Ralph Thurm
My blogs
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Industry | Non-Profit |
| Location | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Introduction | Alyson Slater started this blog and invited me to join. Why not share some of my thoughts on sustainable development after having worked in this area for nearly 20 years, as an economics student (who felt his education was just simply incomplete), as an employee of a big multinational company (that tried to figure out what sustainable development meant for them), and finally in various functions for GRI (since 2002). Sometimes overwhelmed by so many different views, details, different priorities and cultural takes on sustainable development, I enjoy really going back to the "heart of the matter", summarizing what we really need to achieve for a better future. As a father of two kids this exercise also helps me to explain why sustainable development is so essential for their own future. I therefore decided to call my column in this blog "back to basics". Other GRI staff will join me to inject some of the newest stories and insights. Stay tuned and enjoy! |
| Interests | To learn with others how the the paradigm of sustainable development can be implemented successfully and to get others excited about it. |
| Favorite Music | Rock'n'Roll music and sustainable development have one thing in common: both strive for some sort of revolution! I always wondered why I have a weakness for both; but maybe that's already the answer ;-) |
| Favorite Books | "The swarm" by Frank Schätzing, "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett, "One billion dollars" by Andreas Eschbach, "The lexus and the olive tree" by Thomas L. Friedman, "The world is flat" by Thomas L. Friedman, "The corporation" by Joel Bakan, "The shadows of globalization" by Joseph Stieglitz, "The end of poverty" by Jeffrey Sachs, "Führen Leisten Leben" by Fredmund Malik, "Access"by Jeremy Rifkin, "The fortune at the bottom of the pyramid" by C.K. Prahalad, "Development as freedom" by Amartya Sen, "An inconvenient truth" by Al Gore |