The reason I wanted to say a few words about Lunenburg is that the town is an example of how the environment and business are intimately connected.

The tie between Lunenburg and sustainability is that it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and for more than 200 years was the reigning center of the cod industry. Hundreds of schooners set sail every year to deliver salt cod around the world.

The cod population collapsed as a result of overfishing and mismanagement of the natural resource. After 1945, deep-sea trawlers, freezer ships and sophisticated “super trawlers” began to deplete the resource. In 1991, the industry was devastated as northern cod stocks essentially disappeared. Moratoriums were imposed, and now fishing fleets operate on strict quotas.

I bring all of this up because we seldom visit a community that has suffered ecological collapse and rebuilt its economy (Lunenburg is actually in the process of rebuilding). The city is now capitalizing on the fact that it is the best surviving example of a planned British colonial settlement in North America. Established in 1753, it has retained its original layout and overall appearance, based on a rectangular grid pattern drawn up in the home country. The inhabitants have managed to safeguard the city’s identity throughout the centuries by preserving the wooden architecture of the houses, some of which date from the 18th century.

Collectively, there is a prevailing view of a disconnection between business and the environment, as though they exist as separate entities. They do not. There is no business without the environment.

Think of how a collapse in agriculture (or a shift because of climate change, droughts, etc.) would affect your supply chain.

Sustainability is about being proactive in managing resources (including your supply chain) just as you would manage your financial performance.
Perhaps we need a real profit-and-loss statement and balance sheet for natural resources.