Partner Article

Balancing the human economy with the environment

The United Nations’ Rio+20 environmental summit has become a subdued affair. Hindered by the usual suspects of roadblocks and squabbles that have hit previous environmental summits and with the European economic crisis & US election on top, casting a shadow and sparking no-shows from high level heads of state, it seems that there is little advancement on how to balance the human economy with the global environment.

The U.N Secretary General Ban Ki-moon criticised the lax assumption that we could continue with our expensive values, expecting to “burn and consume our way to prosperity.”

Meanwhile, The People’s Summit – a counter-conference has also descended on Rio, with a shout out to “re-invent the world.” The head of Brazil’s Small Business Association, Luis Barreto is attending, and explained; “We’re here to highlight business opportunities and show that there is no contradiction between being sustainable and making money.”

Here at the multinational technology company [Ve Interactive](http://www.veinteractive.com/? target= “Ve Interactive”), we believe that in an ideal business world, a three-dimensional approach to running a business would combine social, economic and environmental concerns and it’s one that in our own small way, we try to adopt.

The bottom line has to form the foundation to every decision we make, in order to maintain sustainability and create scalability and job security, but we always try to make sure that we practise ethical and responsible business along the way, from taking care of our staff and clients, to recycling our waste, to giving our pro bono services to the international development organisation, Concern Universal to assist with their digital strategies. (Concern Universal work to improve the lives of those living in poverty in over 10 developing countries).

May be this way capitalism can become the inspiration for responsible entrepreneurship and industry as opposed to just fueling mass consumerism?

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kathy Heslop .