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As environmental consultants, we are often asked the seemingly simple question of “why?”.
“Why must I undertake environmental monitoring?”
“Why do I need an approval for this?”
“Why do I need my waste to be classified?”
These are some examples that all relate to the ultimate question, which is “why should we look after the environment?”.
The answers range from ethical, moral, economic, legal, cultural or (often) a combination of the above! People often think of compliance with the law as the main driver, but in this article we examine a few key reasons why people and businesses should care for their environment, beyond just meeting their basic legal obligations.
1. A healthy environment means healthy people
Quality of life is influenced by many factors, including relationships, socio-economic status, and the surrounding environment. Fresh air, clean water, and access to nature can all improve one’s quality of life and they are therefore critical to our wellbeing. In fact, several studies have even observed a link between access to nature and improved mental health, as well as the obvious physical benefits such as increased fitness and lowered disease risk. Healthy local environments result in strong biodiversity (good for gardens!), visual amenity (good for house prices!), and opportunities for outdoor recreation.
So, in addition to being a legal requirement, by managing and monitoring our environmental impacts, we are actively contributing to the health of ourselves, our family and community.
For example, analysing water that is discharged from a site is important because it determines whether this water could pollute the area it is released into.
The fact is; that stormwater drain leads to your favourite swimming, fishing or kayaking spot – so whatever you put down the drain will be back in your body in no time! tweet
In some cases, polluted areas can be cleaned up, but it usually takes a lot of time, coordination and money (for a great local example, see the Swimmable Parramatta River 2025 Plan).
2. Sustainability makes good financial sense
Often, good environmental practices and sustainability are seen as being too difficult or costly to implement, and are ignored by both individuals and businesses. However, there can be direct economic benefits, avoided costs and solid returns on investment.
One simple environmentally beneficial way to reduce costs is by encouraging energy efficient practices such as switching off devices that aren’t in use, and using more energy efficient appliances. Other methods to reduce costs that are relatively easy to implement include reducing resource use (e.g. only printing documents when absolutely necessary) and encouraging teleconferences, rather than using vehicles to always meet in person. Don’t be daunted by the task either! The key is to start making small changes and gradually expand from there (PS: keep an eye on our blog for our 2017-18 sustainability report coming soon, to learn more about how 4Pillars integrates sustainable business practices into our work).
Avoided costs are also a relevant consideration. By implementing the right measures to reduce environmental impacts, it is less likely that a harmful environmental issue could arise (which could be both dangerous and costly to manage!). Although environmental protection measures have initial costs, the benefits of risk management, less attention from regulators, reduced fees, a lower likelihood of fines, and a positive response from consumers – outweigh these costs in the long run.
Avoided costs are also relevant in relation to ecosystem services – which are the services and value nature provides to us for free. Some examples include water purification, pollination and nutrient recycling. If we had to do these things ourselves, it would add trillions of dollars to operating costs of businesses and societies around the world. It really does pay to look after the plants, bees and earth systems, so they keep doing these things for us and not asking for a paycheck!
3. Your customers, friends and family care
Globally, we are seeing a continued increase in awareness of environmental issues, just look at movements against plastic, anti-poaching, organic food and carbon footprint analysis.
Many consumers prefer to buy from businesses that are environmentally conscious and are willing to pay more for products with good environmental credentials. By making your business more environmentally friendly and then actively promoting this, you can create a real point of difference – setting yourself apart from competitors and attracting new customers.
Society as a whole will keep moving towards better practices and it will be important for individuals to be open to change, to maintain a sense of social belonging. Intergenerational equity also comes into play here, with younger generations more likely to experience the negative consequences of environmental damage than those who caused the problems. Even though we may not understand the complete consequences of our actions, if we do not act now to protect the environment, then our children will be unfairly impacted.
4. Because the environment underpins our society and economy
Our society and economy are totally reliant on a stable, healthy, functional environment. Everything you eat, wear or use has come from a natural resource, either renewable or non-renewable.
Food (and wine!) production in particular have a direct link to environmental health. If the land or water we use to grow food is polluted or degraded in any way, this will impact the quality and quantity of food available. These impacts are likely to be passed through to the consumer, with higher prices for inferior products. As mentioned previously, a healthy environment means healthy people, which also reduces medical costs and burden on society.
The degree of connection between the ‘four pillars’ (environment, society, economy and equity) cannot be understated. For people to thrive, we need all four to be strong and sustainable. tweet
We hope this brief summary has shone a light on a few reasons to look after the environment and encourages you to consider ways you or your business can be more environmentally friendly. This is certainly not an exhaustive list, and we would love to hear your thoughts on why you care for the environment. Post a comment below, check out our website and give us a call to have a chat about some of the ways we can help you achieve your environmental sustainability goals.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence.
