Commentary

Is There A Good?

April 20, 2011, is exactly one year to the day that BP-licensed Trans-ocean drilling rig "Deepwater Horizon" caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico. On a deeply personally -- but not unrelated note -- it is also the one-year anniversary of my daughter Maya's untimely passing.

April 20, 2010, is a day of marked deep cynicism and self-reflection for many, including myself. BP was the poster-child of Green Marketing in the energy sector. Its brilliantly polished futuristic white pumps and multi-hued-green modernized logo were a beacon of optimism. I was convinced. I had hope.

Then it all came crashing down. For me: quite literally. As I reeled from my own tragedy during the subsequent weeks, the news ticker recounted stories of communities, local economies, ecosystems, and species that would be driven to near collapse. These were strange and important days for me, in my evolution as a global citizen. On one hand, I had faced the unimaginable. On the other hand though, I could see the people of Louisiana facing an unjust double-whammy, after having barely recovered from Katrina. And, it certainly didn't take a genius in world affairs to be aware that many people face (avoidably) much worse now, and now, and now.

The horrible irony of the BP catastrophe is that the baddies won twice: first, by profiting on our green optimism and good faith (pre-spill) initially; and, secondly, by declaring all corporate environmental initiatives as patently green-washed (post-spill), as evidenced by BP (for rubes and suckers, in other words). But the anti-green, anti-environment, or anti-whatevers are always missing something. They are missing the fact that, ultimately, people care about clean air, fair educational systems, security of person, and rising sea-levels for one reason: because it's about people. The human factor underlies it all.

In a recent Search Insiderarticle, I reported on the debate between Google's reputation as evil-larger-than-life corporation or respectable global citizen. The subject of the article focused on a recent investment into a social initiative called "City of Joy" in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC is the most violent place on earth presently, with the second-highest death toll in history from a single conflict already having been recorded (with WWII as number one).

What I didn't report in this article was the amount of research required to find out about the investment. After having heard about this initiative from an interview with the founder of "City of Joy," Eve Ensler (famous creator of the "Vagina Monologues" phenomena), I could find surprisingly little about Google's investment using the company's own search engine. Six searches later, I located this New York Timesarticle, which mentions Google only briefly. No fanfare. No press releases. No top-ranked search results. No spin.

Could it be that Google invested in a social initiative, because it simply thought it was the right thing to do? The answer to this question is obvious for many who have never lost a child, community, or country: "Of course not, there is only profit." But, for those of us who know in our souls that there are many things that money cannot bring back, the answer is not so clear.

April 20, 2011: One year later. I have hope.

2 comments about "Is There A Good? ".
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  1. Katie North, April 20, 2011 at 1:25 p.m.

    So sorry to hear about your daughter's passing. This was an inspiring post.

  2. Brad Stewart from Molecule Inc., April 20, 2011 at 2:49 p.m.

    Thanks Katie. And thanks to readers for allowing me to share this story and bit of inspiration. Sincerely, Brad.

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