“How do you work in the field of sustainability or environmental issues without getting depressed?”

In an essay published in 1945, Aldo Leopold found that wolves, seen as an ecosystem threat because they prey upon deer (wanted by human hunters), actually maintain balance within the forest, helping the entire system to thrive. When the deer population increased as a result of exterminating wolves in a certain area, plant life dwindled rapidly, which mean that many animals did not have food or places to nest. Leopold found that the wolves are ecosystem leaders who greatly contribute to more positive aspects of the forest than originally thought.

It is easy to think that companies merely respond to consumer demands, but just as wolves shape their surroundings, business choices shape consumer culture.  When a business “does the right thing” and acts in a just, environmentally responsible manner by setting aggressive sustainability goals or mandating company initiatives, those actions affect not only company employees, but the entire business ecosystem–customers, suppliers, and community members.

In 2016, the United Nations Global Compact and Accenture Strategy conducted the largest ever CEO sustainability study also gathering information from over 1,000 CEOs from more than 100 countries. They found that 97% of the chief executive officers “believe that sustainability is important to the future success of their business. It’s 2018, and while the teams that focus on environmental and social issues in companies are rapidly evolving, the principles that guide healthy systems remain the same. 

As per Nikki When someone asks him, “are you feeling depressed about the current state of our environmental situation?” So he shared about how wolves are an integral part of nature and trust that their contributions will continue to serve the planet. He also shared about the many businesses that are developing thriving initiatives that will help to decrease their resource use. He told that these initiatives are not only stemming from grassroots groups of employees, but also from high-level managers who understand that the bottom-line is about more than just profit and are making decisions as ecosystem leaders that benefit all members of their community.

While there are still many obstacles facing the convergence of business and the environment, knowing that there are many smart, motivated people who are in action and striving toward positive change – helps me to stay optimistic about our future.

Source:Triple Pundit

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Picture credit to:Jeremy Bishop