Idealism Junkie at The Environmental Citizen

Idealism Junkie

0 Comments Published by Jocelyn Azada October 31st, 2009 in Books, Business, Green Jobs.

Yes, it’s true. I am an idealism junkie. In a world where there’s no shortage of pessimists and things to be pessimistic about, it’s very nice to be in the presence of a true idealist. Marvin Klein is one such idealist. On Thursday evening , I had the great pleasure of being surrounded by beauty at the Haworth Showroom in the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. I was there for a business networking event for the Chicago Sustainable Business Alliance. The appetizers were yummy, the wine was good, and the company even better.

Marvin Klein has been a sustainable business owner since 1964, waaaay before there was even the term sustainable business, and way before it was in vogue. Marvin, a true pioneer, reflected with us on his decades in the green business space, captured in his new book, co-written with Karen Wan, It’s Time To Be An Environmental Capitalist. I just started it, and so far has been a great read.

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Marvin’s company, Portion Pac, makes high concentrate detergent formulations, portion control packaging and environmentally sustainable commercial cleaning solutions. Marvin confirmed for me, a relatively new business owner, the experience I’ve had every day since starting my own company: That running a sustainable business is a constant process of compromise, but the key is to never compromise your core values. A member of the audience then asked Marvin to share an example of the type of core value he would not compromise on. Without missing a beat, Marvin replied: the health of the janitor. The core value he would not compromise is the health of the janitor. It was such a thoughtful answer, a truth Marvin fully believed in, and in the moment after he said it, this was very clear to me: Janitors matter. They make a differerence in our lives by contributing clean, pleasant and productive places for us to work.

I was reminded of Sharon, one of the cleaning women in our office building, and how committed she is to excellence in her work, attending to the smallest details with care— details that we tenants in the building may not even notice. But everything she does makes a difference, in the whole feeling of the building and the space that that level of impeccability creates. So thank you to Sharon, for everything you do that goes unacknowledged, for the things that we notice and the things that we don’t notice, and to all of our janitors. and thanks to Marvin and his crew for caring. There’s a new movie out on just this topic, called The Philosopher Kings. Check it out.

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Here’s the synopsis, from the film’s website:

In search of wisdom found in unlikely places, The Philosopher Kings takes us on a journey through the halls of the most prestigious colleges and universities in America to learn from the staff members who see it all and have been through it all: the custodians. This thought-provoking, feature-length documentary interweaves the untold stories of triumph and tragedy from the members of society who are often disregarded and ignored, and seeks out the kind of wisdom that gets you through the day and the lessons one learns from surviving hard times, lost loves, and shattered dreams.

From the producers of the multiple-award winning Flight from Death, The Philosopher Kings gives us the opportunity to learn from eight incredible individuals whom we would never have otherwise taken a moment out of our day to acknowledge.