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The recent downturn in the
economy naturally prompts recollections of similar times. Usually
in the midst of a tough period, a “battle cry” emerges
that is quoted and then regurgitated in countless ways through many
forms of communication. Remember these? “Work smarter, not
harder.” “Exceptional times call for exceptional efforts
by exceptional people.”
Despite the doomsayers’ reports, we cannot help but remain
optimistic about what lies ahead. Perhaps it is because, in the
environmental arena at least, tough times have always been the norm.
Making progress in this arena has never been easy, so why should
today be any different?
Consider this adage from days past: “Every problem is an opportunity.”
Certainly
this statement holds true today for both private and public sector
organizations that are forging ahead with their pro-environmental
initiatives regardless of what the current economy has to offer.
In truth, our current situation is actually encouraging renewed
efforts. The current administration’s stance on the environment
has rekindled the fires for some who had become rather complacent
during President Clinton’s more pro-environmental era. For
others, the economy has prompted closer scrutiny of the bottom line—including
the recognition of the positive impact that environmental efforts
can have on it. The debate regarding the Kyoto Protocol has, without
a doubt, magnified attention on the issue of global warming, moving
it front-and-center in the media and, thus, on the public agenda.
What happens in the long-term depends greatly on what we do now
in the short-term. So at green@work, we’ve chosen as our current
battle cry a quote from one of the greatest optimists and thinkers
in our nation’s history, Benjamin Franklin, who noted, “Well
done is better than well said.”
P.S. We are pleased to add to the pages of each issue a new column
by Carl Frankel, a well-known and equally well-respected writer,
journalist and consultant specializing in business and sustainable
development. We think you’ll enjoy and benefit from Carl’s
insightful and entertaining perspective on what is, and isn’t,
happening on the sustainable development front.
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