25 YEARS OF MAKING A DIFFERENCE ENVIRONMENTAL RESPECT 2O15
By Michael DeLuca Chief Digital Officer, Meister Media Worldwide
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HIS YEAR, THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESPECT AWARDS (ERA) PROGRAM TURNS 25, an accomplishment in itself, as is the remarkable partnership forged and strengthened between Meister Media’s CropLife®
and FCI magazines and DuPont Crop Protection. That partnership endures because both organizations have a profound and
unshakable commitment to environmental stewardship, sustainability, and community out- reach and involvement. Those attributes are more than aspirational; we live them every day through our words and our actions. The Environmental Respect Awards have been and will continue to be the embodiment
of those ideals as it provides the mechanism whereby agricultural retailers and distributors worldwide receive recognition and honor for their work to provide safe and secure work- places, protect the environment and become models of best practices within their industry and in their communities. The program began in 1991 as a U.S.-based effort and since then has expanded into a
truly global program that honors outstanding achievement from farm businesses in four re- gions: North America (U.S. and Canada), Latin America, Asia Pacific and Europe/Middle East/Africa. One operation from each region will carry the title of Ambassador of Respect, in this, the first year that the ERA has evolved into a truly global recognition program. But as I reflect on the more than 7,000 operations who have participated over the years,
what comes to mind is the pride that is expressed in those words and pictures as those op- erations vie for global recognition. Win or not, each of the businesses that have entered the program believes that they have made a difference in their community and in agriculture. For those who are skeptical of an individual’s ability to make a difference in his or her
environment and industry, I offer this story: Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He
had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to
himself, happy to see someone who could dance and enjoy the day. He began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but in-
stead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer he called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?” The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish into the ocean.” “I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?” “The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don’t throw them in they’ll die.” “But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all
along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!” The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it past
the breaking waves into the sea, and said “It made a difference for that one.” And if through those efforts just one fewer child goes hungry tomorrow, rest assured . . .
we have made a difference! July 2015
ENVIRONMENTALRESPECT.com 5
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