“In economy, like in ecology, the interdependence rule applies. Isolated actions are impossible.” –John Baden
SouthernEco is committed to our people, our planet, and making a profit. To us, sustainability means modeling our business on the assumption that we will be around for the next hundred years. Taking the next generation into account forces us to evaluate every aspect of our business. Technical definitions of sustainability generally fall into some form of balancing short-term economic development with the ability of future generations to do the same. For us, it means finding creative solutions to interesting problems. At SouthernEco, we keep score using the “Triple Bottom Line”:
People: We are committed to creating jobs in the new green-collar economy so that we can grow as a community and a country, empowering the local economy toward equity and prosperity.
Planet: Nothing in nature is wasted. At SouthernEco, our goal is to do as little harm to our natural world as we possibly can. We are accomplishing this through using recycled materials, building with construction waste, using sustainable energy, and making biodiesel out of waste vegetable oil. Accounting for our planet will also cost our business less in the long run. It supplements our bottom-line contributes to the livability of Montgomery and the healing of our ecosystem.
Profit: We want to make money so that we can grow as a business and continue to support our community and our planet. If our business model can’t make a profit, then it is really not a business model at all. It’s not the focus, but money follows and affirms good ideas and initiative, and we believe we have plenty of each.