Reflections: Let My People Go Surfing (Book by Yvon Chouinard)

"A certain void exists now with the decline of so many good institutions that used to guide our lives, such as social clubs, religions, athletic teams, neighborhoods, and nuclear families, all of which had a unifying effect. They gave us a sense of belonging to a group, working toward a common goal. People still need an ethical center, a sense of their role in society. A company can help fill that void if it shows its employees and its customers that it understands its own ethical responsibilities and then can help them respond to their own."

I believe large, publicly traded companies with their duties are too bureaucratic and bound by the charge of creating shareholder wealth. It's not to say some can't use their scale and dollars to effect great change, but it will be the exception to the rule. Small to medium-sized community-driven businesses are where the real change can happen.

They are connected to the consumer in the sense that customers can walk in and talk to the owner, and that owner can make decisions from customer feedback in a more nimble way. A dialogue can be started between the business and it's core customers in such a way that social cues are picked up from that environment. To that end, the business has the responsibility to set the right social cues.

In particular, garden centers like Chalet in Wilmette, Illinois, have been places the community goes for plant and gardening questions and resources. In this new generation, the responsibility has been elevated. Garden Centers can be the place to educate each individual on the natural world around them so they can grow to respect it. It can create a center for dialogue about best practices for living sustainably and protecting the local environment. I'll be working to create that atmosphere in the coming years and decades at Chalet.