As we work to deliver on our vision and mission, our every action is guided by our values, because what we intend to accomplish is as important as how we achieve it.
- We dream big. Our vision of creating a global green economy with a one-planet footprint may seem audacious, but we know that great things can happen when people of good will and determination come together with a shared commitment to change.
- We are simultaneously ambitious and patient. We will apply extreme intensity to reach our goals. Nonetheless, some of our goals will take a long time to achieve. Where we need to take the long view, we’d rather be patient than take a shortcut that interferes with our long-term objectives. We also recognize that to reach the peak of a mountain, one has to get to the first base camp, so an intense focus on achieving short-term goals is essential for reaching our long-term ambitions.
- We believe in the inherent synergy between scalability, superior investment returns and social enterprise. The magnitude of humanity’s climate change challenge means that scalability is key and the key to scalability is superior investment returns. In fact, any serious effort to solve the climate change challenge must place superior investment returns first and scalability second. Lower investment returns would — over time — lead to a diminished capital base and hence a reduced ability to invest in scalable solutions. The Green Economy Group is therefore committed to delivering extraordinary investment returns above scalability and maintaining the discipline to say no to offers of investment (or pursue new initiatives) if it were to diminish investment returns. To fulfill the mission of the Green Economy Group, our aim is to deliver some of the world’s highest investment returns. After paying commitments due to employees, shareholders, the Green Economy Foundation and other key stakeholders, we will re-invest the proceeds from our investment returns to exponentially deliver on our social enterprise mission to create a global green economy with a one-planet footprint. We reject what some people perceive as a contradiction between superior investment returns, scalability and social enterprise objectives. We embrace superior investment returns as a means to accelerate our social enterprise vision and scale our green economy impact worldwide. In this way we lead with our social enterprise heart and compassion — while executing with our mind and disciplined action committed to scalability and superior investment returns.
- We strive for excellence. We believe the human spirit can soar to infinite levels of greatness and excellence. We hold ourselves to the highest quality and efficiency standards. We implement lean, agile and Six Sigma in our operations and business processes. We understand that every dollar saved is a dollar of lower prices, reinvestment, or profit, and every satisfied stakeholder is one who will continue to support our growth over time.
- We listen. We know that our dreams will only become a reality if we align our goals with the interests of our stakeholders. Some of the best ideas will come from our constituents including our customers, our partners, our suppliers, our employees, and our investors, and we do our best to listen to their needs.
- We learn. We are fundamentally curious about the world around us and are open to new evidence and information. We will make mistakes, but when we do, we will learn from them. We aim to make the same mistake only once. We are committed to a continuous learning environment, and embrace and drive change and innovation wherever it permits us to better deliver on our mission.
- We believe integrity is the foundation of our business. The Green Economy Group is committed to deep personal and collective integrity in order to anticipate problems and deliver high quality results to each of our stakeholders. We believe in transparency and hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards in every aspect of our business.
- We like to laugh. We believe dedication and loyalty are important principles — and we want to create an environment where people can be themselves, have fun, and unleash their creative energies to manifest their joy and dreams in the world.
- We rely on teamwork and promote open communications. We recruit the very best people, based on a measure of their skill but also on a measure of their character. While each person may have limitations, we believe the team is perfect. Each of us is committed to giving our personal best, which includes fulfilling our specific responsibilities and collaborating with others. We know that collaboration brings together varying points of view and challenges invisible assumptions to produce the very best results. We acknowledge and celebrate our team members for their unique contributions and support their professional development over time.
- We believe in science and solutions. Isaac Newton said that “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” We believe that much of human progress is due to standing on the shoulders of giants, to a rigorous commitment to the scientific method and to the scientific inquiry of innovative, courageous and determined scientists over centuries — and we are committed to continue and accelerate the extraordinary human tradition of scientific progress. We believe in the scientific consensus on climate change — and the state of the global environment — and we will not cover or include in our professional community those who reject the tradition of science or the scientific consensus on climate change. We believe it is easy to state problems and that advancement is derived from proposing thoughtful and actionable solutions. We aim to focus 10 percent of our efforts on problems — and dedicate 90 percent to the pursuit of effective, actionable and profitable solutions.
- We are modest in personality. We are humble people. We value people who don’t take themselves too seriously, but take their work very seriously. We do not flaunt our successes, denigrate our competitors, or compete on the basis of flair or extravagance. We recognize that our success is the result of the combined efforts and initiatives of many people and will not forget who we serve, how we got there, or where we come from.
- We are frugal. We recognize that frugality and expense control are keys to delivering superior long term returns. Frugality also helps drive our culture of modesty.
- We are diverse. We come from many places around the globe and work amidst many differing cultures. We appreciate the unique nature of every individual and engage with colleagues and stakeholders without regard to race, creed, culture, color, religion, spirituality, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, age, disability, or status as a veteran. We bring a respect and sensitivity to our work that celebrates diversity and recognizes the dignity of those around us.
- We are public servants. We recognize our work as a public service. We incorporate sustainability into our every action and relish our role in pioneering a global green economy with a one-planet footprint. We will support the Green Economy Foundation with equity, financial resources and employee time. We believe our best work is done when in alignment with the human spirit of creativity, entrepreneurship and inspired action; the global community of individuals, non-governmental organizations, cleantech firms, scientific bodies, cities, regions and governments committed to honoring Gaia and creating a green economy; the United Nations charter and principles; the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals as well as the spirit and goals of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity. We believe in unleashing the magic of scientific discovery, technological innovation, market forces and investments combined with thoughtful green policies and incentives to create and scale cleantech companies, introduce new and improved solutions, build cleantech plants and projects and drive down the cost of green economy solutions to below the price of fossil fuels. In this way, we intend to deliver a global green economy with zero carbon emissions.
To learn more about the green economy, review green economy 101.
