Environmental Policy

Hi Everybody!

I don't have a particularly cohesive, well-constructed message today (if ever). Right now I'm talking a lot with folks about the environment, about sustainability, about reconciling the needs of our planet with the needs of business (gee, wonder who's going to win that arguement?!?).

Ben Datema, President of Sustain Mizzou, posted an interesting article, which he wrote, on his Facebook page about Natural Capitalism. Now that I think about it, rather than rambling on about my disorganized thoughts, I'm going to post his brief article below. Under that, I'm also going to paste links to two article that I find very interesting, related to the greening of business (you might need to hold your nose for the one about Wal-Mart -- it pains me to post anything remotely positive about them, but it is a valuable article).

Here's Ben's article:

Business and Environmental Sustainability, by Ben Datema, Sustain Mizzou

It's business versus environment, right? If The economy is growing, the environment must shrink, and vice-versa.

Not at all!

Business and environmental sustainability are both about efficiency--both businesses and the natural world have limited resources. In both cases, we must strive to get the biggest bang for our buck (or load of lumber, or chunk of aluminum, or any other resource). If we are to reduce our negative impact on the environment and increase or positive impact, we must do so by fostering businesses and people, as well as the natural capital that businesses, people, and every other living thing depend on. This is the concept of Natural Capitalism--humanity is not at odds with the enviornment, humanity is a part of it. Supporting the natural environment is the same thing as supporting ourselves.

I found the 4 points below on the Rocky Mountain Institute website (RMI is a world leader in environmental sustainability advocacy and consulting--RMI.org).

The Four Principles of Natural Capitalism.

1. Radically Increase the Productivity of Natural Resources.Through fundamental changes in both production design and technology, farsighted companies are developing ways to make natural resources — energy, minerals, water, forests — stretch five, ten, even 100 times further than they do today. The resulting savings in operational costs, capital investment, and time can help natural capitalists implement the other three principles.

2. Shift to Biologically Inspired Production Models and Materials.Natural capitalism seeks not merely to reduce waste but to eliminate the very concept of waste. In closed-loop production systems, modeled on nature's designs, every output either is returned harmlessly to the ecosystem as a nutrient, like compost, or becomes an input for another manufacturing process. Industrial processes that emulate the benign chemistry of nature reduce dependence on nonrenewable inputs, make possible often phenomenally more efficient production, and can result in elegantly simple products that rival anything man-made.

3. Move to a "Service-and-Flow" Business Model.The business model of traditional manufacturing rests on the sale of goods. In the new model, value is instead delivered as a continuous flow of services—such as providing illumination rather than selling light bulbs. This aligns the interests of providers and customers in ways that reward them for resource productivity.

4. Reinvest in Natural Capital.Capital begets more capital; a company that depletes its own capital is eroding the basis of its future prosperity. Pressures on business to restore, sustain, and expand natural capital are mounting as human needs expand, the costs of deteriorating ecosystems rise, and the environmental awareness of consumers increases. Fortunately, these pressures all create business opportunity.


That's the end of Ben's article. Below are the two links (again, please forgive the Wal-Mart article -- even the devil has lessons to teach).

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/118/working-with-the-enemy.html -- about Adam Wehrbach, once the youngest president of the Sierra Club, now working for Wal-Mart

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/120/motorhead-messiah.html -- Johnathan Goodwin can get 100 mpg out of a Lincoln Continental, cut emissions by 80%, and double the horsepower. Does the car business have the guts to follow him?

Sean Spence
Candidate, Missouri's 25th House District
www.SpenceCampaign.com
seanspence@earthlink.net
573-823-1308 (mobile)