A Factory Like a Forest: Interface and Biomimicry 3.8 Announce the Positive Performance Methodology

By: John A. Lanier

Ray Anderson and the people of Interface were pioneers in creating a model for corporate sustainability. We need corporations to go beyond that benchmark though, seeking ways to be regenerative enterprises. What might that framework look like? Interface and Biomimicry 3.8 have the answer, and it’s called the Positive Performance Methodology.

How do you keep climbing a mountain once you’ve reached the top? The answer is, “You don’t.” But I’m speaking metaphorically here, not literally, and the metaphor is one that has long been near and dear to my heart - climbing Mount Sustainability. That’s how Ray Anderson described Interface’s ambitious goal set in the 1990s. He called it a mountain higher than Everest, and only at the summit could a business claim to be truly sustainable.

From the beginning though, Ray knew that the summit of Mount Sustainability was a waypoint, not a finish line. Given the scale of environmental degradation, any business that becomes truly sustainable must keep going, working to become a regenerative enterprise. If sustainability is about doing no harm, regeneration is about doing good. A regenerative company is one that, by the very nature of how it operates, helps to heal and enrich both communities and the environment. In a sense, Mount Sustainability and its seven different fronts were the framework for how any business can pursue sustainability. But what about a corresponding framework for a regenerative enterprise? What might that look like?

 

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Tips For Planning A Green Event

Guest Blog by Sue Anne Morgan, Founder and President, idealand, LLC

This blog originally appeared on the Drawdown Georgia website on March 1, 2023. Sue Anne Morgan, an Atlanta-based event planner from idealand shares her secrets and the lessons she's learned while conducting sustainable events, including the Foundation's annual RayDay event.

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How Recycling is Done Right: Lessons Learned at the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials

By: John A. Lanier

CHaRM is a remarkable materials collection facility in Atlanta. On a recent visit, I came away not only impressed by how many different types of products they recycle, but by the good work they do in educating people about how to properly keep stuff out of the landfill.

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The Cautionary Tale of Banana Farming, Panama Disease, and the Inherent Risks of Monocultures

By: John A. Lanier

For decades, banana farmers have tried to stay one step ahead of a fungus that is deadly to their crops. As that task becomes more difficult, farms will face the growing risk of the complete loss of their trees. This risk is one of the reasons that monoculture farming may not be the best way to go.

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The History of Steelmaking, and Why It Has a Long Way Yet To Go

By: John A. Lanier

Humans have been making steel for more than two millennia. In its modern form and scale though, steel is responsible for a significant portion of annual carbon dioxide emissions. The whole industry will need to adopt a range of technologies and practices to reduce its negative impact, and steel recycling companies are helping to lead the way.

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The Problem of Biodiversity Loss: How It Relates to Climate, and What the Countries of the World are Doing About It

By: John A. Lanier

Humans are the primary cause of the accelerated rate of biodiversity loss around the globe. The current statistics are sobering, and the urgency we must feel to solve the problem is only heightened when you examine the links between biodiversity and our changing climate. Fortunately, there’s been some positive recent momentum in the form of international biodiversity cooperation.

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How Climate Change Might Impact Cold Weather Events

By: John A. Lanier

There is some healthy scientific debate about whether extreme cold weather events like what we just experienced are made more likely by global warming. To understand why, I explain what a polar vortex is, and how it can cause bomb cyclones when it is disrupted.

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Wishing You the Happiest of Holidays!

Wishing you and all of your loved ones some peace, some joy, and some slowness this holiday season. May it be a season of renewal for you!

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Understanding 1.5°C, and Why We Can’t Treat It as a Make-or-Break Goal

By: John A. Lanier

The 1.5°C climate change goal is an important one with a lot of science and history backing it up. We need to be careful; however, to remember that it is a political goal. If science ever shows that it is no longer achievable, that doesn’t mean we have failed. Instead, we must keep our hopes high and work for as little warming as possible.

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In Thanksgiving for the People of Interface

I am thankful for the outstanding work of the people of Interface. They have continued that which began in 1994 with a metaphorical spear in Ray Anderson’s chest. As their latest report shows, Interface continues to lead the way in showing how an environmentally responsible enterprise should operate.

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