Director’s Corner

Spectacular, but Achievable Goals

In 1961 President Kennedy set the goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth before the end of the decade. He set a specific timeline, captured the imagination, and inspired action. Why all the attention? The Soviet Union had bested America in space with the launch of Sputnik and had success after success with rocket development. The President did not know it at the time of his challenge, but the next eight years would be unprecedented: The Cuban missile crisis, societal upheaval, the Vietnam War, and even his own assassination preceded Apollo 11’s manned moon landing. American people needed a focus. They needed an objective that was spectacular but also achievable.

While nowhere near the significance of landing a person on the moon and bringing him safely back to Earth, our forming the Environmental Institute to be a legislative voice for the industry and serving as the bridge between environmental groups and that same industry (us), is no less a spectacular, difficult, yet achievable goal.

Objections and naysayers abound. Here are the two most common complaints: “You can’t trust them” and “Our industry and environmental groups will never agree on legislative issues.” Our simple answer is to refer back to President Kennedy: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” In the interest of space, I will leave the legislative objections for a future column. Here I want to focus on trust. No meaningful progress is possible unless mutual trust – and with it, respect – exists.

Trust, according to my working definition, is the belief that a person or organization will act in accordance with their words and statements. With that definition in mind, the biggest challenge we face is knowing individuals in environmental groups well enough to determine if their actions are in line with their promises. Preconceptions and decades of building barriers have erected unforeseen challenges to building relationships. But I am pleased to report, in two years those of us in the Environmental Institute have built many bridges and have developed mutual respect with leaders of many environmental groups. Yes, there are extremists who will always object to sound industry practices. We choose to work with those persons who have more balanced views.

During these times of polarization and segmentation, the Environmental Institute offers solutions. We reach across many divides to provide solutions that benefit the industry and environmental groups.

Tidbit: At the end of this season, we will have distributed 50,000 packets of Flowering Pollinator Seeds. Thank you TruGreen for sponsoring all 50,000!

Tom Tracy, Ph.D.

VTC Executive Director