Greetings.  It's the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and a great time to think about all of the challenges and opportunities facing this remarkable planet we all share. Challenges that will require our strong commitment to rethinking the way we use and protect the resources we hold dear.  And opportunities that should inspire our collective ability to innovate and prosper in new and compelling ways. During the past week of events and media coverage it dawned on me that the earth was my absolute favorite planet.  No place else came close.  Sure, Saturn's rings are kind of cool and Jupiter's moons could give us a bit of lunar envy.  And Mars is a pretty awesome color.  But I've grown very fond of air, water, mountains, valleys, vegetation, humans, other creatures, and being a certain comfortable distance from the sun.  Not to mention the relative abundance of Dr. Pepper, antioxidant-rich chocolate, sushi, and Swedish Fish.

And if you hold a similar fondness for the planet, let's all think about a few things we can do to keep it alive and kicking for a lot longer.  Things like:

• Reducing our personal and corporate carbon footprints…
• Creating new and more sustainable business models…
• Using innovation to unlock new and affordable forms of energy…
• And spending much more time discovering the real brilliance of the earth itself–brilliance that can be a powerful spark for our own creativity and business success!

It's not an issue of politics, but rather a question of common sense for individuals and organizations.  In fact, changing our unique relationship to the earth is quite possibly the biggest single entrepreneurial opportunity of our lifetime.

We succeed in life and in business by preserving our most essential resources and unlocking powerful new opportunities.  Maybe this is a perfect time to think about the earth in a different light.  To change habits, test possibilities, and unlock our real genius as humans.

Cheers and have an innovative week ahead!