News: global water crisis, climate change, the UK companies bill, CSR malaise, and more

So much interesting news going on... here's a quick round-up:

• It is rare to find a good article that is both thoughtfully critical of the CSR movement and supportive of the overall cause; read "Business as Usual is Not the Answer to Society’s Problems" (10/20/06, Financial Times) or go to the authors' report ("CSR at a crossroads") at www.iied.org.

• I'm always intrigued but what non-CSR folks seem to think of first when I tell them what field I work in, because it varies pretty widely. Most recently, someone immediately thought of the global water crisis - and indeed, it's a cause that's picking up steam, partly because it's becoming clear we're even worse off than we thought. This past week, there was a great New Yorker feature called "The Last Drop" and also an online follow-up interview called “Not a Drop to Drink.”

• In the UK, the “companies bill” had a last-minute amendment requiring that listed firm sreport no only on their own CSR but also up the supply chain; predictably, anti-poverty and environmental groups applauded while businesses balked at the increased burden. In the larger scheme of things, it's interesting to see how much legislative activity there is in the UK.

• Climate change came up frequently in the news, though not centered around any single news-making event. One indication of the groundswell of attention: in a press release, the Conference Board announcing its finding that about 75% of companies are actively measuring their “Carbon Footprint.”

• Finally, lots of companies with CSR-relevant news this week: Google will install a huge solar array on the roof of its headquarters, to supply 30% of that facilities energy needs; Disney is pulling junk food from its parks and disassociating its characters with it; British Airlines is being sued after insisting that a worker conceal her crucifix necklace under her uniform, and a study of IBM’s employee mortality figures shows an increased risk of cancer.