Waste Not: Environmental Stewardship for BAM Practitioners

by Mark Polet

“And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” John 6:12-14

I want to focus on the text above of ‘so that nothing may be lost, (wasted)’. Jesus is following a tradition in central and west Asia of not wasting any food. To throw away food here in central Asia, even today, is a singularly bad thing.

Terri and I just returned from working for a like-minded cleaning company that employs almost 150 people; the cleaning staff is mostly women. Lately in this capital city, shopping centres have opened up, bringing a western norm into contact with an Eurasian sensibility. These centres include food courts of which some of you are familiar. The company we serve has the contract to clean the shopping centre, which includes cleaning up the food court and the wasted food left on the plates.

Some of the cleaning women just cannot throw away this food; they break down in tears when they see it wasted. They are following Jesus’ command to the letter. Even when our colleague Enova tells them it is not their fault, that it is the customer that has to answer to God, the cleaning women just cannot dispose of the food. In some cases, they have had to be moved to other duties.

This waste, so new to this culture, is even more offensive when you consider the challenge it is to make a living here, now exacerbated by: poor wheat harvests in Eurasia last year; the inability to plant wheat in the midst of a war in Eurasia’s bread basket, the Ukraine; the lower value of the ruble, which has dragged down the local currency as well; and the loss of remittances sent home by the local men working in Russia and the Ukraine.

Perhaps we can learn from our central Asian colleagues in applying the principle of “Waste Not” to our BAM enterprises as part of our environmental commitment. The first step is to quantify you inputs and your outputs (including those outputs currently classified as waste). 

Then ask these questions:

1. How can I reduce my inputs without sacrificing quality?

2. How can I make my production line more efficient?

3. How can I turn my waste into a viable product and/or

4. How can I turn my waste into someone else’s feedstock?

5. Can I compost or recycle the residue?

 

Environmental Management for BAM Practitioners

In January 2020, a survey was sent to poll BAM practitioners about their environmental practices and the challenges in their implementation. The survey revealed that environmental stewardship was important to respondents both personally and in their business, but discovered that BAM practitioners faced challenges in the incorporation of an Environmental Management System (EMS) in their companies.

One aspect of the ‘Creation Care through Business Consultation’ has been seeking to address this challenge, asking what are the foundational aspects of an environmental management system for a BAM company? What tools would help BAM practitioners develop more effective environmental management in their companies?

The results of this work will be published in a BAM Global report next month, but here is a brief excerpt from this work that we hope will encourage BAM practitioners with their goals to create positive impact on the environmental bottom line:

Key points to remember

• Transformation is interconnected. Social, financial and spiritual impact is interconnected to environmental stewardship. It is the holistic nature that enables to encourage the staff. The four bottom lines are interconnected like the four strands of a DNA molecule. You simply cannot separate one from the others. The environmental bottom line should be given equal weight if one wants to see an impact on the other three bottom lines.

• Look at the bandwidth of the company and its capacity to implement changes. Be sensitive not only to the culture and context of the people around but also the maturity and expertise of the organisational leaders. Do not overestimate their capability but keep stretching them a little bit every time. Develop realistic subsequent plans that are not so high in the sky that it cannot be done or start so small that you have no impact. You should plan to have some impact at least.

• Hire and train people in key roles that are going to be culture shapers and influencers, people who really embody the ethos of what the mission and organisation is about. When you find the right people who connect with what you’re saying and doing, grab hold of them and empower them with the ability to make decisions on their own. Communication is key. Let them know what you expect. Empower local residents and people within your value chain to think critically and help you. That way you will not have to carry the burden alone and be overwhelmed by the task.

• Every effort counts. Small changes make a difference.

For more on this topic, look out for The Environmental Impact: Environmental Management Systems, one of four papers from the Creation Care through Business Consultation to be published by BAM Global next month.

Mark Polet is a professional biologist with over 40 years of experience. Working on four continents, Mark and his wife Terri bridge cultures and traditions with people of good will to serve those who are spiritually and materially impoverished. Mark is passionate about bringing engineers, scientists, and business together to develop solutions to challenging environmental issues. Mark has had the privilege of coordinating the BAM Global Creation Care Consultation. Prior to working in the impact business space, Mark & Terri owned a number of companies, including an environmental services company and an environmental consultancy.