How could they possibly control themselves better than us?
As my wife often has told me, "too much is like not enough". I suppose this applies to the instant communication craze as much as anything (including solar blogs!). Well, maybe not chocolate cake. That should be an exception from EVERY rule in my opinion.
Sass
Posted by sass at 09:21 PM | Comments (1)
September 25, 2005
How to learn from a 4 year old leader...
Visit the site of Amazin' Hazen to understand just how a 4 year old kid can inspire far beyond what many people far older in chronological years still don't get.
Hazen is a child who by age three had two teeth pulled, his nose broken and his hand caught into an elevator. By age 4, he had discovered he had cancer. Yet if you take some time to read his website, its an incredible story of a family and community that rallied together, chose to embrace the challenge, rather than wallow in sorrow, and mostly because of the incredible attitude which this young boy displays every day he lives.
Embrace life. Understand that the power of positive is an incredible thing. It may not end up beating a disease, but it depends on whether your sole focus is the disease of the individual, or the disease of the "negative" that others may be cured of. Inspiration comes in may ways, I've said before.
Hazen, you inspire and you lead through the influence you exert on others by your daily embrace of every breath that you take. My hats off to you, for you have understood something at such a young age, that many have yet to get. "Givers gain", and you have given us so much understanding of how petty our daily complaints about life's small tribulations appear.
Sass
Posted by sass at 01:51 PM | Comments (2)
September 03, 2005
Friends are chosen...
They say that friends are god's way of apologizing for relatives. The fact is that in today's world, the term "family" has taken on so much more.
Over my life, there are people out there that have been nothing short of how family would act in times of challenge. Renee and I are blessed in that way with a close-knit group of friends that have been there for us and for whom we are there too.
They say that a man is blessed if he can count 5 friends when he dies. So take a count. Perhaps it might become an objective of yours, perhaps not. Either way, cherish your friendships for they are a measure of your life far more important than the funds in your bank account. They reflect who you are, because these people have chosen to be your friend.
G'night,
Sass
Posted by sass at 11:55 PM | Comments (0)
September 01, 2005
Keep the donations going...
Visit FEMA's website to see what you can do to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina. ICP Solar donated today 10 Coleman Solar Power Packs through its partner Camping World. Other retailers like Costco.com and Samsclub.com are making available our emergency backup power kits for those who wish to run power for small appliances during the power outages which threaten to continue for a while.
Do what you can do. Nobody ever asks for more.If you wish to channel your donations through the American Red Cross, that is possible too.
Sass
Posted by sass at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)
August 31, 2005
Helping those in need after Katrina...
"The biggest problem facing authorities, they said, was an inability to communicate."
That is a direct quote from this article which appeared this morning on cnn.com. How can we all help? While I am sure that authorities are gathering resources to help alleviate pain and rebuild, I believe that we can all do something to help the efforts. ICP has a portable power pack which can recharge cellphones, run a radio and a small light. If anyone knows how I can help or my company, please post a comment to this blog entry. Thanks and may we all pray for those who have been affected.
Sass
Posted by sass at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2005
Sean es un donante!
Congrats to Sean O'Donoghue, our Montreal-based engineer and consumer service technician. Sean kept in touch with a group that was raising funds for cancer and help them with power products for their worldwide tour. You can view their site here.
Although its in french, what I want you to "get" is that the cause is noble..to beat a terrible disease. I salut Manon Horwood for her passion and tenacity in cycling the world to raise funds. Of course, Manon is not yet as famous as Hillary Clinton, who is also blogging for hope yet her contribution is just as important. Keep the faith and please give...
Sass
Posted by sass at 05:51 PM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2005
Lights for Learning
Imagine kids being burned accidentally by kerosene lamps in an african home. That is what is happening all across Africa in homes where they use kerosene lamps for lighting.
Along came "Lights for Learning" , a non-profit charitable group that put together a solar powered lighting kit using donated solar panels from ICP and other components to try to help homes move away from expensive and dangerous kerosene lamps.
You can even see one being installed on an african home here . Or see the panel on a thatched roof!
With over 3billion people on earth having no running electricity, imagine a world in which each home generated its own. Imagine the contribution to themselves and to the rest of the world that people empowered through light can make?
An old tanzanian saying goes like this: "I pointed out to you the stars (the moon) and all you saw was the tip of my finger."
If you know of other organizations engaged in such good work, please let me know how we can support them. And PLEASE see beyond the tip of the finger and help people like Lights for Learning empower those without power. Through empowerment, we all win.
Thanks
Sass
Posted by sass at 09:24 AM | Comments (1)
August 09, 2005
Letting the sunshine do good...
September 9th is the date. For anyone who cares to join in this cause, my ICP team will be volunteering at the Linda Saab Annual Breast Cancer Golf Tournament here in Montreal, Canada. Its' an annual event started by a fine gentleman who lost his wife to that terrible disease. Hole sponsorhips are $300 and playing is $150CAD. The ICP team volunteers its day in support as the hole monitors, drink dispensers and fun providers. Support is welcome from across the globe. Givers get...remember?
For more information, contact Issy (my amazing assistant) at idossantos@icpsolar.com or +1.514.270.5770 x147. Merci. Thanks. Xie Xie. Todah Rabah. Choukran. Gracias. Gracie. Kamsamnida. Arigato. Danke schön. Shnorhagallem. Tashakkur. Shukriya. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Posted by sass at 05:47 AM | Comments (1)
July 25, 2005
Race on, eh!
