FLIRTing with the Crowds

Got on my bike today and shot off for a couple of hours of fresh air on the countryside (Helsinki is rather small and countryside starts a few kilometres east of where I live - which is basically downtown). A few kilometres into the ride, it struck me pretty hard: I’m living in the second northernmost capital in the world (after Reykjavik) and I’m riding a bicycle just for fun and fitness a few days before New Year’s Eve! I hadn’t really even thought about that in a long time but when I was a kid, we used to do skiing trips around the neighborhood before christmas; ten years ago riding a bike at this time would have been out of the question, five years ago it would have been quite rare, but today, I just checked the thermometer and went - without giving it much thought.

So I might as well accept it right away: in my home town there’s gonna be no more white christmas for as long as I live. It’s not a fad but definitely a long time trend and when it comes to snow in Helsinki during holidays, we’re past the point of no return.

Which is why it’s a more than perfect time to look up the new Deeper Luxury report by WWF (although it’s not directly targeted at slowing down global warming). A mandatory read for everybody in B2C2C business, the report outlines green values as being a major shift in consumer thinking and behavior. Furthermore, it provides well grounded rationale for businesses to get green, such as:

1. Operational efficiency gains.
2. Enhanced employee relations, making for easier recruitment, more motivated and loyal staff, better customer service, enhanced learning and innovation, and higher productivity.
3. More welcoming and accommodating local communities.
4. Enhanced brand reputation and trust.
5. Connections with voluntary associations and networks that generate new market intelligence and enable access to new markets.
6. A more secure and sustained supply of raw materials, provided by more motivated suppliers.
7. Improved relations with the financial sector, including responsible investors and lenders.

Go on their site, have a read and spread the word (Bulgari at least is now off my list of ‘presents to girlfriend’).

BTW: The bike ride itself was a disaster: 25 km from Helsinki my tire went flat. Luckily I had bought a spare tube, but after wrenching it in, I couldn’t get the back brake just right and that took some wrenching as well. After a while, I got to start the return journey, but I had stayed put too long and was starting to loose sense in my toes (those tight biking shoes are not made for standing around in 5 degrees celsius…). So in the end I got a cab from a gas station and rode to the nearest underground station…