Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia recently delivered a series of inspiring, terrifying and otherwise insightful anecdotes at the Sustainable Oregon Awards sponsored by the Portland Business Journal.
More than once he reiterated the point that we cannot avoid doing harm as we go about our business-going as far to say that there was “no such thing as sustainability.” Ponder that one for awhile. What is “harm?” What is “sustainability?” What the heck is that crusty, old surfer rock climber on about?
The terrifying portion of his talk came in the form of the fabric of our lives, cotton. Chouinard recounted how Patagonia researched the production of cotton and discovered a number of unsettling things. Describing one cotton growing area of California as a “dead zone”, he described a large area of drainage near the fields that was so fouled by the chemical runoff from the farms that men with shotguns were employed to prevent waterfowl from landing. The cancer rate in that particular area is also 10 times the average for that region.
What inspired was to hear him talk about how work is interwoven with the eco-systemic rhythms around the Patagonia offices. When it snows its time to ski. When the surf’s up its time to surf. Work happens in between and people deliver results. Now that’s what I call “work/life balance.”
He ended by talking a little about the consulting work they are doing for Wal-Mart as they endeavor to develop a more sustainable business and an index to help consumers buy “green.” Chouinard was emphatic that we cannot wait for the government or the consumer to tell you what to do. We have to be bold and create the organizations, communities and future that we want.
So, there you go. There’s no such thing as sustainability. But, there is good business and, clearly, we can cause a great deal of harm. Now, how can we be better?
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