Forget Copenhagen, what about Castlemaine and Woking? That's where the REAL global leaders are...

Three manufacturing companies in regional Victoria's Castlelmain are planning to make a 30% cut to their emissions. But they're not waiting for 2020 - their goal is 2010. And one of them is planning to double production in their plant at the same time.

In consultation with the CSIRO, they're following Woking's example by using a smart local solution to provide heat, power and cooling from one generation plant.

The Borough of Woking in the UK got completely off the central energy grid, radically reduced carbon emissions - and developed a new, highly profitable income stream at the same time. The person who revolutionised Woking's environmental performance - Allan Jones MBE - has moved from Woking to the City of Greater London.

Whether it's Allan Jones turning around Woking, or Ray Anderson reducing Interface's greenhouse emissions by 71% (while increasing sales by two-thirds and doubling earnings), the story is the same. Smart innovators with determination (and great leadership skills) are taking a sledgehammer to conventional wisdom and starting a "deep green" revolution.

And the skills they used to do it are learned skills. They're not heroes with magical charisma, they're utilising what Richard Hames calls "The Literacies of Global Leaders" to engage motivated teams to make history. The really good news of the past 20 years is how much we've learned - not just about closed loop supply chains and life cycle analysis, but also about breakthrough performance and the art and science of leadership.

So alternate "Natural Capitalism" with "Good to Great", and "Cradle to Cradle" with "The Five Literacies of Global Leadership". Learn the good news stories and tell them in plain English. Give up playing "isn't it terrible" and focus on LEADING the change you want to see in the world.