ITs been moire than an a year since my last entry (sounds like a Catholic confessional)

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then. Here in Malaysia enviromental concerns are championed by the brave few... Most of whom aren't even from Malaysia.

Mainly from Europe, they have seen 1st hand the effects of climate change. More importantly they realise it IS a global issue & no one is exempt.

They fully subscribe to this eco-mercenary mentally of "getting paid to do the right thing" Alas, I cannot match the greed & short-sightedness of the average Malaysian businessman who wants returns in 3 years coupled with an attitude of "Don't worry about it, we wouldn't be around when it the @#$%^ happens.

So while parts of Europe try to above water, I'm trying to maintain my business in the same manner...

Strangely both victims of the same prevailing attitude.

Till the next encounter...blub... blub... blub...

Someone once said "better to keep your mouth shut & let everyone think you a fool, then to open it & remove all doubt"  Whoever said that might have had an ego that was easily bruised & probably some sort of complex.  Is it so bad that at whatever station in life we find ourselves (wether a CEO of a multi national corp or a janitor) to admit that there are some things we just don't know?  Regardless of whether "it" is expected of you to "know" by "now" (whatever "know", "it" or "now" maybe)

Here in Malaysia, we aren't exactly blessed with too many bright sparks (most of the smart ones have outsourced themselves to the US, Europe, Australia.. anywhere but here) So to say that expertise is spread thin & afar is an understatement.  This is even MORE PRONOUNCED when you run a small company (such as ours) working to make the world a better place while trying to make a buck.

As with any company we have a choice, compete or collaborate.  Right off the bat, I'd just like to say that I'm a bit lazy... Sooo lazy I don't even want to think of ways to outdo my competition.  I find collaboration so much more rewarding & productive.  True, the "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" mentality is not everyone's cup of tea. The key is finding those who CAN & WILL complement & collaborate with you & your business.

In our experience, these companies do in a day for us what would have taken us 6 months.  What we do, is return the favour in kind.   

The result :

An entity that is more than the sum of its parts.  

They/we ARE the experts in their/our field so let them/us do their/our job. (there no shame asking for help)

Effort is multiplied, progress is hastened, results are realised sooner.

This APPLIES EVEN TO OUR "COMPETITORS"

In the end, we choose to see our competitors as those we haven't figured out how to work with yet.

So how about collaborating together today, right where you are, to make this world a better place?

Have a great day!

In the time i've been "smacked by the all mighty dollar" (last blog entry) i've come to some conclusions.  My hope is that small businesses such as ours will benefit from the simple but significant lessons we've learnt & are still learning along the way.

Before i begin I must state I have a gift for stating the obvious.  I do not profess to know it all or that what I say will apply to all in every circumstance.  What I will say is that these lessons have held us in good stead thus far & if by some fluke they provide your business its eureka! moment all the better!  Here are some of those thoughts in no particular order.  I'll elaborate on each in due time (while dodging my daily smack downs)

1) You don't know everything, so why not let the experts handle it?

2) There are a lot of sharks in the ocean of business but there are just as many dolphins

3) Without Vision, we perish

4) Trust & respect are earned, not given

5) Don't compete, collaborate

6) You may not know much but what you know can make a difference 

7) Graciousness goes a long way

8) Generosity has nothing to do with the size of your wallet

9) Character, character, character

10) Always say thank you 

Going green is not easy, particularly in the current economic climate (pun ABSOLUTELY INTENDED) we all face across the planet. My hope is that we won't have to face a real climatic meltdown before people realise all of us must act.

Finally for the record, I haven't "arrived" yet by any measure, so what I'll be sharing is work in progress. 

have a great day! 

Saving the planet, one day at a time.

In my last entry I was going to share with you how each of us could contribute to "Saving the Planet, one day at a time"...  That was until I was prevented from doing so.

There was no dark and sinister plan to get rid of me or that I'd be ridiculed or even that it was a bad (dumb) idea.  Instead it was a matter of dollars & sense.

I remain, as ever, an eco-mercenary.  So as much as I was going to share, WORK got in the way.  The daily grind of timelines, gantt charts, slow supply or no supply of solar modules, hindered and eventually halted any progress on what I was about to.

Of course I could just put it out there and let it take flight but where would be the profit in that? (reminder : eco-mercenary at work)

When your competitor's turnover runs into the 100s of millions a year & yours being several decimal places (on the wrong side) of theirs, you tend to be a wee careful with what you share ( read : too many good ideas from Joe Average, taken, implemented & rolled out by big corps with not so much as a "thank you" because then they'd have to pay you)

Yes, laugh if you must... I prefer to be paranoid than poor.

So until the next few projects clear and i get a breather, my 2 cents /sense is going to be even fewer and farther between.  Many thanks to all who've spent time reading my ramblings!

Have a great day!

I was recently asked a simple question "What can I do? I mean its gonna take A...L...O...T of effort to change anything thats happening now.." The context of the conversation revolved around our current planet's health & climate change.

Many a friend has asked what they can possibly do in the face of corporate giants where the BOTTOM LINE IS KING and being enviromentally concious is either a luxury or a sales gimmick...

Stay tuned to this space... I'll be giving eveyone an opportunity to do thier bit to "Save the planet, One Day at a Time"

Til then... Have a great day!

