Beyond definition and philosophy, sustainable development must be
translated into practice. Let's give it a try !
I think any commercial beekeeper is used to manage economics of his
business: listing inputs and outputs; establishing
economic performance indicators; identifying sectors of profits and
losses; distinguishing what is promising from activities that must be
improved. Products/services production cost and selling cost on the
market decide of short term success or failure. Market is your absolute
benchmarking tool, your finality. With regard to Environment, as long as
environmental/ H&S regulations seem to be respected, everything is
assumed OK. In the reality, as long as there is no infraction or
pursuit, it is OK. Minimum conformity is your management, in best cases.
Now you entered into the XXI century. Environment should be integrated
in your management practice. Decisions process should take into account
social, econimic and environmental paramaters. Seriously, do you think
all majors develop sustainable development policy to go back to Iron Age
? Or to be positionned in the global market for the coming century ? Yes
there is propaganda stuffed of buzz words in those policies, but there
is also a necessary evolution of modern, dense and advanced societies
which face competition in a limited space of limited ressources.
So, large professionnal beekeepers (the large ones first, but others can
do it as well) can take their list of inputs and outputs expressed -
this time - in ressources consummed, products, by-products and waste
instead of dollards only, can establish environmental performance
indicators: kgCO2e or ton of DBO5, Ptotal, CDO or any other pollutant
per ton of honey sold, or per $ of gross rate, liters of fuel per $ of
income for pollination, etc. List direct environmental impacts,
according to your common sense and your knowledge, for each item. Now,
you can measure and improve your environmental impact. First goal hast
not change : making money. But you also want to reduce your
environmental impact as being in business. Some decisions are easy: the
less resources you consume, the more savings. But some have to be
balanced between environmental and economic parameters. 2 years pay back
in energy efficiency measures for old motors and honey house insulation
or a new forklift to improve your business efficiency ? Depending on
your sense of community, you may evaluate what you can afford to let the
same possiblities of development to the next generation. Bonus:
democracy will not be threatened by your decision nor by your management
system. That's just progress on its way...
Hervé
Laval, QC
--
Hervé
www.emelys.com
--
http://www.fastmail.fm - I mean, what is it about a decent email service?
******************************************************
* Full guidelines for BEE-L posting are at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm *
******************************************************
|
