" title="the map village street editors"> the map village street editors

As Adam Wernbach indicated in his speech launching Saatchi & Saatchi’s S project, the influencing power of the corporation is intertwined with the general public’s ability to respond to climate change and other environmental conditions which require social, economical and cultural related behavioural changes. Always the villain and accomplice, many corporations and consumers respectively, are now engaged in a new relationship. It’s almost like their meeting for the first time again. And while the products may be the same and serving the same needs, the language has changed, the transaction has changed and the ramifications of that swipe are being felt around the world. ‘Sustainable’ has crept into the vinyl signs of shop windows and on the backs of tags sown to seams, sown in Africa. ‘Recycled’ has emerged from the plastic and paper tips to set new trends on the catwalk, and ‘fair-trade‘ is almost mandatory in the hole-in-the-walls and wholesale coffee warehouses around the Country. Behind the terms are a new wave of entrepreneurs and businesses who are supplying the messages and alternatives to help drive demand. Other, older businesses, are quickly reshaping their values and marketing efforts too. Nike, the eternal antagonist of human rights campaigns, is launching a global fundraising campaign effort called the Human Race, a 10km run on August 31 which raises money per kilometre run for the UN Refugee Agency, Lance Armstrong’s Live Strong Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund. As mentioned above, corporations have immense influencing power with their consumers and can help re-shape the rules of their industry. This example is a shining light of just how massive that effect can be, albeit with a captured market who have purchased a particular type of shoe… Or so it seems. Perhaps with more time I can deduce just how this event is geared. But for now, Melbourne readers - know that there is an official race in your city, and for the rest of us, we can stage our own and still contribute to the cause. Ultimately, after the marketing sputniks have had their way with feel-good campaigns and projects (which let me stress are needed as a first step!), the real work needs to begin - of restructuring value and supply chains, educating employees, sourcing 100% of energy from renewable sources, and offsetting Co2 emissions, to name a just a few mandatory actions companies need to take. Looking for inspiration? Read this book.