sustainability as an all-american value
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Sustainability as an All-American ValueLeveraging the values from the nations founding fathers ask they keys to rebuilding
economic vitality
by Björn Fischer and John Friedman
There is a powerful misperception by many
people that efforts to implement sustainability
represent massive shifts and upending of
business models. Often a successful and
powerful strategy is to encourage people to
back to the documents on which the company
was founded, including letters and even books
by their founders. Many times these provide
the underpinning to their efforts to ensure a
durable business model in the present and for
the future. Overcoming this challenge (thats
not who we are) is an excellent first step
because it provides the needed justification and
incentive to develop new models that build a
transition and bridge that connect their past
with their desired future.
The American model became a world model
and the United States became a world leader.
Over the last few decades, this identification
with its own core values seems to have been
outsourced along with the manufacturing of
goods produced overseas and imported back to
our economy, with a different flavor and lack of
identification. It seems that we have been too
obsessed with consumption, convenience and
comfort, while our consciousness, our
conclusions and our concepts somehow did not
catch up with the rest of the world.
Increasingly, this reduced our self-
consciousness and ideas on how we define and
create new paths in efforts to rebuild trust,
confidence and leadership and we still are
seeking the unity needed to collaborate across
political ideologies and among societal classes.
The challenge in front of us rests with our
combined ability to create a unified vision that
forms the basis (again) for leadership in the
political, economic, social and environmental
realms. This is after all sustainability at its core
it is about long-term maintenance of well being.
Or to rephrase the frequently quoted
Brundlandt definition, it is about finding a
pathway that within a world of limited natural
resources to develop sustainable development
mechanisms that meet the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. In fact,
there are two compelling reasons to act now.
Firstly, in order for us to better and more fully
meet the current needs of a wider spectrum of
society. And, second while only future will
provide us the proof, by then it may be too late
to change the course of action. This exercise
offers a model for American companies as a
whole. This country can look to its foundational
documents and its beginnings to discover why
sustainability, despite the perceptions, is very
much an American value.
Courage America was founded on courage. It
was courage that sent the pilgrims in the tiny
Mayflower across the vast ocean on a quest for
a better life in an unknown land. It was courage
that compelled 56 men to defiantly sign their
names to the Declaration of Independence,
declaring in the name, and by the authority of
the good people of these colonies, solemnly
publish and declare, that these united colonies
are, and of right ought to be free and
independent states. That courage doubtless
accompanied Lewis and Clark set off into
unknown and hostile territory. That is why it is
ironic when people talk about being so far
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behind that they question whether or not they
can catch up with German engineering,
Japanese production and the competitive edge
of the Chinese. Fear of the unknown - or even
the known - has never been the American way.
Creation care Despite the insistence on a
separation of church and state, America was
founded by men of faith who invoked a Creator
when declaring the independence of the
colonies, beginning with the assertion that
people are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights and concluding by
invoking a firm reliance on the protection of
Divine Providence Clearly, then, the principle
of having a direct and close connection, andresponsibility to the creation of a higher being is
not a hard association to make. They invoked
the highest power by appealing to the
Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of
our intentions when they declared these
united colonies are, and of right ought to be
free and independent states.
Certainly those who made their primary living
off the land like George Washington, ThomasJefferson and many others, understood and
respected the importance of caring for the
environment. George Washington took pains to
plant native trees some of which still live
today on his Mount Vernon estate. Despite
the seemingly endless munificence of the new
continent, he also experimented with the use of
living hedges, or dense thorny shrubs, to keep
animals from destroying plants as a way to
conserve timber.
Ingenuity Anticipating and meeting future
demands. The ingenuity of the founding fathers
is evident in the creation a bicameral legislature
the great compromise that reflected the
duality of states and individuals rights to
representative government, the creation of
three branches of government with their checks
and balances to ensure that the president
would never become a king.
Hard work and Determination and more
than a little assistance by the Native Americans brought the Pilgrims through their first,
horrific winter on the North American shore.
Determination, more than skill, brought soldiers
through the frozen nights in Valley Forge and
kept the Star Spangled Banner aloft over Fort
McHenry. Thomas Paine declared We have it in
our power to begin the world over again. And
change the world America set out to do, and
did. Determination and hard work drove the
western expansion over the towering RockyMountains to the golden shores of California.
Determination and hard work were the
running theme in the popular books of Horatio
Alger, whos fiction offered the formula of
pluck, luck and determination to millions of
young readers.