Ah the classic Mexican stand off, shot (pun intended) in Italy.  Amidst war, treachery, murder, gun fights, heroes & villains, there is cache of gold up for grabs.  The same could be said of the current global economy. (You decide who & what goes where)

The "gold" in this instance, is the buried economic opportunities available from "selling green", "going green" ANYTHING green.

There are the good guys (greenies, governments, Renewable Energy companies, big corps & manufacturers WITH GOOD CSR* in place etc.)

The bad guys (Big corps, governments, the indifferent, manufacturers WITHOUT ANY CSR* in place etc.)

AND 

The Ugly/greedy guys ( Big corps, the indifferent, governments, manufacturers,Renewable Energy companies PRETENDING TO HAVE CSR* in place etc.)

All 3 staring each other down just like the movie.  Each one sizing up the other from past experience, alliances, goals & allegiances.  The difference here of course, is that the GOOD MAY NOT NECESSARILY WIN this shoot out.

The result will really be decide by the powers that be.  The simple questions is what or who will define the "Powers that Be"?  The incumbents that wield the power or Jo Average like you and me?

The old adage "Buy while there's blood  in the streets"  (James Dale Davidson has written an entire book on this) could be applied to this situation.  Looking for the hidden gems/gold through the mess & noise of every bloke and his dog how we should all go green while the "bad" & the "ugly" argue will be the challenge.  The outcome of this exercise may well determine how we will shape our future.

Have a great day!

saving the planet, one day at a time. 

CSR : Corporate Social Responsibility might as well be COLLECTIVE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

"The last thing to get converted is your wallet"  Words a Christian buddy of mine once mentioned in my general direction.  Words I think also apply to people, climate change & taking action.

Malaysia is currently facing the not-so-slow removal of fuel & energy subsidies.  People are upset, unhappy & flustered.  These are the same people who, when asked if they could do anything about cleaning up their act (civic behaviour is a good place to start) generally reply;

"its not our problem la" (more "Manglish") or

"we where got money to do anything wan?" (stunning "Manglish" grammar in action) or

"the Kwai-low (caucasians in general) can afford to, what can we do?"

I'm not belittling those who have genuine needs, challenges or financial woes.  I'm suggesting (for many others) instead of complaining, there are many an opportunity to change and capitalise on this.  A new product, business direction/plan, or lifestyle change to name the obvious.  Sure, crime is ONE option but there are SO MANY OTHERS; all requiring more than 1 brain cell to plan for and implement.  Believe it or not we're a pretty smart bunch... just lazy at times.

We Malaysians think with our wallets.  So sometimes the only way to make us think & act (with our wallets or otherwise) is a bit of adversity.  Therefore the higher the prices go, the more money exits out purses  & wallets, the better we will need to be at generating an income, the brighter the ideas to achieve this.

What better way to achieve this end than to be involved in a business that addresses these concerns and issues?

Have a great day!

Saving the planet, day at a time.

"Global warming?  Aiya what can we do?  No body cares wan la?"  This is Manglish (Malaysian English).  This is how we speak, this is how we think & this is how we NOT care.

Recent flooding in odd parts of the country hasn't been enough to get our attention.  The monsoon winds (I've been told) have moved 2 degrees south bringing a lot more rain to places that previously never had the volume.  Indiscriminate development has caused rapid silting of riverbeds that actually CAN handle the water, resulting in them now NOT being able to.

But Hey!  "Malaysia boleh!" (Malaysia Can! our national motto) so I've included instead an alternate view to the floods.  I've included some recent pictures (courtesy of our local Star Newspaper) of one such flash flood & ideas how we can turn this to our advantage!

 prime water front property!

 Foster good friendly relations!

 get to know your neighbours!

 AND OF COURSE.....

 Great water sports!

 I AM being sarcastic..  There is NOTHING FUNNY about people losing property, livelihood or having to battle for their lives.  Climate Change & INDISCRIMINATE DEVELOPMENT.  We CAN actually help the change & to change.  People are smart,they will figure out what to do.. Sometimes WE just need a little reminder of what's at stake & that we must act.  MALAYSIA BOLEH!

Have a great day!

Saving the planet, one day at time.

Thats the reply I gave at a recent public forum.  The school teacher that asked me the question was probably surprised & had a good chuckle.  I'm sure she was expecting something like "stay clean! go green!!" or "for future generations!!" or perhaps "Heal the world, make it a better place!" (Ah are lyrics to an OLD song... that betrays my age.. sigh..)

Sorry, the truth is just like Mr./Ms. Jo Average, I've got bills to pay, loans to service, presents to buy, holidays (small ones) to go on, kids to think about...  All of which require money; which in turn requires some means of generating an income which results in me getting paid.  So, why shouldn't people profit from doing a good/beneficial thing? In the words of 

Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s environment minister, 

“We are going to prove that climate-change (action)& economic prosperity are not contradictions, but are mutually dependent”

Words I live by.  I would just like to state that doing something good for the environment isn't just for tree huggers.  Oh no, Its also for eco-mercenaries like me!  So the next time someone says to you its too expensive (it is where I'm from) to go green or do something climate change, that maybe your cue.  Who knows?  You might just stumble on a gold mine of an opportunity to do something good AND make a killing... figuratively speaking of course.  Have a great day!

Saving the planet, one day at a time...