Stanford Social Innovation Review Podcast

Retirement plans, green energy, organ donations — how can defaults help you save money, save the environment, and save lives?  What difference does it make if you have the choice to opt-out now or opt-in later?  Eric Johnson, Columbia Business School professor examines the powerful role that defaults hold in changing behavior and the way we construct our values.  He offers insight on how to design defaults to maximize impact and presents common pitfalls to avoid.  Johnson spoke at Small Steps, Big Leaps, a special research briefing convened by Professors Francis Flynn and Jennifer Aaker and their colleagues in the field of prosocial behavior. They presented practical, and cost-effective solutions for encouraging donations, volunteerism, social activism, and other responsible, caring, and prosocial behaviors. Eric J. Johnson is a marketing professor at Columbia University’s School of Business. His research interests are in consumer and managerial decision-making and electronic commerce. He is among the most widely cited scholars in marketing, according to the Thompson Scientific Highly Cited ratings. His work on electronic commerce has been published in the Communications of the ACM, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Interactive Marketing, and Management Science. He has presented his work before the Federal Trade Commission, and has been quoted in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Readers Digest, National Public Radio‘s Morning Edition, Marketplace, and the CBS Evening News. He is a coauthor of two books: Decision Research: A Field Guide and The Adaptive Decision Maker. His research in behavioral economics has appeared in Science, Journal of Economic Theory, as well as in two books. Earlier work examining the role of affect and similarity in understanding risk in papers has been published in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and the Journal of Experimental Psychology. In addition, Johnson is the director of the Columbia Center for Excellence in E-Business, and co-director of the Center for Decision Sciences at Columbia University. Professor Johnson serves on editorial boards of several journals, including the Journal of Consumer Psychology (former associate editor), Journal of Consumer Research, the Journal of Interactive Marketing and Marketing Letters.https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/can_defaults_save_lives

Asia’s water systems are struggling in the face of climate change and the increasing water demands of their growing economies. In such a scenario, a significant water availability gap seems imminent. In this audio interview, part of a Stanford Center for Social Innovation series on water around the world, the Asian Development Bank’s Arjun Thapan talks with Stanford MBA student Ashish Jhina about the need for countries to look at water as an economic good, in addition to being a public good. He explains how public private partnerships could help bring about increased operational efficiency and higher quality service, as well as more comprehensive coverage of the urban poor by water and sanitation systems. He points to numerous success stories in India, China and the Philippines as evidence of the viability of the PPP model and its success in more adequately meeting the demands of its customers. Arjun Thapan joined ADB in 1991 and since January 2010 is the Special Senior Advisor to the President of ADB for Infrastructure and Water. A leading thinker on water issues in Asia and a strong advocate of ADB’s water agenda, Mr. Thapan has led the initiative to double ADB’s investments in water and sanitation to over $2 billion annually. He is chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Water Security, and he chaired the ADB and Partners Conference – Water: Crisis and Choices held in Manila on October 11-15, 2010. Prior to his current position, Mr. Thapan was Director General and Deputy Director General of Southeast Asia Department. He also served as chair of ADB’s Water Committee until August 2008, designing and leading the implementation of the Water Operators Partnership program in Asia – a global first. His work on water policy issues, especially on “Water for ALL” for Asia’s developing countries, has been universally recognized; he is currently guiding the design of a water resources operational framework to sit within a Green Growth paradigm in ADB. Before joining ADB, Mr. Thapan worked with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. He is a qualified public accountant and auditor with 18 years experience in a variety of public audit functions in India. He also worked for 5 years in the External Finance Division of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Indian Ministry of Finance, and was Director (Finance) in the Ministry of Steel and Mines, New Delhi, before joining ADB. Mr. Thapan has a Masters in History from the University of Delhi and pursued Management Accounting at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/using_public_private_partnerships_to_resolve_asias_water_crisis

“We live in a different time, a time of great opportunity, but a time in which we have to step up,” NewSchools CEO Ted Mitchell affirmed at the opening of the 2010 NewSchools Summit, an event convened by the NewSchools Venture Fund. In such times, there is an unprecedented opportunity to change the national conversation about what is possible in education, however doing so requires political strategy and savvy. With education being more politicized than ever, educators, social innovators and practitioners must tactically push for progress in the broader landscape.  An accomplished panel of educational reformers, who have forged new grounds on a number of public policy issues, share ideas and advice on how to build coalitions, engage with politicians and understand the operational and political challenges ahead. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/newschools_summit-_political_savvy_guidebook_for_a_new_landscape

