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Cleveland’s EarthFest 2010 at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on Sunday brought out more than 12,000 people – despite the damp, chilly weather. It was a good day for sustainability communications and education.
And, yet, from an environmental impact, it was far from a tree-hugging utopia. Hundreds and hundreds of cars were in the parking lot (even though admission was free for taking public transportation), there were more than 175 exhibits, made from a variety of materials offering paper handouts, and the cleanup crews were seen regularly hauling large, fully loaded trash bags.
The purpose here isn’t to blast attendees and organizers. It would be hypocritical – I drove there, I handed out and picked up printed materials, and I contributed to the waste stream. It’s just a dose of reality for all of us, as we undertake sustainability initiatives and communicate them. The pursuit of an increasingly sustainable lifestyle is admirable, and individual and corporate commitments in this regard need to be incentivized and celebrated.
However – for most of us, at this time – expecting, demanding and pursuing perfection (zero waste or no environmental impact, for example) is probably not a good use of our limited time and resources.
On the other hand, it can be done, as proven by Colin Beavan, the author of No Impact Man. But, is that how you want to live?
Look back at the December 6 New York Times Sunday Opinion section and you’ll find this headline, “Will Big Business Save the Earth?”
The author, Jared Diamond, op-ed contributor to The New York Times and UCLA Professor of Geography, answers with a resounding “yes” and to make his point, he profiles three companies, Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola and Chevron, which he admits “many critics of business love to hate.” Today, he says, companies such as these are “among the world’s strongest positive forces for environmental sustainability.”
Among his specific comments:
- Wal-Mart is changing procedures, working to double the fuel efficiency of its truck fleet, pursuing a goal of zero packaging waste, and buying from sustainability-managed sources.
- Coca-Cola is committed to fresh water conservation and protection, recycling plastic bottles, and reducing energy consumption.
- Regarding Chevron, he says, “Not even in any national park have I seen such rigorous environmental protection as I encountered in five visits to new Chevron-managed oil fields in Papua, New Guinea.
Whether you’re pro-business or anti-business, it’s an interesting read. It confirms sentiment I heard at the “Business as an Agent of World Benefit” Global Forum at Case Western Reserve University earlier this year.
Business is saying and doing the right things, and it’s making a difference. Even in tough economic times, doing well by doing good is working. Sustainability = Attainability.
