SYMP 22-2
Earth stewardship: Industry, communities and the dialogues for applied ecology
Too often ecologists are seen as contrarians to business goals and needs. This juxtaposition of “tree-huggers” and “land-grabbers” does not foster collaboration and cooperation towards solving today’s natural resource problems. Somewhere along our history, business and ecology became separate: as populations grew, as needs blossomed, as technology improved, man became more removed from his environment. Today, more than ever, we need to find ways to collaborate and demonstrate the value derived from sound ecological principles. One tool ecologists can use to illustrate these values to business is that of Ecosystem Services. This framework transcends the traditionally separate focuses of human versus environmental well-being. Those passionate about business and growth of their industry are becoming educated in a new paradigm of “industrial ecology”; there is a shift from ‘being separated to being interconnected; from EGO to ECO. We must embrace a new definition of evolution – not a competitive struggle for gain, and success, but rather a creative, collaborative elevation of society along with the natural environment. How can we as ecologists lead the way into this new world view?
Results/Conclusions
Ecological Services have added values to businesses and governmental agencies for decades. How have we proven it? Washington state proclaims that since 2005, Pollution Prevention Planning saved business over 56 million dollars! Through investing in technologies and processes that meet or supersede agency regulations for air, water, solid waste limitations, and energy consumption, companies become more profitable. In Utah, the analysis of an investment of 7.5 million dollars over three years in cleaning up an invasive carp species from Utah Lake shows return environmental benefits of 94.3 million dollars over the next 20 years! In Denmark, in the small town of Kalundborg, about 90 facilities entered into partnerships and identified nearly 50 by-products that could be used by their new partners. This reduced land fill, hazardous waste, transportation costs, energy consumption, and new product production and shipping. This echoes of the intent of Fritjof Capra when he referred to evolution as “a cooperative dance in which creativity and the constant emergence of novelty are the driving forces.” Industry functionss much like an ecosystem. Treating it as such can bring humans back to the interconnected-ness rather than the separated-ness that we have become.