I wanted to write about sustainability for my first entry of the New Year, and found inspiration from a Christmas card a dear friend sent me.  The front of the card reads “Wherever you stand be the soul of that place,” by Rumi. How 2010, a Christmas card quoting a mystic Sufi poet! ( actually, it was a blank card, with a hand-written Merry Christmas message on the inside.)

Nevertheless,  the message is two-fold and very Aquarian: of the conscience of sustainability coupled with a celebration of spiritual unity. I’d like to make a connection of these ideas to business.

With so many American companies being transplanted overseas, operating often without regard to the environment or to the health and wellness of the community from which they were removed, we can see business sustainability through an ecological lens.  I’d like to suggest that not only can local businesses contribute to the health of the planet by integrating green practices to decrease their carbon footprint, the green movement equally benefits businesses by imbuing a soulful respect for the Earth into day-to-day practices.

How many of you consciously integrate mind, body, and soul in your business language and practices?  Do you sandwich your business life between morning and evening prayer &/or meditation, or do you also make time during the day to center yourself and allow your higher mind/self to participate in your business decisions?

By committing to more and more activities and practices that reduce your company’s waste stream, that lower your energy consumption, that reduce your overall carbon footprint on the earth, you concomitantly engage in a conscious , daily spiritual practice of loving the Earth.

I recently visited the website for the Green Resource Hub of the Finger Lakes .  If you haven’t visited it, you must.  It is a clearinghouse of  resources that “works to nurture sustainable businesses and communities.”  And it does so through collaboration of businesses and organizations whose members care deeply about the Earth.   The site says “The Hub provides education, training, and networking opportunities in the following areas: energy efficiency, renewable energy,  green building, and green purchasing.” 

As more and more organizations, individuals, and businesses begin networking and collaborating to share ideas and resources for a purpose greater than their individual needs or wants, that conscience of sustainability feeds the greater community, and we share the opportunity to become”the soul of that place.”

Best wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperous 2010!


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