One of the great benefits of wearing the hat as a “sustainability writer” is that you learn more about some of the world’s leading companies such as SAP--and understand that “corporate” is not necessarily bad or wrong. Mitt Romney caught a lot of heat last year when he said “corporations are people” . . . he does have a point, albeit for him it came out typically muddled.

To that end, I suggest you listen to this Voice of America broadcast about Corporate Social Responsibility. Amongst the company leaders who share their thoughts with Bonnie Graham, SAP’s Evan Welsh stands out. He talks about his experience working with the NGO ASMARE and http://greengopost.com/asmare-belo-horizonte-brazil-recycling/ (one example of the artwork is above left), and at a higher level, why the business case for corporate social responsibility is a strong one--and is becoming easier to justify. From leveraging its technology to working on social issues, SAP is a CSR trailblazer. The program is long (almost an hour), but well worth your time.

Photo courtesy SAP.

About The Author

Leon Kaye

Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com and its advisory division, GGP Media. Contact him to discuss how he can work with your organization or event. His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR). He writes for San Francisco-based Triple Pundit, Inhabitat and now The Guardian, for which he writes about corporate responsibility, water, and green building. He has also written for AIA's Architect Magazine. Leon works out of Fresno and Silicon Valley, California, and when he has free time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, weightlifting, and planning his next trip to one of the 60 countries he has visited. He has an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Cal State-Fresno.