You are The System

by Matt DeNoto

Corporations are scary things. Mindless, soulless profit machines that want above all else growth. They’re a bit like the viruses of the financial world, and for the last few decades they’ve been getting their way. Profit and growth have been priority number one, with everything else a distant second, including treating their employees fairly and taking environmental responsibility. They are powerful, and their power makes them extremely intimidating. It often seems futile to try and beat the system.

But corporations are ultimately controlled by people. And that may be their saving grace.

An idea came to me as I read about the recent Chevron shareholder’s meeting, where a small but passionate group of environmental activists tried to bring about change in Chevron’s policies, particularly regarding the legal suit Chevron is fighting in Ecuador over the pollution committed by Texaco, which Chevron acquired in 2001.

Unfortunately, as has traditionally been the case, the great majority of shareholders do not care about Chevron’s pollution in Ecuador and they do not care about Chevron’s commitment to human rights. They care only about the pieces of paper they own labeled ‘shares,’ and how much money those pieces of paper are worth. Anything which might lessen the value of those pieces of paper, be it the cost of cleaning up years worth of sludge poured into the water supply of an innocent village or acknowledging the environmental impact of current practices, is considered to be unacceptable. Shareholders, by and large, have no emotional stake in a company. They do not care if it does business fairly, or if it produces goods the world truly needs in a responsible manner. It’s all about those little pieces of paper.

The thing about it is, anyone can buy shares in a company. I began to imagine a movement whereby responsibly minded individuals banded together, chose a corporation in need of a reality check, and began purchasing shares of said corporation en masse. It might be difficult for the group to acquire a majority ownership, but simply the influence that might be exerted by a group not focused solely on profits could have a very interesting impact on the concept of a corporation as we know it.

Corporations are very good at making profits. And that’s okay. We want them to be able to make profits. We need companies to provide goods and services. We need them to compete and to innovate.

And we need them to take responsibility for their actions. We need them to stop fighting tooth and nail every time they’re forced to clean up a mess they’ve made, and then we need to put in place a system that encourages them not to make any messes in the first place. We need corporations to equate making money with making the world a better place.

We can do it. We can change the system. We are the system.

In case you’re feeling inspired, the web address www.environmentalshareholders.com is available for purchase.

H two uh-oh

great article about water. Click HERE