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Imagine a company where profits were second to values; where executives were trusted to make deals; and where people were encouraged to have fun. That was how power generation company AES operated — until it all came crashing down, says HOW contributor Marc Gunther. Since then, AES has recovered without crushing its “can-do” spirit and the innovation that made it a success.

These days, big companies are battling over which can be more sustainable. Now, UPS and FedEx, longtime rivals, are going at it. More is at stake than bragging rights. Forward-thinking customers will want to do business with the more sustainable firm. And the environmental back-and-forth ties in to a bigger reputation battle between the two firms, says HOW contributor Marc Gunther.

At the start of 2009, trust in business plummeted from the year before, found the Edelman Trust Barometer. By July, trust levels recovered slightly — but it is far too early to declare victory, says Aron Cramer, president and CEO of BSR. Business now has a chance to write a new chapter and align its interests with those of the public so, together, we can confront the challenges ahead.

The aspiration to create "green jobs" should be seen as shorthand for two public priorities — immediate job creation and long-term transformation of the economy for sustainability and prosperity — and both goals can be addressed simultaneously, says HOW contributor Andrew Shapiro. What we need to ask is: How can we make every industry a green industry and every job a green job?

At first glance, the recent Green Brand 2009 survey appears to tell us what we already know: that it is hard to know much about the “mythical” green consumer. Reading between the lines, however, there are interesting insights to draw from the work. And the results have interesting implications for companies that want to sell “green” products, says HOW contributor Stephen Linaweaver.

Christopher Lasch had it right: We live in a culture of narcissism. Decades after the publication of his landmark social criticism “The Culture of Narcissism,” Americans are more self-absorbed than ever. Consider, if you doubt it, Twitter and Facebook. This way of moving through the world stands squarely in the way of progress toward sustainability, says HOW contributor Marc Gunther.

General Electric is one of the most important companies in America — and its reputation for management excellence means that its ideas spread widely. GE’s recent release of its citizenship report demonstrates that the $183-billion company is becoming not just cleaner and greener, but more open and transparent to its stakeholders, says HOW contributor Marc Gunther.