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Message from the President - Spring 2010
In the New York Times article “Will Big Business Save the Earth?” author Jared Diamond begins by stating that “there is a widespread view, particularly among environmentalists and liberals, that big businesses are environmentally destructive, greedy, evil and driven by short-term profits.” He confesses he knows this because he used to share that view. Nowadays, however, Mr. Diamond maintains a significantly different stance. He goes on to present various cases in which big business is leading the way in developing new sustainable energy sources, advancing materials recycling and reuse, and developing and practicing new approaches in water conservation. Mr. Diamond now sits on a number of conservation nonprofit boards alongside industry leaders, allowing him to see that many of these company executives are the reason for much of the progress being made in designing ways and means for sustaining the earth, while maintaining a quality of life that is rich and rewarding. Of course, this is not a revelation for those involved with the Wildlife Habitat Council, since the membership of WHC has been pushing the envelope on improved natural resources conservation from its very beginning in 1988, as well as providing increased opportunity and service to those in their workforce and communities. WHC members, including the corporations and conservation nonprofits, along with our partners from government, universities and individuals, will continue to push the envelope to find practical and meaningful ways to meet the growing needs in natural resources conservation. It is not unusual to see press highlight the efforts of WHC members in environmental management, as is evidenced by stories posted on our website. I encourage you to visit WHC’s website to learn more about the commitment and actions taken by the WHC membership to increase valuable wildlife habitat, and to foster the design and delivery of educational programs aimed at improving the knowledge and skills of learners eager to make the changes needed to meet the sustainable benchmarks for a healthy and vibrant place to live. One of the most productive ways for WHC to highlight the importance of sustaining the planet is to continue to develop information forums, like the one we will host June 24-25, in If you have information and wish to share it with the participants, we encourage you to use the limited exhibition space, as well as participate in the interactive dialog. We encourage all who are working to develop internal procedures for your companies to join the conversation by attending and signing up for one of the three committees that have been assembled to lead WHC in this multi-year information exchange. In closing, I wish to encourage all land management organizations to join the evolving membership of WHC. Become recognized as one of the elite organizations that are changing the public opinion away from the historic view of companies that Jared Diamond spoke of, and is pushing the envelope of productive change for the benefit of human and natural life. I recently learned that our past Chairman, Émer ÓBroin, Vice President of Environment, Health, and Safety, and Human Rights of Monsanto Company, received the Global Citizenship Award from Orphans International, for what she dubbed “a crazy idea” – donating hybrid seed corn to Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. As a result of Monsanto’s donation of 700 tons, enough corn was harvested to feed one million Malawians for one year. This is characteristic of the company approach to solving huge problems in human nutrition and scarcity of natural resources, which underscores Jared Diamond’s closing statement: “…we should get over the misimpression that American business cares only about immediate profits, and we should reward companies that work to keep the planet healthy.” Sincerely,
Robert Johnson |
