I have to admit I like reading Gene Marks’ columns in Business Week because he’s a good writer and a clever contrarian, which makes his stuff fun to disagree with. Hence my title to this post, which is a counterpoint to his Tech Trends to Ignore.
Here’s my favorite “What? Me worry?” quote from Gene’s latest. On his list of trends to ignore he includes:
Anything Green. In the ’70s we were running out of oil. In the ’80s we had to save the whales. In the ’90s our attention turned to the depleted rain forests. Now it’s all about global warming. Is your business doing what it can for the environment? Do you demand that all of your employees drive hybrid vehicles? Have you installed solar panels to conserve energy? No? Then join the rest of us who want nothing more than to ruin the earth with our decadent and destructive business practices. Do we not care about the environment? Yes, but not enough to waste money on this year’s fire drill. If you can find a technology that helps the environment and is good for your business then go for it. And please let me know too, as I’m still trying to find it.
OK, that’s a fun one to disagree with. Silicon Valley and mainstream venture capital are doing tons of investment in green technologies. People are paying premiums for hybrid cars, socially sensitive farming and manufacturing techniques and fair-trade coffees. People are buying devices to control electronic overflow. People are recycling garbage. Did I read recently that one of the world’s richest people is a Chinese woman entrepreneur who made her fortune in recycling? Or is that just urban myth?
And aside from disagreeing, prove Gene wrong. Can you find a technology that helps the environment and is good for business? I don’t think it’s hard to find.
Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software and Bplans.com. Follow him on Twitter @Timberry.
