Knowing what to do. And doing it.
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This week, Jeff Bezos announced a large investment in the fight against climate change: $10 billion for the Bezos Earth Fund. Jeff is an important new ally, and his commitments will be widely welcomed in the world of sustainability.
In his brief announcement, Bezos mentioned funding “scientists, activists, NGOs – any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world.” Worthy investments, all. But here’s the thing …
Many of the solutions to the climate crisis are known. More research and more activism are important. But what’s really needed right now is investment to get existing sustainable business concepts more widely established. What’s needed is catalytic funding to demonstrate the value and practicality of these new solutions. As management guru, Peter Drucker, famously said, “The problem in my life and other people's lives is not the absence of knowing what to do but the absence of doing it.”
We know what to do. Let’s focus on doing it.
At Invest NYC SDG – an initiative launched by NYU Stern School of Business and its Center for Sustainable Business – we’ve been looking at what it will take to build and expand businesses aligned with New York City’s very ambitious sustainability goals. We’re working to harness the creative power of capitalism to make a new and sustainable economy real.
The good news? So many solutions already exist. Many are proven, many are operating somewhere (if on a small scale), and still more are ready to be tested. New York City, with New York State, and its partners have begun work on some important large-scale projects, like offshore wind energy and favorable financing for energy efficiency retrofits in the city’s one million buildings. Many more projects – the 30+ projects on which we are focusing – come with profitable business models, proven technology and methods, and experts who are ready to help build them. They just need a little financing to get started or to accelerate their growth. (For more on these businesses, follow this blog.)
Invest NYC SDG exists to find partners to bring financial backing to these well-defined, innovative new businesses. Are they risky? Well, some more than others, but someone like Jeff Bezos understands that. If the essence of business investment is balancing risk versus reward, here’s the really great news: in this case, the reward is truly earth-shaking.
One other thing: $10 billion is fabulous. But what about that $1 trillion organization whose resources Jeff Bezos can bring to bear on the climate crisis? Imagine the number of companies, the supply chains, and the consumer behavior Amazon could influence …
So give us a call, Jeff. We’ve got a few dozen awesome ideas for you.
- The Invest NYC SDG Team
In his brief announcement, Bezos mentioned funding “scientists, activists, NGOs – any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world.” Worthy investments, all. But here’s the thing …
Many of the solutions to the climate crisis are known. More research and more activism are important. But what’s really needed right now is investment to get existing sustainable business concepts more widely established. What’s needed is catalytic funding to demonstrate the value and practicality of these new solutions. As management guru, Peter Drucker, famously said, “The problem in my life and other people's lives is not the absence of knowing what to do but the absence of doing it.”
We know what to do. Let’s focus on doing it.
At Invest NYC SDG – an initiative launched by NYU Stern School of Business and its Center for Sustainable Business – we’ve been looking at what it will take to build and expand businesses aligned with New York City’s very ambitious sustainability goals. We’re working to harness the creative power of capitalism to make a new and sustainable economy real.
The good news? So many solutions already exist. Many are proven, many are operating somewhere (if on a small scale), and still more are ready to be tested. New York City, with New York State, and its partners have begun work on some important large-scale projects, like offshore wind energy and favorable financing for energy efficiency retrofits in the city’s one million buildings. Many more projects – the 30+ projects on which we are focusing – come with profitable business models, proven technology and methods, and experts who are ready to help build them. They just need a little financing to get started or to accelerate their growth. (For more on these businesses, follow this blog.)
Invest NYC SDG exists to find partners to bring financial backing to these well-defined, innovative new businesses. Are they risky? Well, some more than others, but someone like Jeff Bezos understands that. If the essence of business investment is balancing risk versus reward, here’s the really great news: in this case, the reward is truly earth-shaking.
One other thing: $10 billion is fabulous. But what about that $1 trillion organization whose resources Jeff Bezos can bring to bear on the climate crisis? Imagine the number of companies, the supply chains, and the consumer behavior Amazon could influence …
So give us a call, Jeff. We’ve got a few dozen awesome ideas for you.
- The Invest NYC SDG Team