If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. *

Our sister swine division, Ringneck, has its own procedure handbook, but it shares brother Pinicon’s DNA. Stewardship is our dogma. Sustainability is a natural extension of this concept.  Topping the list of actionable initiatives is minimizing consumption and waste. We are unapologetically zealous in our practice of this idea.

The Ringneck Team meets biweekly. I look forward to these as it is my best chance to talk directly to the caregivers, mostly Hispanic and non-English speaking. We start each meeting reading the previous minutes in Spanish and English. Agendas are printed in both languages. Cesar translates. 

For bio security reasons, we stress the importance of washing hands before leaving each site. Over time, I noticed on my weekly barn inspections a shift from using bar soap to Dawn dish soap. When I asked Dylan, who does the monthly restock, how many bars of hand soap he replaces/month he stated, "No one uses bar soap anymore, but we average a bottle of Dawn at each site/month." A few seconds on my phone calculator later, I estimated mentally how much space 320 bottles (75 gallons) of Dawn would occupy.   

At the next meeting, "Hand Soap Usage" was on the agenda. I shared how Dylan confirmed no one uses bar soap while Dawn usage averaged a bottle/site monthly. My price check revealed a 30 oz bottle of Dawn costs $11. A bar of Irish spring costs $0.85. Referencing the cover page of our handbook, I read the first sentence, "We live in a world of limited resources. It is our moral obligation to minimize environmental impacts." I let the men know I was pleased with compliance on hand wash protocol and that the extra money we were spending was not risking our company's financial viability. At the same time, annual use of Dawn would fill a full-size pickup bed. If we all use bar soap exclusively, twelve months’ worth of bar soap would fit in a laundry basket. 

The following month, every site I visited had a shiny bar of Irish Spring by the sink. Dawn was on the shelf. Old habits die hard. I was not expecting immediate and widespread compliance. An idea for reinforcing this response came to mind. "Dawn Usage Follow Up" was on the agenda at the next meeting. I sensed a hint of hand washing lecture fatigue when the topic was mentioned. They were in for a surprise.

I started by addressing Francisco. As Cesar translated, I told him I had noticed he was using bar soap instead of Dawn, that I was grateful he understood the importance of being a good steward and practicing sustainability. I figured out how much money we would save in the next twelve months as a result of his cooperation. Then I handed him a 2.5" X 6" sheet of light green paper with Ben Franklin's image on the front. There was no need for Cesar to translate further as I went around the room, handing C notes to everyone in attendance. The point had been made. When each individual faithfully executes their assignments, the entire organization experiences the rewards. This Team will go far.   

Jim 

*African proverb.