Page 92 - ECOlogic Book

These are cost-effective and are designed to enhance human health and the
environment.

A new computer network, GLIN (Great lakes Information Network), will help
all of these efforts by providing information on the environment and natural
resources, fact sheets, directories, draft documents for review, and more.

Perhaps in the long run, the most significant of all 1994 initiatives was The
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Ecosystem Charter, developed by the Great Lakes
Commission. The Charter sets forth 17 principles, including such things as
the achievement of the biological integrity of the ecosystem; the elimination
of the discharge of bioaccumulative toxic substances; sustainable use of
renewable natural resources; and cost accounting/pricing mechanisms that
reflect environmental costs. The Charter is a breathtaking document that
deserves detailed reading by anyone who cares about the Great Lakes
Bioregion.

Another initiative, the CERES Principles grew out of the Valdez Principles,
which resulted from the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and has been around since
1990. It is a corporate code of conduct that sets standards for corporations
to become stewards of the environment. They were developed by the
Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) made up of
environmental and business leaders. By 1994, 59 companies had signed,
including, in that year, Sun Oil Company. (Update) when a company signs
on, they pledge to minimize pollution and waste, conserve energy, offer safe
products and services, and use natural resources in a sustainable manner.

Suspicious of the motivation behind a company signing on to initiatives such
as TQEM, CERES, P3 or the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Charter, the question
might well be asked, “Isn’t this just ‘greenwashing’ – an empty promise
intended only to make a company look good, with no intention of carrying it
out?” A legitimate question, to be sure. Environmentalists have learned to
be wary of corporate claims to ecological sustainability, which have too often
turned out to be window-dressing. Environmentalists will have to be more
vigilant than ever to point out the differences. It is not enough for Detroit
Edison to become “Waste Wi$e” while sweeping nuclear waste from Fermi II
under the rug.

But those who engage in P3, TQEM, and CERES are required to submit to a
yearly audit, the results of which are held up to public scrutiny. There are
serious commitments, and often a first step toward an even greater
commitment to sustainability. These initiatives are not window-dressing,
though some may try to use them that way. They are honest efforts
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