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Perhaps you’ve noticed the change. Your local newspaper now includes a section on the environment, organic foods are proliferating at your local market, a portion of your energy needs come from renewable sources, your neighbor has recently purchase a hybrid electric car, an increasing number of products carry green labels, familiar corporations are promoting a message of environmental sustainability, and combating climate change has quickly become one of our biggest concerns. These changes are all part of what is referred to as the green movement.

Living Green

The green movement is driven by the public desire to pursue a “green” or “sustainable” lifestyle that supports a healthy environment, values local culture, is socially equitable, and economically viable for current and future generations. This change in perception is the result of an increased scientific and practical knowledge of the natural and industrial environment. Because of the ease of availability of information via the internet and other media sources, we have come to realize that individual, environmental, and community health and well-being is a function of the choices we make every day as producers and consumers. Sustainable living, therefore, requires that we change our current patterns of behavior.

Sustainability

In nature, a sustainable system is one in which resources can be recycled and reused indefinitely for the continued benefit of a group interdependent organisms. Applied to human activity, sustainability requires that we eliminate waste from our current system of production, use materials and produce products that are safe for people and the environment, become active in cultural and social life or our community, provide economic opportunity and fair wages to working men and women, and treat all members of the community with honesty and respect.

Businesses are increasingly recognizing the need to become sustainable, however many are ill-prepared for the challenges this presents; frequently, they have no trained environmental professionals on staff, are unable or unwilling to fund environmental strategies and initiatives, or simply lack have the political motivation to improve their operations. Other companies may address their environmental obligations through “green washing”, or the adoption of a superficial environmental image, while maintaining the wasteful and harmful business practices of the status quo. Sustainability is not a trend, as some believe it to be, but a fundamental rethinking of the way we live and interact with our environment with the aim of improving the quality of our lives. Businesses that do not take the measures necessary to become sustainable today, will not be part of the green marketplace of the future.

Elements Naturals™

Elements Naturals™ leads the way in sustainability by making products that are good for both people and the environment. Like nature, we believe in a systems approach to product development, particularly in regard to materials, design and production, our workforce, transportation, and our local community. We realize that a successful business is one that not only provides economic benefits, but also protects the environment.

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed.

~Mohandas K. Gandhi