The state of our planet is a dismal one. The issues that we face as a global community are incredible with regard to our natural resources and our planets ability to continue in an environmentally stable fashion. We are at a point in history where it appears that every resource available is in limited and short supply (clean air, clean water, food, top soil, etc). It is my firm belief that the only way to change this direction is through business.
The Problem We Face
We have created much of these environmental issues through business; because of our desire to create wealth and industrialization. While this desire is not inherently bad, it has not taken into account all of the stakeholders in the cycle and its effects on everyone and everything it comes into contact with. Because we are at a point whereby India and China and even to a great extent Brazil, are all trying to industrialize to an incredibly high level, the amount of resources needed will far outstrip our planets capacity in a much shorter time frame than we have been doing to this point.
It is not fair, or realistic however, to tell these countries that they cannot have the things that we as Americans and Europeans have enjoyed for the last 50 years or so. The challenge is not to say no, but to figure out creative and ingenious solutions to the issues we face.
Business is the Solution
Because businesses have less red tape to wade through than government, we can effect change at a much faster rate. While policy is incredibly important to the process of change, it is really the individual businesses and business leaders that must lead the charge. They must find a way to create better products, that are as expensive or less expensive than their unsustainable counterparts and make them better for consumers. We now have an entire planet that is looking to become developed. With development comes consumption, and with consumption has come our issues with the planet. It is not the act of consuming that is the problem though, but rather, the products and services that we create that do not take into account the ability to reuse resources. We also do not use natural resources, such as seafood or energy, with any type of regard for waste. If we begin to not waste what we have and created products that were able to be broken down and reused in different formats, we would be a lot closer to being able to support ourselves on this planet.
Lastly, we have to use the systems of capitalism to our advantage. We cannot continue thinking that competition and consumption is only bad. While personally, I try to consumer as little as I need and not waste resources, telling everyone to do this – how to live – is not going to work. People are accustomed to wanting and desiring things. We simply have to be creative and get them to desire the things that are better for them and the planet, with or without them knowing.
My Contribution to Change
Bamboo Sushi represents an innovative business that aims to do good for its customers, its community, and the environment, while still earning a profit. In order to address the fact that nearly three quarters of the world’s fish population has been severely depleted or entirely fished out, Bamboo Sushi has partnered with the largest and most respected organizations in oceanic preservation. This provides us with valuable, cutting-edge research that we share with our customers. In the pursuit of true accountability, we adhere to the most rigorous, scientifically-based definition of sustainability available, which is vital in an age when the term “sustainability” is being freely appropriated and its meaning diluted. The ultimate goal of Bamboo Sushi is to develop a new model for sustainability in the restaurant industry – creating a system of checks and balances to ensure transparency and accountability – which I hope will be adopted by other business owners, thereby achieving even greater change.
To learn more visit:
The Marine Stewardship Council
Lofgren is the creator and owner of Bamboo Sushi, the first certified, sustainable sushi restaurant in the world, located in Portland, Oregon. Since its inception, Bamboo Sushi has been selected as the best small business in the state of Oregon for both 2009 and 2010. It has been deemed the most sustainable seafood restaurant in America as well, by fish2fork. Since receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, Kristofor has become a dedicated “ecopreneur”, viewing business as the optimal platform to quickly affect widespread environmental change. In creating Bamboo Sushi, Kristofor hopes to educate consumers on the importance of making conscientious decisions about their food choices and the direct impact those choices have on the health of our planet. Kristofor’s ultimate goal is to develop a new model for sustainability in the restaurant industry–creating a system of checks and balances to ensure transparency and accountability–which he hopes will be adopted by other business owners, thereby achieving even greater change.
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