Fully one quarter of the remaining cars in the American Solar Challenge are Canadian, including the one from Queen's University, my own alma matter.
If you do the math, it means that a country with 10% of the North American population (and even less of the proportional number of universities) has 25% of cars remaining in the race. Is this chance or perhaps a reflection of how important renewable energy initiatives are to each country? With Japan and Germany remaining the dominant players in renewable energy, perhaps these are signs of a required wake-up call to American industry and government to put more focus on investments and capital "welcoming" policies for renewable energy...
Meantime, Go Queen's Go!
Sass
Posted by sass at 02:40 AM | Comments (1)
July 22, 2005
Solar Critters
What looks like a sleek little bug and is covered by solar cells? A: The solar cars of today racing in North America!
ICP sponsors just such a car which is in redevelopment at McGill University here in Montreal and that's why its not in the current race. Bombardier, another quebec based company, is currently helping redesign the shell afterwhich we'll be able to determine the solar cell needs of the vehicle. Canadian Tire, a retailer that got into solar thanks to ICP back in 1994, is also involved in the sponsorship of this initiative. Numerous other companies support the car in many ways.
What is the value of such races if only to serve as a promotional tool for solar? Multiple! Firstly, the university teams develop a keen understanding of the 3 components of power (as mentioned in my previous blog entry "Watt is Power"). Second teamwork skills, in very demanding circumstances, are honed. Third, it's a platform for everyday people to see how solar energy is progressing as a technology of the future.
Unfortunately, there's also a flip side. Because of the current limitations of the "power formula", the solar cars can only house one driver if they are to go at a decent speed, must be made of materials that would not protect as well as today's normal cars in case of accident and have limited manoeuvring capabilities. Some will say that this actually serves to lessen solar as seen as a valid technology for cars, yet I would argue the reverse. These are "extreme" uses of solar for automobiles. As anyone whose been following my company, ICP Solar, will tell you, solar battery trickle charging is where its at today in terms of automotive applications.
ICP currently makes such items for car makers, having been selected from a number of other companies, mainly because we understand the automotive environment and how the solar cell interacts with the automotible battery. We even supply Winnebago with their RV solar panels to prevent batteries from going dead while on the dealer lots (they call this "rot lot") or while you store your RV in the winter months.
So let's all encourage our university students to get involved in solar, even if its unlikely that you or your kids will ever drive a totally solar powered car.
Thanks
Sass
Posted by sass at 07:27 PM | Comments (1)
June 29, 2005
Solar Birthday
Turning 45 years of age today, I woke up to Sunshine (that's the name of our golden retriever). Its also describes how my wife and kids made me feel. I have come to realize that the really important things are usually within inches of us either in body or spirit. Today, they are today my greatest source of "energy".
Walked into the plant around 930AM and was greeted by "Happy Birthday" by our lamination crew. Had not sat at my desk when already 3 messages appeared in my inbox. What I have done to deserve such caring I have no idea, but you can bet I'll do more of it.
So taking a solar holiday from corporate blogging...well just for a day!
Tata,
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)
June 22, 2005
Givers Get
This week I was honored with a "Promie" Award for Technology Young Entrepreneur of the Year for 2005. Its an award named after Howard Stotland, a very well recognized success story in the Montreal high-tech scene. The fact that they chose me as winner had more to do with how my team makes me look, than me. Howard introduced me with a pre-amble talking about the importance of the team and how giving back to the community was a primordial sign of leadership.
So how does my team rank in the area of "giving"? Well, ICP will officially sponsor a golf tournament later this summer whose proceeds are dedicated to breast cancer, will soon begin a skin cancer fund through every single purchase of our products, has been recognized for an MS Leadership Award and participated in the May 10th "jeans day" for Cancer where everyone comes into the office wearing jeans.
Isabel Dos Santos, my incredible assistant that keeps me out of trouble (as much as she can!), walked all night on June 3rd for a cancer fund-raising event as well.
Additionally, ICP is involved with Montreal schools in robotics (we send engineers to help judge) and directly in solar vehicle sponsorship of major Quebec universities(our sponsored boat won world champion, while the car came in 8th in the last American Solar Challenge). Recently our UK division sponsored schools in Kenya that have no power to light the classrooms. And our European office sent panels to Mali to support townships which have no power to cook food.
So if you guessed the contents of this blog entry, as how much I respect the team that gives so much, you are absolutely correct. For if we forget that even a company is a living organism which operates within an environment in which it should be in harmony, then we have not understood the essence of the "living organization".
As Arie de Geus and Peter M. Senge wrote in their book "The Living Company", the average life span of a Fortune 500 company is less than half a century, yet there also are corporations around the world that have been in business for 200, 500, even 700 years. Arie de Geus, a retired Royal Dutch/Shell Group executive, maintains after studying both extremes that the most enduring treat their companies as "living work communities" rather than pure economic machines. De Geus writes: "Companies die because their managers focus on the economic activity of producing goods and services, and they forget that their organizations' true nature is that of a community of humans." He summarizes the components of the long-lived company as sensitivity to the environment, cohesion and identity, tolerance and decentralization, and conservative financing.
Is he onto something? I think he's absolutely right. In time, the truth gets out. People hear about which companies are great not because they make the most money, but because working there is more than just work. These are companies that focus on the giving, not the getting. Givers get...remember?
So later on this year, when you buy an ICP-made solar product which comes with a "giving" coupon, know that your purchase not only helped us finance continued innovation in solar solutions, but also went to a cause where we help the "sun do good".
May the sun shine on you today,
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:43 AM | Comments (0)