Looking for the Silver Lining

Looking for the

Silver Lining

As I sit here a few days away from Earth Day 1995, it is hard not to be discouraged at the prospect that three decades of progress in environmental protection could come to an end. As we have stated in this column in the past, the Republican Party’s Contract With America seeks to block most new environmental and health regulations, to make it virtually impossible to enforce existing regulations by requiring the compensation for loss in property value, and to put industry in charge of policing itself.

These possibilities sadden and anger me, but—ever the optimist—I find myself searching for the silver lining to this cloud of anti-regulatory fever. Might there be some good to come out of this radical pendulum swing to the right? I think so, I really do.

Industry is hungry for profit, but industry is not stupid. Leaders of the Fortune 500 companies are well aware of the opinion polls that continue to show the vast majority of Americans in support of a clean environment. They are also aware, as Joe Romm points out in his new book, (see A Better Incentive for Green Buildings?), that pollution is an indicator of waste and inefficiency.

If government pulls back from its regulatory role, I believe that the more responsible corporations will step forward and begin policing themselves. Industry efforts like the American Forest & Paper Association’s Sustainable Forestry Initiative may pick up where government leaves off—because consumers demand it. Interface Carpet is entering the role of service provider—the service being comfort underfoot (see Forest Products Industry Stretches for Sustainability). This may be the start of a revolution in durable goods manufacturing that does far more to reduce pollution and waste generation than even the strictest environmental regulations—and it will be driven by demand from users and specifiers.

If industry can take pride in improving its environmental performance, who knows, they might just put their hearts into it. David Morris of the Institute for Local Self Reliance, in a lecture a few years ago, described how Toshiba Corporation in Japan put $100 goldfish into the canals that carry treated water from their plant. These particular goldfish have great spiritual importance to Japanese, and ensuring their well-being was a source of pride for Toshiba. Perhaps—just perhaps—if we give American industry the chance to implement and take credit for its environmental performance they will live up to their tremendous potential and ingenuity.

– Alex Wilson