[MUSIC] This is Mike Rosenberg with strategy and sustainability. We're in section four, this is about environmental interest groups and in this segment I'll talk about the last of these four different groups. Which I believe are important to distinguish, and these are called advocates. So advocates are organisations which really, they do push a specific point of view. But they do so with the language of science, mathematics and in the tone which is very, very different from the activists if you know the locals. They are very, very professional, and really you've got some examples, the Union Concerns Scientist or the International Energy Agency, the Rocky Mountain Institute, the Pew Trusts or the Forest Stewardship Council. All of these organizations are well funded, they're all more or less professional, and they do have a point of view. But they can be talked to, they can be engaged with in my view. One very interesting person who kind of made this transition from activist to advocate is Patrick Moore. Patrick Moore is one of the founders of Greenpeace. He was the first Chairman of Greenpeace, and he moved on after that. His book, Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout is very interesting about his personal journey. Mr. Moore came from the Pacific Northwest, his family was on the coast. He was very much against the atomic testing, which was why he joined. Then it became against whaling, then it became against the seal hunt. But at a certain point of his life, he realized he needed to be for something, and just being against something wasn't really enough. And he kind of became a forestry expert, and became more and more involved in forestry management. And trying to balance the needs of the forest, and it's natural habitat with the need of the world for wood. And how to balance the interest in the community for people who like nature, for the logging interest, etc. And he now has a very, very clear point of view, which I think defines all and I think all advocates and his trees are the answer for him. Tress will make the world more sustainable, make it prosperous and what we need to do is simply plant more tress. So very interesting for prospective, you can watch the movie version of tress are the answer also on YouTube. And it's very interesting guy, he's very thoughtful. Now typicalogist says, he sold out. He's sold out to the lumber interests, he sold out the big business, because he is gone over the line and now he supports forestry, and forestry in his use is quite standable. So it's an interesting example of all of these groups. But all of them have a focus, which is a very clear point of view on how to solve a big problem. Their scope tends to be on whatever problem, but often in a local place or a regional scope, because they're typically they're involved at some level. The key strategies are analysis, modelling, round tables, working groups. And it's all about trying to get common ground based upon facts, and trying to use emotion to get people together. And once people are together, to talk it through and to find a way forward. Donors, grants, some of them turn into consulting companies. And have a consultant business where actually you can hire them to run your roundtables and help you solve problems. And the staff tends to be very, very technical. Often also passionate, but you find PhDs and scientists and engineers, economists, but people who have deep, deep skill set, but are also very passionate. The organization I know best is probably the Rocky Mountain Institute. And if you talk to the people who work there, they all live near Boulder or up near Aspen. They all love climbing in the mountains, and that's why they do what they do. But they're also PhDs in biosciences and energy management. So it's a combination of lots of technical skill and passion. So what's interesting about advocates is you can engage with them from a business point of view. Mainly because fact based argument does work, they're all about focusing on the common good. It's about trying to find what brings groups together rather than pushes them apart. Building mutual understanding through training or through different means, and trying to find some kind of compromise to move things ahead. As I mentioned earlier, the Rocky Mountain Institute is a fantastic example of these kinds of organizations. One of the things they did, this is Amory Lovins the founder, this is Jules Kortenhorst who's the actual Managing director of the Rocky Mountain Institute. Recently, Jules pulled off a merger between the Carbon War Room and the Rocky Mountain Institute, really to join forces to fight climate change. So it's got a very, very specific focus, but at the same time they're using science to make the point rather than emotion. Here's an example of the Empire State Building which we talked about as an example of engagement. Which was done together with the Rocky Mountain Institute to find a way to make a building. A building build in the 1930s to be one of the most ecologically sustainable in New York City. [MUSIC]
