It's not always about business

I was talking to Andy Savitz the other day, and I mention his name because he just came out with a book called The Triple Bottom Line that has debuted to great acclaim - and that's evidence he has some sensible things to say on the topic of CSR (or whatever we now call it).

He made the point - not a radical or new one - that there are some problems in the world that are not best left to business. In particular, sometimes the role of government is actually quite useful in solving social and environmental problems. Or at least is should be.

To that end, anyone who cares about these problems (pollution, poverty, and all that) should not only spend some time ranting at corporations and making sure they shop/invest/work in responsible ones, but should also put some energy into engaging in the political process.

I know. One more thing to do. But he's right - it's important. Which is why I dragged myself a whole 2 blocks today to vote in the Democratic primary for governor of Massachusetts - only to find out that I've failed to register in my not-so-new-anymore neighborhood. But now I know, and knowing is half the battle, and I have my mail-in registration card. When it's time for the real gubernatorial vote, I'll be ready.

And the one thing I want to encourage today is that everyone else who cares about these same issues should engage at least a minimal-to-average level in the political process (with more engagement being even better). And even the bare minimum should include voting.

If, like me, you found it really hard to get excited about sub-national candidates, check out this tool and see if you end up engaged sheerly for the entertainment value:
http://www.boston.com/news/special/bigarticles/campaign_finance/page2.html

Happy voting!