commerce of the future
It’s common knowledge — our planet is in dire straits. Over the past 100 years, we have seen the rise of industry giants whose pursuit for short-term gain has caused a tapestry of long-term problems. Plastics in the ocean, in our bodies, in the air; PFAS chemicals in rain and freshwater around the globe; excessive carbon pollution in the gigatons. The list is staggering. But the silver lining here is that the world of commerce and science has brought forth, along with these problems, a generation of creative problem solvers. The term “Ecopreneur” was coined to describe a new breed of go-getter in the world of business, an entrepreneur whose goals are to, yes, make profits, but to do so using an ecologically sustainable business model, and to work with the environment instead of working against it. It is our belief at You Get the Picture that these businesses are the future of the free market, and the more that consumers recognize and understand the problems the world is facing, the more they will turn to these companies to become a part of solution.
Over the last several decades (centuries, even!), advances in technology have brought about new and inventive ways to do anything and everything we put our minds to. The world has seen a surge in inventions of every kind: engines, robots, irrigation systems, clothing for dogs, artificial fruit, folding bicycles, computers, LED panels, fidget spinners, vaccines, the list goes on. From the revolutionary to the mundane, from the earth-shattering to the obsolete, advances in human creation have exploded onto the market. Generations of innovators spent their lives answering the question, “Can we do this?” but seldom asking the question, “Should we?” From their actions, for better or for worse, have come the exhaustive list of unintended consequences that scientists are just barely beginning to fully understand. By-products of manufacturing have made their way far beyond the walls of the factories they came from. Rivers and lakes and streams and oceans carry chemicals thousands of miles. Wind scatters fertilizers and pesticides across the landscape. As alarming and upsetting as this is, there is a silver lining — Borne of this activity, a new wave of industry and research is coming forward to clean up the messes of the past, and to find better solutions to our modern problems.
For nearly every environmental blunder, there seems to be markets and companies springing up left and right, all with the goal of creatively solving the problems discussed here. Everybody recognizes solar panels and wind turbines, and these have become hallmarks of sustainability. But beyond that, there are so many exciting creations and innovations appearing all over the map - enough to spark hope in even the most pessimistic of those among us. Game companies are making puzzles plastic-free; new ways of generating electricity are being dreamt up every day with dizzying fervor. Education support businesses are helping train students of how to build and maintain hydroelectric facilities, Farmers are joining the organic movement and abandoning artificial fertilizers. Some researchers have even developed forms of single-use plastics that can be completely dissolved with water, challenging the very idea of petroleum-based plastic.
These innovators - dubbed “Ecopreneurs” - are fighting on the front lines of the battle for our planet. Let’s face it: climate change is, and always has been, a product of commerce. With that in mind, anyone operating in the realm of business should take responsibility and assess their role in the environmental crisis: are you a creative problem solver? Or, are you part of the problem? The answer is more important nowadays than it ever has been.
With all of this in mind, we have made it our goal at You Get the Picture Productions to work exclusively with those companies who are operating in creative ways, whose goals align with ours, and who are conscious of their impact on the environment, on a structural level as well as a personal one. We are inspired by those who see a brighter future for all of us, and who are brave enough to stand up and take the leading charge into the realm of possibility. What the commerce of the future looks like is completely up to us - all it takes is a push from everyone to get the ball rolling.
