Page 93 - ECOlogic Book

between environmentalists and businesses to work cooperatively to bring
positive change. I find them full of hope for the following reasons:

● TQEM, The Charter, GLIN, and P3 are rooted in a bioregional
perspective. This demonstrates that bioregionalism is becoming
widely recognized as a viable approach to environmental problems, a
combination of grass-roots and whole systems efforts.
● TQEM and CERES also require signatories to put pressure on their
suppliers and vendors to become more ecologically sustainable,
resulting in a ripple-effect throughout the business sector.
● An agreement is emerging in the larger culture that there can be no
economic sustainability without the sustainability of the natural
systems on which it is based.
● Ecological principles can be successfully applied to human interactions
(as in TQEM).
● Other life forms are recognized as having intrinsic value beyond their
usefulness to human kind (as expressed in the Charter).
● Voluntary programs are bearing fruit. Coercion is not the only way to
bring about changes in attitudes. In fact coercion may not work at all.
“Major manufacturers are designing recyclability into autos,
computers, copiers, cameras, and many other types of products . . .
Partnerships have been launched addressing materials selection and
use, and these partnerships set a benchmark for future projects with
broader focus on the entire lifecycle, encompassing inputs, processes,
waste streams, as well as remediation.” 106

These are voluntary efforts, and while in some cases they may be motivated
by fear of future regulation or litigation, or simply pandering to the “green”
market, they often come from a vision of a sustainable future which is now
entering the culture as a whole. If we can build on that, we might possibly
be able to move beyond the notion of finding ways to continue “business as
usual” in the face of environmental disaster, to “totally new ways of doing
business” that will not disadvantage the natural world or future generations.

Many are finding hope in that, and an optimism that energizes them to blur
the line of antagonism between business and ecology. It feels strange, and
full of pitfalls, as new territory always does, and there is the danger of
thinking that there is no more work to be done. These efforts are modest
beginnings. An enormous amount remains to be done. But the promise is

106 Council of Great Lakes Industries: Partnerships for Sustainability.

93