The end came for the styrofoam clamshell container twenty years ago, thanks to the innovative partnership of McDonald’s and the Environmental Defense Fund as part of a landmark project that reduced packaging waste for the company, and rippled to the entire industry.  Seen risky at the time, the collaboration was a business and environmental success.  Over the past two decades, we have seen many cross-sector partnerships in environmental and social innovation that stemmed from this groundbreaking work.  In this audio interview, host Jerry Michalski of the EDF speaks with McDonald’s Bob Langert and EDF’s Gwen Ruta as they celebrate their 20 year partnership and look ahead at opportunities for business leadership in sustainability. The Future of Green open call series is an initiative of EDF in collaboration with the Center for Social Innovation at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Gwen Ruta directs Environmental Defense Fund’s Corporate Partnerships program. She spearheads its work with leading multinational companies to develop innovative, business-based solutions to environmental challenges and to drive change through the corporate value chain. Prior to joining Environmental Defense Fund, Ruta was Vice President at Metcalf & Eddy, an international environmental engineering firm. She has also held senior management positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.  She has authored numerous articles on environmental issues and is a frequent speaker at business conferences. Bob Langert is the vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility at McDonald’s. Prior to joining the McDonald’s family, Langert was an operations manager for a McDonald’s distributor, Perlman Rocque, and served as Midwest logistics manager for the American Hospital Supply Corporation. Langert is a graduate of Northwestern University’s MBA program.https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/20_years_of_business_partnership_at_edf

Water and wastewater systems in many parts of the world are facing a significant infrastructure gap. In some developed countries like the US, ageing pipes are crumbling and are not being adequately replaced. In many developing countries, the increase in water and sanitation infrastructure is often insufficient to be able to keep up with growing demand. In this audio interview, as part of a Stanford Center for Social Innovation series on water around the world, ITT Corporation’s Colin Sabol talks with Stanford MBA student Ashish Jhina about the urgent need for investments in water and sanitation infrastructure. He explains how artificially low water prices have significant implications for the ability of governments to invest in water systems. He examines technologies that could alleviate water shortages in specific geographies and outlines ITT’s CSR initiative (Watermark) to bring clean drinking water to schools and to emergency situations by providing critical water purification equipment. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/colin_sabol_-_the_worlds_water_infrastructure_challenge

Environmentally sustainable water use practices result in considerable operational efficiencies and are a source of strategic advantage for businesses in water distressed regions. In this audio interview, part of a Stanford Center for Social Innovation series on water around the world, Pepsico’s Dan Bena talks with Stanford MBA student Ashish Jhina about Pepsico’s efforts to reduce its water footprint. He outlines Pepsico’s public commitment to promote more efficient water use and talks about the role of specific, measurable targets in driving the organization to achieve its ambitious goals. In addition to making its production processes more water efficient, Pepsico is working with farmers to modify their agricultural practices to use less water. Dan talks about the progress made on these fronts and the company’s CSR efforts in partnerships with NGOs to provide improved access to clean drinking to millions of people around the world. Dan Bena is currently the Director of Sustainable Development for PepsiCo, serving as liaison between technical functions, government affairs, public policy, and field operations to develop key strategies and messaging to internal and external stakeholder groups. In 2009, Dan was appointed to the Steering Committee of the United Nations CEO Water Mandate, and also serves on the Mandate’s working groups for Water as a Human Right and Water Policy Engagement.  He was inaugural Chair of the Water Resources Committee of the Washington-based American Beverage Association for Sustainable Development.  Bena also serves on the Board-sponsored Public Health Committee of the Safe Water Network.  He is a contributing member to the Water Core Working Group of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and serves on the Global Agenda Council for Water Security of the World Economic Forum. In 2009, he was invited by the mayor of his city to serve on a new Sustainability Advisory Board; the city is one of only three nationwide selected to pilot a new sustainability planning tool kit.https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/sustainable_water_practices_for_a_global_corporation

