Vermillion Professional Network

The Vermillion movement began as a response to mixed signals coming from competing sustainability groups: some had responded to the growing demand for solutions with worthwhile policy, market and technology tools, but more were trying to capitalize quickly with buzzwords over substance, which was creating a 'fad bubble.' Vermillion saw that this wasn't becoming a mature open project with sensible codes of conduct. It was becoming open chaos. The lack of a common purpose and practice was no longer a healthy diversity; it was confusing people and becoming an obstacle to public and business confidence in any solutions. (BTW: that's bad for ethical consultants who won't support fluffy projects and who then find it harder and harder to make their voices heard over the noise.)

Bringing professional problem-solving into the mix

It's a tried and true method: Identify the problem(s). Understand how they impact the system. Specify solution parameters. Design the solution.

Vermillion founders studied thriving private-sector models for open projects and concluded that a winning sustainability system would need:

1. A community of professionals to bring a degree of logic to this—to create guidance and systems that are generally recognized, trusted and accessible everywhere.
2. Systems to preserve quality, independence and reliability, such as a central not-for-profit body to be an honest broker of information and guidance.
   See Vermillion Institute
3. Systems to promote regional and multi-stakeholder representation in research and development.
   See Vermillion Canada or Vermillion United States
4. Modern communication design and effective local communication channels so quality information can get to business managers and community leaders who want it and need it. See Vermillion Calgary
5. Programs that can attract the participation of researchers, businesses, government agencies, academic institutions and the public.