Comments on: Future of Environmental Auditing http://www.futurist.com/2007/09/06/future-of-environmental-auditing/ Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:40:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Glen Hiemstra http://www.futurist.com/2007/09/06/future-of-environmental-auditing/#comment-17237 Glen Hiemstra Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:52:46 +0000 http://www.futurist.com/2007/09/06/future-of-environmental-auditing/#comment-17237 Mark, Thanks for your response. Monetizing these hidden and "external" costs is always a controversial issue, but in an ideal world would be done. By the way, check out our new YouTube site: www.youtube.com/futuristtube, and the videos there. Also, the September 10 2007 blog entry on the Future of Housing is related. Mark,

Thanks for your response. Monetizing these hidden and “external” costs is always a controversial issue, but in an ideal world would be done.

By the way, check out our new YouTube site: http://www.youtube.com/futuristtube, and the videos there. Also, the September 10 2007 blog entry on the Future of Housing is related.

]]> By: Mark Safford http://www.futurist.com/2007/09/06/future-of-environmental-auditing/#comment-16697 Mark Safford Sat, 15 Sep 2007 15:03:15 +0000 http://www.futurist.com/2007/09/06/future-of-environmental-auditing/#comment-16697 Thank you, Glen, for continuing to point out to perceptive readers that our affluence does not come without a price. As we have benefited from 'modernization' for the past few decades, we have also been unwittingly poisoning our environment and subtly changing our own values structure to assume that the continued desire for 'bigger' everything is in fact what is best for us. It is not. And increasing evidence - such as the disappearance of clean water sources around the globe and the build-up of flame retardant chemicals in our food chain, greenhouse gases in our atmosphere and solid waste in our rapidly-filling dumps - is evidence of that fact. Perhaps one approach is to accurately monetarize the negative costs of these events in dollar terms through EHS audits, so that a true cost-benefit analysis can reveal the total cost we are paying for these 'lifestyle improvements'. We would quickly learn that they are not actually 'benefits' after all. I fear that many people will only respond when they can see the true dollar cost of their lifestyles to themselves and their society. Thank you, Glen, for continuing to point out to perceptive readers that our affluence does not come without a price. As we have benefited from ‘modernization’ for the past few decades, we have also been unwittingly poisoning our environment and subtly changing our own values structure to assume that the continued desire for ‘bigger’ everything is in fact what is best for us.

It is not. And increasing evidence - such as the disappearance of clean water sources around the globe and the build-up of flame retardant chemicals in our food chain, greenhouse gases in our atmosphere and solid waste in our rapidly-filling dumps - is evidence of that fact.

Perhaps one approach is to accurately monetarize the negative costs of these events in dollar terms through EHS audits, so that a true cost-benefit analysis can reveal the total cost we are paying for these ‘lifestyle improvements’. We would quickly learn that they are not actually ‘benefits’ after all. I fear that many people will only respond when they can see the true dollar cost of their lifestyles to themselves and their society.

]]> By: Glen Hiemstra http://www.futurist.com/2007/09/06/future-of-environmental-auditing/#comment-16206 Glen Hiemstra Tue, 11 Sep 2007 19:35:31 +0000 http://www.futurist.com/2007/09/06/future-of-environmental-auditing/#comment-16206 Thea, that is an excellent point. Thanks. Thea, that is an excellent point. Thanks.

]]> By: Thea Dunmire http://www.futurist.com/2007/09/06/future-of-environmental-auditing/#comment-16190 Thea Dunmire Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:47:44 +0000 http://www.futurist.com/2007/09/06/future-of-environmental-auditing/#comment-16190 I enjoyed your presentation at the Auditing Roundtable meeting and your blog. Concerns like greenhouse gas emissions, unsafe working conditions and dangerous products need solutions that can be implemented globally. Solutions to environmental, safety and health problems that are implemented on a country-by-country basis often only serve to drive business operations from countries that have strong regulatory protections in place to those with weak or non-existent regulations. I enjoyed your presentation at the Auditing Roundtable meeting and your blog. Concerns like greenhouse gas emissions, unsafe working conditions and dangerous products need solutions that can be implemented globally. Solutions to environmental, safety and health problems that are implemented on a country-by-country basis often only serve to drive business operations from countries that have strong regulatory protections in place to those with weak or non-existent regulations.

]]>