We blogged last week about KSV advisor Jeffrey Hollender and his recent comments on insuring the value of your brand through transparency. People are using social media to discuss your brand, and it’s possible to seize the momentum in that discussion by candidly and openly engaging with customers and influencers in that space.
Vermont business leaders met with KSV execs last week to brainstorm ways in which businesses can use social media in the era of heightened corporate social responsibility. Their conclusions have particular relevance for utilities.

Most of the value of a company is in its brand, says Jeffrey Hollender. He’s the founder and former CEO of Seventh Generation, a maker of environmentally-responsible products for a healthy home, and he spoke recently to a group of business leaders here at KSV.
There’s huge value in how people feel about – and what they “know” about – your brand. And these opinions can be very different from the message you think you’re putting out.

Monday night’s stunning performance by the New England Patriots should be turned into the next runaway best-selling book on management and leadership. And I say that as a Jets fan.

If you’re the parent of a teen, you’ve been hearing a lot about the enormous amount of time kids are spending with social media. One study estimates that teens are spending an average of one hour and 50 minutes per day, on social media alone.
Now EPA’s Energy Star has teamed up with virtual world Meez and non-profit DoSomething.org to leverage the power of that trend. The result: a Facebook social game called eMission that encourages teens to take offline actions to help save energy and reduce their carbon footprint.

The Economist Magazine concludes its recent 14-page special report “It’s a Smart World” (read the intro here) with a look at reasons why people fear smart systems.
Number one on the list of unintended consequences is, of course, loss of privacy and increased government surveillance. We’ve known for some time that every action we take online leaves a digital footprint. Now, even our offline actions will be traced, thanks to smart systems.

Last week we blogged about The Economist Magazine’s recent special report on smart systems (read the intro here). The report examines some of the barriers to an increasingly smart world.
No doubt you’re familiar with the technological hurdles (cost, antiquated IP address system, fear of hack attacks, etc).

More great learning on day two of the Behavior, Energy & Climate Change (BECC) conference in Sacramento, including the best presentation of the conference.
That honor goes to Col. Robert J. Charette, Jr., director of the year-old Expeditionary Energy, United States Marine Corps. Col. Charette's mission is all about using renewable energy and energy efficiency on the battlefield, not to save money or energy or the environment, but to save lives. Too many Marines are killed or wounded working the supply lines, bringing water and fuel to the front. By reducing the demand at the front lines, fewer Marines are targets of the enemy while working the supply chain.

This year's rendition of the Behavior, Energy & Climate Change conference, in sunny and balmy Sacramento, is off to a solid start.
Here's what's sticking for me...

Last week’s Economist (November 8, 2010) includes a 14-page special report on smart systems. “It’s a Smart World” (read the intro here) provides a snapshot view of smart system growth worldwide.
Smart technologies touch everything from phones to oil exploration, and from power grids to city management. In today’s world, anyone and anything can become a sensor, with enormous potential impacts upon industry and the very ways that people live their lives.

When it comes to home energy choices and consumption, consumers might believe that their behavior is based upon high-minded motives, such as concern for the environment. Or maybe behavior is based on practical concerns: money, budgets, value.
But psychologists and behavioral economists say that consumer behavior boils down to something more fundamental. Good old-fashioned peer pressure.