环境保护阅读材料:第一篇 Passage 1

第一篇 Passage 1

Sound Economy Tied to Health and Environment

By Rodger Spiller

Increasingly, leading companies are recognizing the value of working collaboratively. They are creating new and innovative partnerships and finding better ways to work with existing partners.

Reflecting this, the 1999 US Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) Conference held in November had the theme "Profitable partnerships: building relationships that make a difference".

Introducing the conference, BSR president Robert Dunn quoted Benjamin Franklin saving: "A person rapt up in themselves makes a very small bundle." He said the conference was about making larger bundles.

The conference was held in San Francisco, close to Silicon Valley. This area is home to many companies which, as well as achieving stunning growth in economic activity in recent years, are applying their innovation to embrace environmental solutions. These businesses are working with one another and environmental groups, and central and local government, to steadily lessen the environmental impact of their manufacturing operations.

Chris Elias, director of environmental programs for the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, explained that the group was founded 20 years ago by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard. It represented collectively more than l50 of the most respected private sector employers in Silicon Valley.

These companies had revenues of approximately $US 40 billion on l998 and employed more than 250,000 people—one third of the valley's private sector workforce.

The group's environmental focus is to support a sound economy and healthy environment. Elias said the group saw commercial success still needed to honor ethical values and respect employees, communities and the natural environment.

A 1998 group survey reported that:

11 companies alone saved $9 million through energy conservation;

103 companies saved two million gallons of water a day through the Slow the Flow and Save the Bay campaign;

37 companies reduced emissions of gas pollutants from 1,200 pounds in 1994 to 700 pounds in 1998;

158,000 tons of garbage was recycled in 1998—enough to fill 15,800 rubbish trucks.

98 per cent of responding members actively involve their employees in various environmental programs, such as recycling and car-pooling. Of these, more than half provide employee incentives to participate in these programs.

Nickel and copper discharges into the South San Francisco Bay were cut by 47 per cent and 52 per cent respectively.

Elias said the group was following BSR insights from companies at the leading edge and was conducting internal audits and engaging in extensive dialogue or discussions with “stakeholders”. He concluded with the view that co-operation worked and cited the Chinese proverb: “Those who say it cannot be done should stay out of the way of those doing it.”

Another example of environmental partnerships came from the arrangement between the not for-profit US group Conservation International and the coffee shop chain Starbucks. Conservation International is harnessing the power of the corporate sector to advance its conservation solutions.

It is working with industries that pose threats to biodiversity in order to reduce their environmental impact. It is mobilizing resources from companies who share its interest in conservation. Conservation International is also working with companies to educate consumers and employees about the threats to biodiversity and the necessary solutions.

Conservation International says its corporate partners know that citizens worldwide¬¬¬¬¬¬¬—“their customers, employees and shareholders” ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬—share a common concern about protecting the environment. Its other corporate partners include Bank of America, Ford, Hewlett-Packard, McDonald’s, Mobil and United Airlines.

Conservation International’s vice-president, Glenn Prickett, and Starbucks’ director of environmental and community affairs, Sue Mecklenburg explained their organization’s partnership.

Starbucks has more than 2,200 stores worldwide, 30,000 employees and ten million customers a week. Mecklenburg said Starbucks was committed to a role of environmental leadership in all facets of its business.

Prickett said coffee was one of world’s largest agricultural commodities and was often grown in areas that had high biological diversity but had been cleared for easier planting. An alternative was shade-grown coffee from coffee bushes grown in the shade of existing plants, which were preserved rather than cut down, a method, which conserves the forest and biodiversity. The aim of the partnership between Starbucks and Conservation International was to encourage shade-coffee farms, improve market access and farmer earnings.

The partnership involved a three-year agreement including: Starbucks assistance with quality –control and its coffee buyers working with the farmers and providing advice; financial assistance from Starbucks of $150,000 over three years to Conservation International; a pilot-purchasing program in which Starbucks agreed to buy shade-grown coffee but not to compromise its high quality standards; and an awareness programme with its customers.

The coffee is branded “Starbucks shade-grown from Mexico”. One year into the program 350 farmers have gained access to market and technical assistance, 290,000 hectares have been protected, hits on Conservation International’s website www﹒conservation﹒org﹒coffee are up 35 per cent, and it has received substantial new memberships and on-line contributions.

课文词语 Words and Expressions from the Text

US Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) Conference 美国企业社会责任会议

profitable partnerships 有利的合作

rapt up in… 对……的热情；对……全神贯注

Silicon Valley 硅谷

stunning 惊人的

innovation 创新精神

Slow the Flow and Save the Bay campaign “放慢水流，拯救海湾”活动

recycle 循环利用

car-pooling 合用汽车

audits 审计；经查核纠正的帐目

stakeholder 赌金保管人

stay out of the way 靠边站

Conservation International 天然资源保护国际组织

mobilize 调动

biodiversity 生物多样性

be committed to 以……为己任；承诺

facet 方面；一个方面

shade-grown 阴地生长的；遮阳布下生长的

pilot purchasing 试验性购买

on-line contribution 网上捐赠