Financial Stability and Environmental Stability Go Hand in Hand

Pollsters often ask potential voters to rank issues based on importance. In these surveys, readers are asked to take multiple concepts which may or may not relate in any way, and discuss which seem to be prominent in their minds and which could be ignored for now. It's a quick and clever way to determine what people are thinking about right now, but it could bring about misleading results. For example, in a Harris Poll conducted in 2008, 63 percent of those polled said economic growth was more important to their region, rather than the environment. In other words, these people were provided with a question that suggests that economic growth only comes about at the expense of the environment. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

In Washington State, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation, about 90 percent of diesel engines are privately owned, and many of them are used in order to move freight. About 29 percent of the engines in use in commercial heavy-duty trucks were made before 1989. By raising emission standards, officials can encourage companies to replace these older engines that can do so much damage to the environment. As each engine is replaced, fewer particulates are emitted and the air becomes just a bit easier to breathe. The environment benefits, but the economy benefits too. Older engines like this aren't typically as efficient as newer models, meaning that companies spend more in fuel and maintenance when they use older engines. By upgrading, they can reduce those costs and see an improvement in the bottom line.

This is just one of many examples of how strong environmental stewardship can translate into an improvement in a healthy bottom line. No matter what the pollsters might say, as examples like this make clear environmental policies don't kill business potential. The two concepts are actually complementary.