Opportunities for learning are now available 24/7/365, as students utilize technology to interact with, learn about and communicate with the world. Mindful of this, educational entrepreneurs have found ways to integrate technology to add breadth and depth to a student’s experience. In this panel discussion, Gary Knells speaks on how the multi-platform approach of Sesame Street Workshop has become a gamechanger for early childhood education. Katie Salen discusses how teachers connect to their students in the digital age at Quest to Learn. Joel Rose transforms the old classroom with new models that offer personalized instruction for students. Milton Chen closes by sharing examples of 21st century innovations in education, which can be further explored at Edutopia.org and in his recently published book, Education Nation.  They spoke at the NewSchools Summit, an event convened by the NewSchools Venture Fund. This podcast is sponsored by Social Innovation Conversations.https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/using_technology_to_achieve_ambitious_goals_newschools_venture_summit_panel

Three films, Waiting for “Superman”, The Lottery, and Teached, all of which provide a candid and critical look at U.S. public education, hit the big screen this year. Positioned to generate conversation and action about education reform, these documentaries take you into the lives of children and families who are struggling in a system that is failing them. 2010 Sundance Audience Award winner Waiting for “Superman” has garnered attention through its support from Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Mark Zuckerberg, among others. This panel of filmmakers speaks on their experiences telling these powerful stories and offers ways for the audience to be part of the solution in their own communities and via media platforms. They spoke at the 2010 NewSchools Summit, an event convened by the NewSchools Venture Fund.https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/schools_hit_the_big_screen_influencing_the_public_mindset

Water is one of the most hidden of our environmental sustainability issues, and yet it poses critical challenges for our future. In this panel discussion at Stanford University, experts from water companies and academia discuss efforts for reducing energy usage, production, and transportation of water and wastewater. They share what water companies are doing to save energy, and how entrepreneurs can best approach the industry to create new technologies and business opportunities in this regard. Speakers were invited by the Stanford Graduate School of Business Energy Club in partnership with the San Francisco-based nonprofit Imagine H2O. Josh Becker is founder and general partner of New Cycle Capital. He started his career in the clean energy area in 1991. From Williams College he went to work for ICF-Kaiser International, a DC-based environmental consulting and engineering firm. After working on Capitol Hill as a press secretary for a congresswoman on the Energy and Commerce Committee, he started his first Internet company in 1994 when he co-founded IntraACTIVE, a pioneering groupware company. He was also one of the first employees at EarthWeb Inc, which went public in 1998. After joint degrees from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Stanford Law School, Becker joined Brentwood Venture Capital, followed by Redpoint Ventures. Craig Criddle is a professor in the Stanford Environmental Engineering and Science program and a senior fellow with the Woods Institute for the Environment. His research focus is environmental biotechnology. Criddle is best known for large interdisciplinary field projects, studies of microbial ecology in bioreactors, and work on microbial transformations of persistent contaminants. Some current projects include a field-scale evaluation of uranium remediation, DNA-monitoring of microbial community structure at full-scale biological wastewater treatment plants, and the development of membrane bioreactors for energy recovery and nutrient removal. To promote science literacy, he worked with award-winning San Francisco cartoonist, Larry Gonick to write The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry. Anil Jha is founder and president of HydroNovation, a pioneer in the development of Continuous Electrodeionization (CEDI) Technology, the most advanced electrochemical water treatment technology in the market today. Jha has more than 30 years of water treatment industry experience. Previously, he worked for Millipore Corporation, Sterimatics Corporation (a venture-backed firm developing water treatment devices for medical applications), Liquipure Corporation (a venture-backed water treatment company acquired by US Filter), and Siemens Water Technology Corp. as director of R&D. Jha has held a variety of positions in the companies listed above, including general manager of Laboratory Water Systems Group at US Filter, and manager of business development at Sterimatics Corporation. Ryan Matley is the industrial portfolio manager for Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s ET program, which leads the industry in identifying innovative and cutting-edge emerging technologies for energy efficiency and demand response. The ET teams are identifying and assessing the next generation of energy efficiency innovations and making them available and affordable for customers. Matley currently manages several energy efficient initiatives in the high tech, biotech, agriculture, food processing, and heavy industry market sectors. Prior to joining PG&E, Ryan was a consultant at Environex, providing a variety of technical and market research results for precious metal refining processes, automotive emission control catalysis, and pollution control from power generation. He holds a BSE in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Gonzalo “G.G.” Pique is president and CEO of Energy Recovery Inc, which developed and manufactures the PX, a unique device that recycles 98 percent of the energy from a desalination plant. The PX becomes the CPU of a modern desalination plant and is the enabling component helping drive a global boom in desalination as an affordable supply solution to the world water crisis. Pique is an entrepreneurial leader who has been with ERI since February 2000. Tom Victorine is the operations manager at the San Jose Water Company.https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/waters_role_in_environmental_sustainability

