Here is an exercise for you. Match up the following celebrities and the brands you think they endorse.
(See answers below.)

Recently, the latest Lord & Taylor radio advertisement captured my attention. In the ad spot, style expert and TV personality, Robert Verdi interviews young women about their shopping experience at L&T. While not everyone will recognize Verdi’s name, fashion-conscious listeners will likely respond to the confidence and enthusiasm in Verdi’s voice as he appraises shoppers’ looks. As executives attempt to revitalize Lord & Taylor’s brand, the introduction of Verdi may be a wise choice.

Consider Applebee’s. Wanda Sykes may not be a gourmet, but I bet you know her voice and her now unforgettable line “Get it together, baby!” Let’s face it, you’re probably not going there for the fine dining anyway, but Wanda Sykes makes lunch at Applebee’s sound like fun.

How about Sam Waterston? When you hear his voice you will likely trust him even if you don’t know his name. Why? For many years Waterston has portrayed the noble Jack McCoy on NBC’s Law and Order. He sounds kind, honest and fatherly. Wouldn’t you take his advice? TD Ameritrade hopes you will.

And what about a Bud with George? I’m in.

(Answers: 1. D, 2. H, 3. G, 4. F, 5. C, 6. B, 7. A, 8. E)

We’ve just finished our third revision to our 2007 Baseline Environmental footprint. Finding resources that made sense for our company and our size was an interesting challenge, but we discovered some that worked well and are worth sharing.

To arrive at a baseline footprint we are confident is accurate, we used the 123 page Climate Registry General Reporting Protocol.  With a bit of effort, we felt like we had a complete view of our footprint.  Since then, we discovered the US EPA Climate Leaders program at http://www.epa.gov/stateply.   This has proven to be a good resource for us.  They offer guidance and simple calculators that can help establish your baseline protocol and a tool to help companies track their progress over time.

After we determined our footprint we were able to move forward on reduction plans and efforts to offset some of our impact.

We purchased 100% windpower offsets based on our electricity use for 2008.  Check out Renewable Choice Energy  for help in understanding renewable energy credits and how to purchase them. We’ve decided to offset half our business air travel with carbon offsets through Las Gaviotas.  A group we think is not only doing a good job in restoring the environment but also seems to put a high percentage of the offset money directly into the projects.

Any other recommendations for great resources to help others “green” their corporate environments? Please share.

The first comprehensive exhibition of Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen is entering the American leg of its tour. Patronized by Finland’s President Tarja Halonen, the traveling installation celebrates Saarinen’s brief yet influential 15-year career.

Yale educated Saarinen followed in the footsteps of his father, renowned Scandinavian architect Eliel Saarinen, in designing some of the 20th century’s most recognizable and defining structures. His preference for clean, expansive shapes is embodied in all of his work, from the Memorial Gateway Arch in St. Louis to the iconic “Tulip” chair he designed in conjunction with Florence Knoll (pictured above). With the likes of Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson, Saarinen emerged as a pioneering influence in modern architecture and an integral figure in American postwar aesthetics.

The exhibit is currently on display at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and will be making its way to Los Angeles, St. Louis, New York, Washington, D.C., and New Haven in the coming months. If you have the chance, it’s a definite must-see.

A few days ago,Continuum, in collaboration with I/ACT, the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce and Technology and the Lombardy Region of Italy hosted a unique event at our West Newton studio.. The “Partners in Innovation” event celebrated the start of a closer collaboration between the Lombardy Region of Italy and the State of Massachusetts to create leading edge enterprises and to develop innovative products and services in the process.

Bringing together the best resources of two dynamic regions for mutual benefit is indicative of the new economic reality and the great opportunities of a borderless world.  It is appropriate to note that Boston’s Mayor, Tom Menino was recently in Cernobbio, on lake Como to attend the “Mini-Davos” Ambrosetti Forum.

Immediately following the event at Continuum, we showcased several Italian companies that are innovating in diverse industries–normally not associated with Italy–at the Angel Investor Conference hosted by the UMass Boston College of Management.  These pioneering companies ranging from Achtoons, a cartoon animation studio that creates magical multimedia programming for children; Crowd Engineering and SmartRM, two ground-breaking software companies, and i-m3d, a medical diagnostic innovator leading the way in non-invasive colon and breast cancer detection.

We at Continuum believe strongly in the power of interdisciplinary, cross-cultural and international collaboration to design a better future. We welcome the opportunity to contribute our innovation expertise to identify untapped areas for synergies between the regions and to make this collaboration successful across industries.