The Power to Purchase

Now that "Buy Nothing Day" has passed and we're all back to consuming, we still have the power to vote with our dollars. How are you spending yours?

I am pretty conscious about my spending, both at home and work. I take pride reducing the supply chain when I buy quality products from local vendors.

As you'll note from my blog, I advocate for a different economy. Our global economy is broken, despite the illusions and mass deceit necessary to keep the game going for the near term and to serve the interests of those at the top of the pyramid. An economy based on greed is the worst kind.

The good news is that there is another economy rising up and it cherishes your support. Every dollar you invest in the new economy makes a difference. I repeat, every dollar you invest in the new economy makes a difference.

One way to support the new economy is to support Certified B Corporations. Whether your role is investor, advocate, policy maker, worker, partner, or consumer, your support of B Corps makes another world possible.

Some of my B Corp colleagues are offering holiday specials to the B Community and our friends. Click here to check out the B Community discounts.

Buy Nothing Day

Let's be honest. There is only one way to avoid a catastrophic collapse of this human experiment here on Earth - We must consume less.

Every one of our problems is exasperated by continued growth, yet the only solution offered by pundits and elected leaders is more growth.

Is there any evidence that we can grow our way out of the maldistribution of wealth and resources? Grow, grow, grow is the capitalist mantra yet these are the same forces killing the planet. Today, over 100 species will vanish from the planet forever, most as a result of our growth.

So what can we do?

Consume less.

Buy Nothing Day is the day after Thanksgiving here in the United States. Typically this day is one of the busiest shopping days of the year which is why we co opt this event in an attempt to change the current paradigm.

The creative folks at Adbusters have been sponsoring this event for over a decade now and I hope you'll take the day to reflect on consumption and how it impacts our world. There are actions all across the globe on November 27th and 28th. I hope you'll join me in reducing needless consumption this holiday season. You can start the day after Thanksgiving by enjoying some time with family and friends and just saying "NO", to shopping and mindless consumerism.

Green Office Space

TriLibrium is growing and that means we need to move our office. Of course we're doing everything to be as sustainable as possible and so I thought it would be fun to engage my readers in the process.

What are some of the leading edge ideas for professional office space?

What should be included? What should we avoid?

We are looking for suggestions, ideas and recommendations on every aspect of moving a business and readying the space from equipment suggestions, to materials, build out, furnishings, etc.

It is likely that we'll have new offices by February 1st. I look forward to starting a dialog and blogging about it as we move forward.

P.S. I like the "HELP" in the picture, not the paper. TriLibrium used less than three reams of paper in our first year of operations.

Saiyuki Reload Gunlock

This Japanese animation is a third season of Saiyuki. In this anime the group must face some of their most deadly challenges yet ! A peaceful temple hides a corrupt secret, will Sanzo fall victim to the deadly truth ? After that, a den full of disgruntled bears is on hairs. To top it off, the group must cross an impassable river, see through deadly illusions and a newly unstoppable Kougaiji is waiting for them. Will they ever make any progress on they journey ?

My 350.org action

I had a great day on the Willamette River Saturday joining approximately 200 kayaks and canoes as we wrote 350 using our boats. This was part of 350.0rg's International Day of Climate Action.

It was challenging as we had to navigate the river's current while organizing ourselves into a shape that was impossible to see from our position on the water. The action was a perfect metaphor to the climate change solution.

• It took the collective action of many.
• There was no single leader yet their was leadership from many people.
• The people, assisted the leaders by listening and responding to their guidance.
• We didn't get it right the first time but kept innovating until we figured it out.

You can watch a great video of the action here.

350.org Kayakers Action in Portland from Epicocity Project on Vimeo.

Finally, I owe a big shout out to the law firm of Roberts Kaplan for inviting me to participate. I'm looking forward to the day TriLibrium has the resources to invite clients and colleagues to such an event.

Corporate taxes in Oregon

The Oregon legislature passed a bill this last session increasing the minimum corporate tax from $10 to $150. The $10 minimum fee hasn't changed since 1931! Faced with massive budget deficits, the legislature enacted a combination of spending cuts and increased taxes to address the problem.

The bill was challenged through the referendum process so the issue will be voted on by Oregon voters in January. A "Yes" vote will keep the tax increases and the services these funds provide, a "No" vote will stop the tax increase forcing a deep cut in human services.

The legislative spending cuts were deep and real. I've talked to teachers who now have 3-5 more kids in every class increasing their workload. My teenage daughter has mentioned both the increased class size and the decreased school district support for athletics, music and other extra curricula activities like debate, dance, and more.

The tax increases were responsible and targeted. The tax increase on individuals only hits those earning $125,000 ($250,000 for married couples) or more, and then, the tax increase only hits their income ABOVE $125,000 ($250,000 for married couples). For corporations, they increased the minimum tax as noted above, and, also added a gross receipts tax of .0015 for corporations with $500,000 or more in Oregon sales. Both of these groups (corporations and wealthy people) can afford these very modest increases. Without the increases, the service cuts would be even deeper.

I had an "In My Opinion" piece in the morning's Oregonian. Check it our if you'd like to read more.

The Importance of Accounting

I see far too many businesses and startups minimize their accounting investment. An accounting system should be a strategic asset, yet it works more like an anchor or a sinker for many organizations because they don't understand or appreciate the value of a strong accounting system.

There was a great story recently on BikePortland.org some financial problems at the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA). It seems they didn't know what was going on and they ended up with a series of errors that left them showing a nearly $100,000 loss on $1.3 million of revenue. They weren't aware of the problems because their books weren't in order.

I'm a founding member of the BTA and appreciate all their hard work and advocacy on behalf of biking. I'm not picking on them but just want to show a real example of what can happen when your accounting system fails.