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The Olympics have historically been a catalyst for optimism. After all, what’s not to love about friendly competition among people passionate about (and brilliant at) their craft? And, who doesn't love a huggable and Instagram-worthy mascot?
But much of the attention at this year’s Winter Games is focused on what's happening off the ice—literally and figuratively. In particular, the outcry over the impact of artificial snow production is driving an important conversation about climate change, which threatens the very existence of many winter sports. In fact, these Games provide a great forum to test the tension between claims of sustainability and Net Zero goals with the on-the-ground reality of putting on such an event.
Thanks to advocacy groups like Protect Our Winters, saving the snow for future generations of Olympians and spectators is a clear priority as we get behind a cleaner future. Though there is plenty to question about host country China's approach to a greener Games, the 2022 Winter Games marked the debut of climate-friendly athlete transportation via hydrogen-powered buses and cars and the use of 100% renewable electricity — both elements that could be modeled for future events. We hope some of the steps being taken (and some that were not) for to make this Olympics more sustainable will spur the innovation, investment, and commitment needed from all sectors to push Net Zero emissions over the finish line for future Games. |
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| Team USA's Erin Jackson became the first Black woman to win an Olympic medal in speed skating and the first American woman to take the gold in her event in nearly 30 years. She’s also an engineer who wants to use her knowledge to develop better prosthetics for athletes—and maybe make future Olympian dreams come true. |
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| Corporate Climate Leadership |
| A new Boston Consulting Group study unpacks the trends and traits that can make a corporation a climate all-star. The researchers also do the math on the cost and savings of going green (hint: it doesn’t break the bank!). |
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Impact Standards with Teeth
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| Can ESG become the investment equivalent of brushing your teeth? Global Impact Investing Network CEO Amit Bouri makes the case for ESG investing as “good hygiene”, and why implementing the recommendations from the recent G7 Impact Task Force can take us above and beyond that baseline. |
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| INCLUSIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP |
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Funding Black AI Innovators
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| A $5 million gift from MasterCard will fund Howard University’s new Center for Applied Data Science and Analytics, where students at the HBCU will explore how to use AI to bring racial equity into processes like credit approval, which are often biased. |
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Lean Impact in Action
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| Founder Jade Kearney launched her app She Matters to support Black women through postpartum depression — an experience she had in grad school. As her company grows, she’s paying it forward through workshops and a book, Lean While Black, that adapts lean impact methodology to address Black founders’ unique challenges. |
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Carbon-Free Flying
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| Flying cars may finally be leaving the realms of fantasy and fossil fuels: a startup in India is set to debut a zero-emissions fleet of airborne taxis in 2023. |
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| Female CFOs Speak Up |
| Gender diversity benefits more than the bottom line: on earnings calls, new research shows that female CFOs are less likely to rely on upbeat, “gut-feeling” summaries. Instead, they are more likely to ask questions, cite statistics, and speak in pithy, measured tones. |
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