A few weeks ago, during our presentation at the EABIS Colloquium, I recounted some daunting numbers delivered by Simon Zadek, Chief Executive of AccountAbility-  precluding positive outcomes for global climate change – the greatest emerging humanitarian challenge of our time.

This week, I offer another number:  350. And a date: October 24. 

That’s 350 parts per million - the number scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. 

And Saturday October 24 is International Climate Action Day – a global event that is shaping up to be the largest grassroots environmental action since Earth Day. 

It’s like a universal potluck– only, instead of food - you bring hope, ideas and strength in numbers.  This is a tipping point, you see – a big buildup to Copenhagen in December, when World leaders decide to either take real, decisive action to save our planet, economy, people – or continue business and politics as usual.

With a tangible goal (get below 350 ppm) and 4,000 actions in 169 countries on Saturday – the  signs for change are physical, metaphorical – and, well, global.

So, on Saturday – I’ll bike into our City Center with my family and stand with a few thousand other people working toward a profound and lasting shift in behavior, policy and business. 

See you there?

I applaud the City of Portland and Multnomah County on the recent and aggressive update of the 2009 Climate Action Plan.  An audacious goal of 80% carbon reduction (below 1990 levels) by 2050 frames a series of near-term and long-term actions required to get us there.  O.K., that’s good – green jobs, clean energy, walkable/bikable cities: check.  Land and transport, green building, energy efficiency, waste reduction: got it.

Moreover, the report says, “the broad-scale coordination and planning required to achieve the 80-percent carbon reduction goal will demand that governments, businesses, civic organizations and residents collaborate extensively and take the lead in their own activities.”  

But, here’s the thing – look closely at the makeup of the steering committee, and you’ll notice a near complete lack of business representation.  WHY? 

If you believe that the winds have shifted and there is renewed engagement in Climate Change on a national level – or ‘seismic change,’ according to today’s NY Times, then lack of interest isn't the problem.  

And yet, the 2009 Oregon legislature has yet to pass a single piece of significant carbon legislation - overshadowed as they are by the $4 billion budget gap – forcing policies like cap & trade, the BETC and other energy efficiency incentives to take a back seat while Salem tries to figure out how to wrestle with a 12% unemployment rate. 

This, despite the excellent grassroots work of Climate Solutions in rallying business support in support of said legislation.

But, I digress.  The point is, if you’re going to set up a framework for true collaboration – which the City assures me is the intent of the Climate Action Plan – then you need to secure involvement from start-to-finish.  The City and County are looking at all ways large and small that they can impact our collective carbon footprint and ensure a vibrant, prosperous region.  But, their efforts will only get us so far.  Business leaders must be involved to inform, participate and, well – LEAD. 

We’re all feeling the impact of the economic downturn – but now is not the time to shun innovation and investment.  Now is the time to think about the long-term horizon and plan for success.

Which is why I’m encouraging business colleagues to join me at the June 15 Town Hall for the City/County Climate Action Plan.  They want feedback and input – let’s give it to them – loudly and soundly.

Upon receiving an invitation to be a part of the “Think Tank,” I told all my friends (and anyone within earshot) that I’d gotten an internship.  Most of those who heard my news gave polite smiles and congratulations.  My closer friends gave me an earful of grief.  

“A THINKTANK?!?!  What’re you gonna do, plan a war?”  Or, my personal favorite, “I hope it doesn’t hurt when they use the industrial vacuum to siphon out the grey matter.”

I had no clue if I was going to be way out of my league, surrounded by ridiculously brilliant and experienced individuals.  At one point, I convinced myself that it would be a good idea to peruse intellectual journals for relevant information so that I could veil my imagined short-comings.  In the end, I threw caution to the wind and reassured myself that the worst that could happen would be a few minutes of uncomfortable ridicule.  

So now, here I am, a little over a week into the so-called “Think Tank” process.  I was delighted to not be surrounded by snooty intellectuals but by three other smart and down-to-earth dudes.  We’ve spent our time so far discussing a few magazine articles that got us all on the same page in regards to the urgency of sustainability, theories of belief and using technology to reach wide audiences.  One of these articles that I latched onto was from the New York Times and titled, “Sex, Drugs and Updating Your Blog” by Clive Thompson.  

In this piece, an independent musician named Jonathan Coulton has used the Internet to build his fan base and make a living.  This ex-computer programmer’s songs were being downloaded as many as 500,000 times with no traditional marketing effort!  We discussed at length how we could draw from the Coulton’s experiences and apply them to our own blog.  The notion we latched onto was one that we coined as “fans as your promotion department”.  

In the article, Coulton attracted fans to his blog by writing and posting a song every day of the week.  Eventually, he had people doing artwork for his singles and building him websites, totally free of charge.  We asked ourselves, “Why would someone go to such great lengths for a stranger?”  First, people might simply just want to try and get in on their “piece” of the fame.  The second solution was the thought that people enjoy seeing things they like succeed, especially if they are perceived as an underdog (which any independent musician could be). The emotional component – the Serotonin rush elicited when your favorite song comes on – can make even the most stoic individual crack a smile and tap their feet.  The power music has on people is unparalleled.  When one feels close to something that they love, acts of generosity come naturally.  When translated over into the marketing world, this “generosity” equates to high exposure at low cost.  

Knowing this, we in the think tank hope to use these concepts and figure out ways to unite and galvanize people with the emotional component of sustainable brands.  These brands are in the minority and thus perceived as “underdogs”.  By marrying these concepts, marketers can turn consumers into fans who can increase the reach of any company, free of charge, more effectively than any traditional campaign.

Another important concept to note is that all people seek out groups to join.  A sense of belonging is central to the human experience.  In the article, people created groups around Coulton.  They were not only connected on a closer level to the musician that they admired, they also networked with each other.  The success of Coulton suggests that his promotional approach could be applied to markets outside of music.  A group’s collective emotion and power trumps that of an individual.  You’ve never seen a one-man riot garner much attention, have you?

Which leads us to the blog you’re reading right now.  We intend to use our blog entries to attract and then interact with like-minded people and create a platform for the exchange of ideas. We want to create a community.  Now that you’ve arrived here, welcome to the group.  Feels kinda good, doesn’t it?