On Saturday, I bought some cherry blossoms at the farmer’s market and put them in a vase. Soon we will have pink and white flowers on our table.
Before I bought the blossoms, I asked the vendor if it hurt or damaged the trees to cut these branch tips from them. She said no. In fact, they have to prune the trees in order to keep them healthy and productive.
Harvesting cherry blossoms, in other words, actually improves the environment from which they are taken. That’s a model worth remembering.
Why shouldn’t all production processes be designed to improve the environment in which they operate?