A conversation the CPG leader Poul Weihrauch about sustainability and profitability....
If you go to a pro sports event today, there's a good chance the stadium or arena will be powered at least in part by renewable energy. The team likely takes steps to reduce energy and waste. Some even claim to have net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, meaning any emissions they still do produce they offset by paying for projects, such as tree-planting, that reduce greenhouse gases elsewhere. The venue upgrades have been impressive ' Seattle's hockey and basketball arena runs on 100% renewable energy, makes its rink ice from captured rainwater, and offers free public transit for ticket holders. The cost of carbon offsetting in sports varies by organization, with no industry standard for who pays. Some teams and leagues absorb costs through their operational budgets, treating carbon neutrality as a core responsibility. Others pass costs to consumers: Some teams add sustainability fees to ticket prices to offset each attendee's carbon footprint. The payment model ultimately reflects whether an organization views offsetting as an institutional obligation or a shared responsibility with fans....
Students enrolled in MIT's New Engineering Education Transformation (NEET) program recently collaborated across academic disciplines to design and construct a solar-powered charging station. Positioned in a quiet campus courtyard, the station provides the MIT community with climate-friendly power for phones, laptops, and tablets. Its installation marked the 'first time a cross-departmental team of undergraduates designed, created, and installed on campus a green technology artifact for the public good, as part of a class they took for credit,' says Amitava 'Babi' Mitra, NEET founding executive director. The project was very on-brand for the NEET program, which centers interdisciplinary, cross-departmental, and project-centric scholarship with experiential learning at its core. Launched in 2017 as an effort to reimagine undergraduate engineering education at MIT, NEET seeks to empower students to tackle complex societal challenges that straddle disciplines. The solar-powered charging station project class is an integral part of NEET's decarbonization-focused Climate and Sustainability Systems (CSS) 'thread,' one of four pathways of study offered by the program. The class, 22.03/3.0061 (Introduction to Design Thinking and Rapid Prototyping), teaches the design and fabrication techniques used to create the station, such as laser cutting, 3D printing, computer-aided design (CAD), electronics prototyping, microcontroller programming, and composites manufacturing....
As we look ahead to 2026, it feels like a good moment to pause and take stock of where we are and where we want to go. The year ahead is full of promise, but it also brings real challenges that call for clarity, courage, and a sense of shared purpose. I genuinely feel we're standing at a crossroads. The decisions we make now won't just shape our own future ' they will ripple outward, touching the lives of those who come after us. In a world so often overshadowed by conflict, I still believe we can choose peace. Every story of loss or displacement hits me hard; it reminds me how deeply violence wounds entire communities. I imagine a future where understanding replaces suspicion and where dialogue, not hostility, becomes the norm. Peace isn't simply the absence of war ' it's the quiet force that binds us together and allows people to live, work, and dream freely. If we can lead with empathy, we can build a global community that values every person, every voice. I also believe sustainability must guide our economic choices. For far too long, short-term profit has come at the expense of the planet that sustains us. Climate change, pollution, deforestation ' these are not distant warnings anymore; they're happening now. But I see a different path: one where we actively invest in restoring the earth, where businesses and governments align prosperity with responsibility. Renewable energy, regenerative practices, circular thinking ' these aren't futuristic ideas; they're the foundations of a healthier, more resilient world. Our legacy should be one of stewardship, not depletion....
