Viewpoint

A Balancing Act: Economic Development / Environmental Stewardship

What a difference a year makes. Today, even many of those who most vocally scoffed at the concept are now warning that global warming is real and poses a threat to our economy, our national security and our health. Reasonable folks will disagree about the causes of global warming, but not about its existence. Not since the Cuyahoga River caught fire in Cleveland in the 1960s has the environmental movement been thrust into the mainstream of American thinking in such a significant way. Whatever you may think about Al Gore, this is an issue that transcends politics and ideology.

The great challenge of this century will be finding a way for the planet's billions of inhabitants to enjoy steadily improving economic conditions while reversing the impact economic growth is having on the environment. If we can't find a way to achieve both of these objectives at the same time, the history of the Twenty First Century could be written in wars, famines, forced migrations and other human tragedies beyond anything we've ever seen.

With stakes this high, it easy to be overwhelmed with the challenge at hand. But individuals, communities and businesses are responding in their own ways. From reducing their demand for electrical energy by replacing inefficient incandescent light bulbs with high-efficiency fluorescent bulbs, to retooling whole manufacturing operations to reduce VOC emissions and cut energy usage, people acknowledge that we all have a responsibility to do something.

One major way that individuals and organizations are doing something is by being smarter, more environmentally responsible consumers. Few forces ever created by man can compare to the power of the marketplace. And when the market begins to demand fuel efficient cars, alternative fuels, fully recycled as well as recyclable products, and a million other products that reduce our “carbon footprint,” then profound change will happen. Innovative, responsive (and responsible) businesses are already pressing ahead full throttle to bring to the market new products and services designed to satisfy the customers' concerns about the globe as well as their personal needs.

Of course, there are going to be many cases where producers exploit the market and claim to be “green” when they are anything but. But ultimately the market demand for environmentally benign products will be one of the most important forces for slowing and reversing this impending environmental disaster – maybe the most important.

If business and industry can respond to this new market reality with new products and processes that are truly good for the planet and good for their customers, a real opportunity exists to achieve balance between creating economic growth and serving as responsible environmental stewards.

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