#23, September 15, 1999
1869. The future looked bleak for Oxford University's New
College Dining Hall. Nearly 500 years old, its massive oak ceiling beams had
succumbed to a beetle infestation. Alas, lumber of that size and quality was no
longer to be found. Quite by chance, however, school administrators learned of
University-owned woodlands elsewhere in England. There they found a stand of
magnificent ancient oaks, which, according to their caretaker, were planted
half a millennium earlier. Those trees, said the forester, couldn't be cut.
They were reserved for the New College Dining Hall.
There are many definitions of "sustainable
culture," from United Nations reports to phrases as simple as "what
it takes to ensure humanity's survival." For me, though, none convey the
power of the idea better than this story. I can't help but be inspired by those
medieval tree planters, by their optimism and the grandeur of their vision.
Creating and pursuing a common vision of the future is
critical to the process of growth and progress, and has become popular with
business and government. Leaders have learned that reaching for a dream can
provide a greater motivation to change than running from a nightmare.
When it comes to ambitious contemporary visions, it's hard
to beat Cisco Systems, the Silicon Valley networking giant who just paid $6.9
billion for Telecom Valley startup Cerent Corporation. Says Cisco VP Don
Listwin: "Our vision is to create an Internet ecosystem that will
eventually connect everyone to everything."
Cisco's vision is intriguing for a couple of reasons. First
is the ecological metaphor. While, in a fundamental way, everyone is already
connected to everything, we have nonetheless been conditioned to perceive only
the separation. Believe it or not, the products of Cisco and their Telecom
Valley brethren could actually help us realize those deeper ecological links
(click here for the pun). Wisely
used, the Internet can function as the wiring of the "global brain,"
a vehicle for an evolutionary breakthrough in worldwide understanding and
cooperation. Now there's a vision!
I think we can pursue that very vision, right here in River
City, by combining Telecom Valley's new visibility and market power with local
innovation in creating a sustainable community. The City is about to begin
revision of its General Plan, and "sustainability" is being
considered as one of its core values. Creating a practical plan requires
business community involvement; the participation of our T-com Valley
innovators would add their much-needed expertise and credibility to the
product.
So what's the next step? Swedish physician Karl-Henrik
Robert' has developed arguably the best program for integrating sustainability
into the strategic plans of private and public organizations. Robert's method,
called The Natural Step, has been implemented successfully by a wide range of
companies, from manufacturing to services to natural resources. These
enterprises, by being "ahead of the curve", enjoy a competitive
advantage as environmental factors increasingly constrain their industries.
In addition to traditional forecasting based on current
trends, The Natural Step uses a business strategy innovation called
"backcasting." This method involves defining a sustainability vision
for the company, then looking "back from the future" to determine the
steps leading to that ideal from today's business. Four very simple but solid
scientific principles guide the business along that path. Want to know more?
You can start by reading the book "The Natural Step for Business," by
Brian Nattress and Mary Altomare (or visit www.naturalstep.org.)
On September 30, an impressive list of Petaluma City,
business, and community leaders will attend a daylong Natural Step workshop, to
learn more about how a focus on sustainability can translate to local benefits.
This session, which is open to the public, will feature Dr. Robčrt and a panel
of distinguished corporate and non-profit sector presenters. To make
reservations, call The Natural Step at 415.561.3344. For more information about
the General Plan effort, email SustainablePetalumaNetwork@iname.com.
As an Telecom Valley employee and stockholder, I invite my
colleagues to join me in finding out how Petaluma can avoid the quality of life
mistakes made in that other valley. Let's plant those trees now, and
make Petaluma a New College Dining Hall for the new millennium.