With numerous examples of success in social innovation from the education sector to draw from, the U.S. Administration and Congress propose to scale proven models of excellence to school systems across the country. This is the opportunity to make a dramatic shift away from the status quo and rapidly transform public education through federal reform.  CEO of NewSchools Ted Mitchell has a conversation with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor Congressman George Miller, addressing a gathering of thought leaders, practitioners and entrepreneurs in the field of education at the NewSchools Summit 2010, an event convened by the NewSchools Venture Fund.  They speak on policy changes and practices that are part of a full-fledged effort to turn schools around.https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/arne_duncan_and_george_miller_-_newschools_venture_summit

Getting businesses, big and small, back into a community and keeping them viable after disaster is an issue that affects the local landscape. As we take part in National Preparedness Month this September, host Karl Matzke, a Stanford Graduate School of Business alumnus and volunteer first responder, has a conversation with FEMA administrator Craig Fugate. Prior to FEMA, Fugate also worked in emergency management at the local and state level and brings insight to his role at FEMA.  He points to resources for corporations and small to medium-sized businesses to prepare and protect themselves from the impact of disaster. For a community to maintain a healthy recovery, Fugate asserts that private and public groups must work collaboratively to help stabilize an environment after disaster.https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/craig_fugate_-_national_preparedness_month

Recognizing that the private sector offers a strong network with valuable resources, the Business Roundtable’s Partnership for Disaster Response has fostered cross-sector and public-private partnerships to help communities in crisis following large-scale disasters.  Host Karl Matzke, a Stanford Graduate School of Business alumnus and volunteer first responder, has a conversation with Partnership for Disaster Response chair and Brinks Co. CEO Michael Dan, discussing the goals of the Partnership, specific ways that Brinks Co. operates to protect its business and key stakeholders when disaster strikes, and how other businesses may adapt their vocation after a disaster. A rapid response is critical, as lives can be saved and damage minimized if programs are planned and implemented with greater coordination — all with a sense of unity and purpose.https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/michael_dan_-_the_role_of_business_in_disaster_response

When disaster strikes, it takes a cadre of people, organizations, and businesses mobilized together to bring a community back to scale.The American Red Cross has engaged businesses in innovative ways to be part of the relief and preparedness efforts. Working together, businesses not only step up with the traditional in-kind and/or financial support needed, they are there to share ideas and solve problems with their expertise and infrastructure. In this audio interview, host Karl Matzke, a Stanford Graduate School of Business alumnus and volunteer first responder, speaks with Joe Becker, the Senior Vice President of Disaster Services at the American Red Cross, who explains how partnerships with businesses can bring resiliency back to a community after disaster — to achieve the ultimate goals of meeting human needs in time of crisis and to return things to normalcy. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/joe_becker_-_disaster_relief_how_can_business_help

In the world of international development, microcredit has become an increasingly important means of poverty alleviation. In this audio interview, Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Ashkon Jafari talks with Nobel Peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus about how he founded Grameen Bank to offer economic building tools for some of the poorest people in Bangladesh. Yunus shares lessons learned along the way, future directions, and what gets him up and motivated every day.https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/muhammad_yunus_-_creating_a_world_without_poverty

From concepts is his book, Market Rebels: How Activists Make or Break Radical Innovation, Stanford Professor Hayagreeva Rao presents the idea of market rebels—those that create radical innovations by challenging preexisting cultural norms. Social movements and activists create social innovation, transform markets, and bring about collective action through techniques that Rao introduces as “hot causes” and “cool mobilizations.” With case studies from the automobile industry, the microbrewery movement, and a campaign from a nonprofit health organization, Rao provides an outline of how market rebels apply these techniques to drive innovation. He spoke at the 2009 Nonprofit Management Institute, an event sponsored by the Stanford Social Innovation Review. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/hayagreeva_rao_-_market_rebels_how_activists_make_or_break_radical_inn 197