Getting businesses on the side of Nature

On 06/22/07 RTSea wrote: One of the challenges we face is re-orienting the thinking of governments and industry regarding the economic impact of environmental issues. It is one thing to weigh differing business ideas and say this one is the better choice economically; the other will have to wait. But Nature does not work that way: Nature does not say, okay, since it will hurt you economically, we will just magically maintain the fish count even though you are overfishing the species. Or, sure, let us just put off the effects of global warming until you all figure out when it would be the most convenient time to deal with it.

There is an interesting trio of articles in the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine (Issue no. 1029). First, an interview with Al Gore that is enlightening and, in many ways, optimistic. The second article goes after the positions and steps taken by the current U.S. administration regarding global warming. Depending on your political persuasion, you can take it for gospel or with a grain of salt, but there is no denying that the current administration has not made great strides in dealing with environmental issues. The third article, titled "What Must Be Done", addresses just how businesses and government can turn "green" into gold, that the so-called negative impact of addressing environmental issues has more to do with a mental mindset that prefers the status quo. The same inventive, pioneering spirit that put a man on the moon - and gave us everything from velcro to advanced computers - needs to be reawakened to address the issues facing this planet.