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<p class=MsoNormal>Big business and big government suffer from the same inherent
flaw – ignorance -- that is lack of information needed for sound decision
making. Information for good decisions is possessed at the individual
level, not at the top of hierarchical, politicized, centers of decision-making
power such as corporate boards, elected or appointed governmental positions or management
of public, private, for profit or not for profit entities. People who
populate these centers of power are no better qualified by experience or
character to make decisions than the individuals who have to bear the
consequences of those decisions. Because they have less information and
because they do not have to bear the consequences, they are even less qualified
to make decisions. As many decisions as possible should be kept out of
the hands of big gov and big biz and placed as near as possible to the
individual. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>It should be a matter of good public policy and sound corporate
management that public officials and corporate managers work to reduce the size
of governmental and corporate entities and to decentralize power whenever possible.
<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='layout-grid-mode:char'><u><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p><span
style='text-decoration:none'> </span></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Engravers MT","serif";
font-variant:small-caps;color:#1F497D;letter-spacing:.1pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Engravers MT","serif";
color:#1F497D;letter-spacing:.9pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Engravers MT","serif";
color:#1F497D;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.9pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> okc-bounces@sustainableokc.org
[mailto:okc-bounces@sustainableokc.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Shauna Struby<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Sunday, December 06, 2009 9:19 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> okc@sustainableokc.org; ok-sus@lists.oksustainability.org<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [OKC] Will big business save the earth?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif"'>Excellent
opinion piece entitled “Will Big Business Save the Earth?”in
today’s NY Times from Jared Diamond, professor of geography at the
University of California at Los Angeles, and author of “Guns, Germs and
Steel,” and “Collapse” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif"'>December
6, 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif";
color:#666666;text-transform:uppercase'>Op-Ed Contributor<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.8pt;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif"'>Will Big Business
Save the Earth? <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif"'>By
JARED DIAMOND<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:14.4pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif";
color:black'>Los Angeles<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:14.4pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif";
color:black'>THERE is a widespread view, particularly among environmentalists
and liberals, that big businesses are environmentally destructive, greedy, evil
and driven by short-term profits. I know — because I used to share that
view. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:14.4pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif";
color:black'>But today I have more nuanced feelings. Over the years I’ve
joined the boards of two environmental groups, the World Wildlife Fund and
Conservation International, serving alongside many business executives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:14.4pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif";
color:black'>As part of my board work, I have been asked to assess the
environments in oil fields, and have had frank discussions with oil company
employees at all levels. I’ve also worked with executives of mining,
retail, logging and financial services companies. I’ve discovered that
while some businesses are indeed as destructive as many suspect, others are
among the world’s strongest positive forces for environmental
sustainability.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:14.4pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif";
color:black'>The embrace of environmental concerns by chief executives has
accelerated recently for several reasons. Lower consumption of environmental
resources saves money in the short run. Maintaining sustainable resource levels
and not polluting saves money in the long run. And a clean image — one
attained by, say, avoiding oil spills and other environmental disasters —
reduces criticism from employees, consumers and government. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif"'>Other
highlights:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraph style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-right:6.0pt;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:14.4pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:black'><span style='mso-list:
Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span></span><![endif]><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Corbel","sans-serif";color:black'>In view of all those advantages that
businesses gain from environmentally sustainable policies, why do such policies
face resistance from some businesses and many politicians? The objections often
take the form of one-liners.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;
line-height:150%;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Courier New"'><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>o<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span></span><![endif]><span class=italic><i><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif";color:black'>We have
to balance the environment against the economy.</span></i></span><i><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif";
color:black'> The assumption underlying this statement is that measures
promoting environmental sustainability inevitably yield a net economic cost
rather than a profit. This line of thinking turns the truth upside down.
Economic reasons furnish the strongest motives for sustainability, because in
the long run (and often in the short run as well) it is much more expensive and
difficult to try to fix problems, environmental or otherwise, than to avoid
them at the outset.</span></i><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:
150%;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraph style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-right:6.0pt;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:
150%;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'><span style='mso-list:
Ignore'>o<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><i><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif";
color:black'>Technology will solve our problems. Yes, technology can contribute
to solving problems. But major technological advances require years to develop
and put in place, and regularly turn out to have unanticipated side effects
— consider the destruction of the atmosphere’s ozone layer by the
nontoxic, nonflammable chlorofluorocarbons initially hailed for replacing
poisonous refrigerant gases.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraph style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-right:6.0pt;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:
150%;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'><span style='mso-list:
Ignore'>o<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><i><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif";
color:black'>World population growth is leveling off and won’t be the
problem that we used to fear. It’s true that the rate of world population
growth has been decreasing. However, the real problem isn’t people
themselves, but the resources that people consume and the waste that they
produce. Per-person average consumption rates and waste production rates, now
32 times higher in rich countries than in poor ones, are rising steeply around
the world, as developing countries emulate industrialized nations’
lifestyles. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraph style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-right:6.0pt;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:
150%;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'><span style='mso-list:
Ignore'>o<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><i><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif";
color:black'>It’s futile to preach to us Americans about lowering our
standard of living: we will never sacrifice just so other people can raise
their standard of living. This conflates consumption rates with standards of
living: they are only loosely correlated, because so much of our consumption is
wasteful and doesn’t contribute to our quality of life. Once basic needs
are met, increasing consumption often doesn’t increase happiness.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif"'>Full
opinion piece here :::</span> <span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif"'><a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/opinion/06diamond.html?_r=1&hp">http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/opinion/06diamond.html?_r=1&hp</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";
color:black'>Shauna, OKC<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i><span style='font-size:8.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:"Arial Narrow","sans-serif"'>Imagine, innovate,
create, collaborate<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><span style='font-size:8.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:"Arial Narrow","sans-serif";color:#365F91'><a
href="http://www.sustainableokc.org"><span style='color:#365F91;text-decoration:
none'>www.sustainableokc.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><span style='font-size:8.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:"Arial Narrow","sans-serif";color:#365F91'><a
href="http://www.transitiontownokc.com"><span style='color:#365F91;text-decoration:
none'>www.transitiontownokc.com</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><span style='font-size:8.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:"Arial Narrow","sans-serif";color:#365F91'><a
href="http://www.goinglocalokc.com"><span style='color:#365F91;text-decoration:
none'>www.goinglocalokc.com</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><span style='font-size:8.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:"Arial Narrow","sans-serif";color:#365F91'><a
href="http://thinklady.typepad.com%20/"><span style='color:#365F91;text-decoration:
none'>http://thinklady.typepad.com /</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><span style='font-size:8.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:"Arial Narrow","sans-serif";color:#365F91'><a
href="http://freshgreens.typepad.com/"><span style='color:#365F91;text-decoration:
none'>http://freshgreens.typepad.com/</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:Webdings;
color:green'>P</span><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:navy'> </span><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:8.0pt;color:green'>please
don't print this e-mail unless you really need to</span><span style='font-family:
"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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