The concept of sustainable development can be passed to the next generation through early learning engagement, a principle that, according to Dr. John Fien, professor of the Sustainability in the Innovation Leadership program of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) of the University of Australia, should be the starting point in education.

“In the Philippines, where not all are given the opportunity to go to school, nonformal and primary education may be the vehicle for change. Education is the way for learning to live together, think in terms of forever and change the world,” he said in an interview with the BusinessMirror at Miriam College.

 “Civil society has the responsibility as a catalyst for change while encouraging government, nongovernment organizations and private sectors in molding people’s sustainable future in a safe environment and a progressive economy,” he added.

To further spread environmental awareness in the country, especially among the young, Miriam College launched the Seven Environmental Principles (7EP) 2008 poster calendar created by cartoonist Jess Abrera. The green-colored calendar is sold for P250 to fund the proposed Miriam College Ecology Center in Tanay, Rizal.

The 7EP was developed in 1990 through a grant from John and Catherine McArthur Foundation for the Environmental Education Curriculum Development Project and became popular with the student efforts of Miriam Public Education and Awareness campaign for the Environment (Miriam-PEACE).

More than 300 local and international educators and students attended the conference and participated in four innovative workshops on environment, women and peace; education for sustainable development; social justice; and poverty alleviation.

Taking off

QATAR Airways’ Philippine chief is happy about the weather.

“It’s good out there, isn’t it?” was Rohan Seneviratne’s first comment to the writer, while he peeks through the light-green blinds of his office in Makati City.

Early learning engagement, solution to sustainable development

The concept of sustainable development can be passed to the next generation through early learning engagement, a principle that,

Winning: Stopping sliders

Q: What do you do about an employee whose performance has declined from stellar to mediocre? I have tried talking to this person, but six months have passed with no improvement in results, and he is beginning to affect the team. Is it time to let him go? Anonymous, Nairobi, Kenya

The Democrats’ Ballot Brawl of 1924

Those TV yappers are in a tizzy about the upcoming Democratic convention. They keep jibber-jabbering about how neither Clinton nor Obama will have enough delegates to win the presidential nomination and they’ll need to woo the high-powered superdelegates.

Sketch of a day

THE ralliers rushed down the short stretch of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue from Boni Serrano Street to Ortigas Avenue, as if they were in a hurry to catch up with a long-lost legacy.

Art of investment

A group of Spanish journalists were huddling around the president and general manager of the Government Service Insurance System, Winston Garcia, just days after having officially launched the landmark $1-billion global investment program.

Online shopping

Online auction and shopping site eBay.com is committed to further connect Filipino e-commerce to the global market through the enhancement of features and functionality introduced last year and with the promotion of transaction safety in its local site eBay.ph.

Winning: This silly season

Q: With the presidential candidates ranting and raving about corporate greed—all the while feeding at the trough—shouldn’t members of the business community be doing a better PR job explaining the basics of capitalism? --Charlie Porten, Weston, Connecticut

Capitalism in an apocalyptic mood

An apocalyptic mood has seized the highest levels of global capital as the global financial system continues to implode. This implosion is but the latest financial crisis to wrack global capitalism. 

Upgrading standards

IRWIN C. Nidea Jr. sought occasions by which he could express himself.

But as a tax lawyer of one of the four largest accounting firms in the Philippines, his venues for self-expression were limited.

How can I do a better job of managing up?

The first step in effectively managing up is accepting that every decision in your company is made by the person who has the power to make that decision, even if he or she is not necessarily the right person or the best person to make that decision.

My blackberry ate my accountability

No sooner is a new tool invented than someone cooks up an off-label use. Sometimes an off-label application improves on the initially conceived one.

Zooming ahead

After his early retirement as the senior vice president for integrated sales and marketing of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., Nicanor Gabunada Jr. is back in marketing as the president and chief executive officer of ZOOmms, a company that is pushing mobile marketing in the country.

Winning: Getting lean in lean times

Q: How do you effectively maintain service levels when you’re headed into a recession? Rob Chiuch, Toronto, Canada

Sterling achievement

Organizing and building a lender from scratch is the wish of any banker. And if he or she is given that chance, most likely a banker will not waste a second in grabbing that golden opportunity.

Tradition in Peril

Much has been said and written about the majestic Eighth Wonder of the World, described also as “stairways to heaven.” But there is more to appreciate in Ifugao than just the terraces. Safeguarding the spectacular rice terraces of the Philippines begins with preserving the culture of those who created them.

Staying with no

No one likes hearing “No,” and few can resist pushing back—sometimes quite persistently. Roger Fisher, negotiation expert and coauthor of the widely influential book ‘Getting to Yes’, used to tell his law students that sometimes he wished he had written a book about getting to no and staying there.

Understanding opposition

Top executives are good at competing, but when they come up against opposition rather than competition, they flounder. The problem is getting worse because, for a variety of reasons, businesses face better organized and more vocal opponents than ever before.

Born to be a hotelier

Even at a young age, Arthur G. Gindap, country general manager of Ascott International in the Philippines, had already decided to work in the hospitality industry when the time comes.

Winning: Money talks!

Q: Bonus time just came and went at my company, and once again I got less than I expected, especially considering my performance review. Do I say something to my boss, or just accept the fact that companies will always try to give you as little money as possible? Name Withheld, Valparaiso, California