FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 13, 1998
Contacts: Trish Brink, College Relations (860) 439-2508 Randall Lucas, Inherit the Earth (860) 439-2874
MONSANTO RECEIVES ≥INHERIT THE EARTH≤ AWARD FROM CONNECTICUT COLLEGE; CAIRNCROSS SAYS ALLIANCES ARE ON THE FOREFRONT OF BUSINESS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
NEW LONDON, CT -- While industry and environmentalists are traditionally ≥at each othersπ throats,≤ both would be remiss if they did not work together to better both the environment and industryπs bottom line, said Frances Cairncross, author and public policy editor at The Economist magazine, during ceremonies here honoring Monsanto Company for its environmentally-conscious business practices.
Cairncrossπ remarks came during the Connecticut College ≥Inherit the Earth≤ award ceremonies, held annually to honor companies that ≥combine environmental stewardship with jobs, productivity, and profits,≤ according to the collegeπs President Claire L. Gaudiani. This yearπs 1998 Gold Medal went to Monsanto Company, a global life sciences company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, whose mission is to meet the food and health needs of a rapidly expanding world while recognizing the importance of environmental sustainability. The silver medal went to Cortec Corporation, based in St. Paul, Minnesota, a developer of vapor corrosion technologies to limit the effects of corrosion through environmentally-friendly alternatives.
≥This award speaks of a richness of vision, of material prosperity joined with another form of wealth, the natural resources that sustain us all. We cannot ignore the profit motive. Businesses need to make a profit. But they also have the ability to help create a world where jobs and a healthy environment coexist,≤ said Gaudiani, who added that award contenders must be progressing in their industries while reducing damage to the environment.
Monsanto and Cortec meet such criteria, she said. ≥In the developing world, Monsanto is taking steps to develop local economies. In its agricultural operations, Monsanto works to save precious topsoil. With its program of high yield farming, Monsanto provides necessary food while preserving natural habitat for biodiversity. The efforts of 22,000 people of Monsanto have shown leadership in and commitment to ecologically-sound development.≤
≥Awards like this help bring recognition to where weπre trying to go,≤ said Toby Moffett, vice president for international and governmental affairs at Monsanto. ≥Weπre struggling to show that there is value to be gained by doing the right thing. We need to bring people to self-sufficiency and we need to accomplish this in an environmentally-sensitive way.≤
Cortec, Gaudiani said, has also embodied the spirit of the Inherit the Earth award because of its development of Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor technology which lessens the wasteful effects of corrosion on the environment.
It is this type of dual mission -- sustainable development and profitability -- that Cairncross encouraged. In time, she said, Wall Street will learn that industry efforts to combine ecologically-sound business practices with their bottom line will improve their position in the marketplace. Environmentalists, too, should learn that industry can be a valuable partner in achieving their goals, she added.
≥There is room for an alliance,≤ said Cairncross, author of three books, including most recently Death of Distance, How the Communications Revolution Will Change our Lives, and keynoter for the presentation, held at the collegeπs New London, Connecticut, campus. Industry, while oftentimes creators of pollution, are also the ones who can develop the technologies to improve the environment, she continued, adding that these technologies can often save companiesπ bottom line by increased efficiency and other means. ≥Companies are powerful environmental forces because of their reach and durability.≤
Inherit the Earth (ITE) promotes the idea that business can be successful while meeting the needs of environmental sustainability. Since 1993, Inherit the Earth has recognized annually those businesses that are making progress in their industry while benefiting the environment. It is cosponsored by the Center for Conservation Biology & Environmental Studies at the college, which in 1968 offered one of the worldπs first undergraduate environmental studies majors.
Past ITE award winners include VeryFine juices, Archer Daniels Midland, Deja Shoe, and Church & Dwight. Among others, the judges include Peter Thacher, chairman of the Earth Council Foundation, former deputy director of the United Nations Environment Programme, and planner for the Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro; Lucretia Allyn Professor of Botany William Niering at Connecticut College and an international wetlands expert; Andrew Davis, a marine biologist, visiting professor of botany, environmental attorney, and author of the best-selling The Home Environmental Sourcebook; and Richard Goodwin, Connecticut College professor emeritus of botany and co-founder with Professor Niering of the Connecticut Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. The judges declined to award a bronze this year because they believed no applicant was worthy.
(See the Inherit the Earth website at:
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