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Today we have a new challenge: to become a member of the global society in which we operate. But what does this mean? To some enterprises, it is building better community relations, to others it means investing in business sustainability, and to others the challenge involves managing economic, social and environmental risks. Whichever way we define the challenge, we must start with understanding what we need to do to foster the sustainable development of the world’s resources and, ultimately, what we must do to make a positive contribution to our communities. To understand, we need to become more aware of the impact we have on our environment, to become more sensitive to the needs of the communities within our influence and to learn how to contribute to improving the quality of life for all stakeholders. We can start by recognizing what actions we need to take in our homes and offices, like saving power and reducing waste. Beyond this, we can also refine the way in which we approach our projects so that we think and apply sustainability measures. In addition, we can also help our clients by offering services that assist them in achieving their long-term objectives. This is the challenge we all need to embrace to keep us all on the path of economic, social and environmental sustainability. To this end, we devote this issue of Technically Speaking to the theme of “Solutions we can all live with.” The articles featured are a sampling of projects that Golder Associates professionals have worked on throughout the world that have clear “win-win” attributes for the environment, our clients, our communities and other key stakeholders. John A. Wates |
Business management philosophies tend to be cyclical. In the 1960s, successful companies optimized production. In the 1970s, learning organizations developed and applied analytical tools to improve their returns to shareholders. In the 1980s and early 1990s, the key to success was to enhance human potential through creating the right environment to foster ownership and creativity.