Corporate Social Responsibility?

Last night I read an article in GOOD about how GE paid ZERO dollars in taxes this year (which references this NYT article). GE paid no taxes and in fact earned $3.2 billion in tax credits. This issue is still bugging me. I haven't done my taxes this year but I am sure will not have earned enough credits to pay nothing. 

I wonder, is it GE corporate responsibility to avoid paying taxes or is there is some social responsibility to paying taxes?

No taxation without representation... what about no representation without taxation?

If you could do anything, what would you do?

Before last year I don’t know that I ever truthfully answered that question. Then I got laid off from a job I hated but was too afraid to quit. So now, with no job in a terrible economy and a brand new baby, the world is my oyster.

What do I want to do? I want to work with creative, intelligent, energetic people. I want to connect ideas with problems and problems with ideas. I want to be on the leading edge so that I am running to keep up.  I want to be paid, handsomely.  

Well, let me back up.  I skipped the first part of that question, “If you could do anything…” That is a quite large premise to try to swallow, so let’s chew on it for a second.  Could I really do anything?

If I believed the answer was “no” that would mean right out of the gate my options were limited. But I know this not to be true. I know from instances in my own life that amazing, unexpected, seemingly impossible things happen everyday. I felt it when I sat in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and I feel it when I watch the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge. The impossible is so possible that it is cliché.

So the answer has to be yes, I can do anything. However, saying “yes” is a powerful statement, scary powerful. If I truly believe that I can do anything then what excuse would I have for not doing exactly what I want to do? None. If I can accomplish anything, why not set that target way up there?

So what do I want to do? I aspire to do big things, huge things. Things so big that even I cannot even imagine them yet. Net Zero Homes? Easy. Get rid of the internal combustion engine? Let’s do it. Creating clear metrics for measuring sustainability? Why the hell not.

I came to Presidio because I feel it is a place where people are looking to find answers to these questions and more. I value it as a community that will expand my view of what is possible. Most of all I see Presidio as place where I can inspire and be inspired.

How will I bring sustainability to my professional career? In every way possible. I would like to sustainability installed industries like TQM. I want to be a sustainability black belt.  In my vision of the future, if you are not sustainable, you are not competitive.

 (This post was part of  an assignment my Principles of Sustainable Management AKA PoSM at Presidio. The assignment was to speak with an authentic and persuasive voice on topics of sustainability and the story that led you to join the Presidio community.)

Presidio - New Student Orientation

So, today was the first day of a two day new student orientation for incoming students to the Spring '11 (C14) cohort for the Presidio Graduate School MBA program.  It was an very informative day; I learned about the school, the program, my cohort, my team and myself.  My team was made of dynamic and talented people. I am very excited to start the program.

I know that this is much of a post, but today was definitely a significant day and I just wanted to note it.  I'll try to put together a more complete post about the experience in the days to come.

Also, pretty random but I actually knew one of the students in from living in the dorm together in Chico. Crazy.