This year’s Earth Day tagline grabbed my attention: “Let’s get really big stuff done for our planet.” It got me thinking how much the movement has grown over the last decade and how every person and every institution, however small, can play its role in something so big as saving the world! Over the past decade we have witnessed a strong tendency in developed countries, and … [Read more...] about Earth Day Reflections: “Getting Big Stuff Done” on our CSR Journey
Environmental and Social Safeguards
Sustainability and Safeguards have come a long way in 10 years …
When I joined the Bank more than 10 years ago, we had an aging Environmental Policy from 1979 (albeit a leader in its day), and terms like safeguards, sustainability, climate change, natural capital, and sustainable infrastructure were simply not part of the lexicon. But before you are too hard on us, put the world and life of 2005 into perspective: You didn’t have an iPhone, … [Read more...] about Sustainability and Safeguards have come a long way in 10 years …
Can Bug Juice and Geothermal Energy Help Protect Costa Rica’s Dry Forests?
To make bug juice, use the following ingredients: one hundred (100) insect traps millions (1,000,000+) of insects one (1) high-speed blender Blend vigorously. Place the resulting bug juice into a DNA sequencer, and press “go.” The results should show the degree of genetic differentiation among all of the insects captured. I’m not making this up – this is a real … [Read more...] about Can Bug Juice and Geothermal Energy Help Protect Costa Rica’s Dry Forests?
Three effective ways to increase women participation in construction works
In spite of advancement in women’s participation in many sectors, globally “the share of women in construction industry has remained shockingly low for decades -– under 3 percent”[1]. Women are considered to be disruptive to an “all-male” workforce and have to confront cultural stereotypes, sexual harassment, and life –balance challenges. However, with a large portion of … [Read more...] about Three effective ways to increase women participation in construction works
The Power of Checklists
A few of months ago I read a great book by Atul Gawande (The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right) which makes a compelling argument: when dealing with complexity, we can do better using the simplest of methods – the checklist. After finishing the book, I started implementing checklists in my work for two specific tasks: improving the way I supervise the environmental, … [Read more...] about The Power of Checklists