Diversity Both of Americas most fundamental
foundational documents the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution reflect anunderstanding of the power of diversity and
including multiple perspectives. The Declaration
is headed In Congress meaning that the
document reflected the combined wisdom,
passion, ideas and perspectives of a group of
people. The Constitution begins with the
powerful phrase We the people of the United
States deriving its basis from the combined
will of the people within the country. Thomas
Jefferson, in his writings about the role of representative government stated All, too, will
bear in mind this sacred principle, that though
the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail,
that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that
the minority possess their equal rights, which
equal law must protect, and to violate would be
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oppression. The founders recognized, as
progressive companies have, that bringing to
bear a wealth of opinions and differing
perspectives is the key to competitive
advantage. Diversity is key, but participatory
action is more powerful than just being a multi-
ethnic melting pot more so, opinion minorities
need to gain better access to be heard which
has to be strengthened within the corporate
culture of America.
Moral authority An army of principles can
penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot,
said Thomas Paine. The lofty idealism that a
country could find justification based on the will
of a higher power is not new in our nationalmindset. In the very beginning the founders
cited divine inspiration for their desire to create
a separate nation. The Declaration of
Independence boldly asserts that there is no
need to justify their actions to man (even a
King) We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equalthat they are
endowed by their creator with certain
unalienable rights Certainly the moral
authority was on full display when Washington
resigned his commission as commander and
chief, thereby relinquishing his command over
the armed forces that he had led in the
revolutionary war in an act which solidified the
moral principles behind the revolution and
leading the astonished King George III to
recognize Washington as the greatest
character of the age.
Shared fate - The concept of a shared fate wasvery much on the mind of the founding fathers
as they set about to declare independence from
the British Crown. Benjamin Franklin, as he
prepared to sign his name the document stating
that the colonies ought to be free declared "We
must, indeed, all hang together, or most
assuredly we shall all hang separately." The
document famously concludes with the
powerful statement that "And for the support
of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the
protection of Divine Providence, we mutually
pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and
our sacred honor."
Long term vision After the United States
earned its independence, the founders again
convened to draft the Constitution of the
United States. This document remains the
seminal founding document for the nation.
When our president takes the oath of office, he
(or she) swears to preserve, protect and defend
it (rather than the nation). And this documentmakes it clear that the purpose of our nation is
not only for the benefit of our current citizens.
Indeed the preamble states that the purpose of
the document is to secure the blessings of
liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain
and establish this Constitution for the United
States of America.
Pioneering spirit Wagons moving westward
toward California, the farmers and rancherswho eked a hardscrabble existence out of the
western wilderness are not far removed from
the settlers who landed at Plymouth or
Jamestown. That same grit was behind Thomas
Edison as he worked to perfect the
incandescent light bulb through countless
failures. America remains the only nation to
have sent citizens to another planetary object
where they planted the American flag, not to
stake territory but merely to mark theirpresence.
In short, we have a strong argument that the
very foundation of America is rooted in ideas
and principles that support the sustainability
mindset and efforts. Thus we have to come
back to fulfill the first principle of our
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constitution and our democracy - to serve our
people and to provide a vision and leadership
which serves as a catalyst for change.
Björn D. Fischer
Björn D. Fischer is a senior economist (M.Sc. International Management & Sustainable Economics) and
analyst with more than 17 years experience in the private and non-profit sector. Björn advises Fortune
500 companies and other leading organizations from the private, public and non-profit sector on climate
change strategies, including climate neutral services, emissions trading, market infrastructure, carbon
fund investments and its markets. Björn is widely recognized as an expert in carbon offset standard
initiatives, climate change policy, emission brokering & trading, project based investments and emission
credit transactions within U.S. and international carbon markets. His additional expertise includes
environmental liability management, energy management, greenhouse gas assessments within an
increasingly strict regulatory environment around issues such as safety and product stewardship.
Bjorn has been acting Vice President Carbon Asset Management for FirstCarbon Solutions since 2009.
Previously, Bjorn served as Managing Director for First Climate LLC. He successfully launched the
company in 2007 in Washington DC as a subsidiary of the globally expanding First Climate Group, a
leading carbon asset manager.
John Friedman
John Friedman has more than 20 years' experience in internal and external communications and a
decade in the area of corporate responsibility and sustainability. His background includes developing
and implementing effective and award-winning programs that maximize stakeholder engagement,
community relations, organizational development, change management, and strategic philanthropy.
Recognized by Fast Company's Brandfog blog as a thought leader in CSR, Johns insights on sustainabilitystrategy have appeared in the Huffington Post, Forbes.com, Vaultcareers and are a regular feature on
Sustainable Life Media. John authored "The New PR" outlining how companies must modify the way
they communicate to meet stakeholders' changing expectations and has provided several chapters
appearing in PR News' "Best Practices in Corporate Social Responsibility and Green PR." He is also a
cofounder and serves on the board of directors for the Sustainable Business Network of Washington (SB
NOW).
© 2011
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