A plant manager, an ISO auditor, and a soccer mom all walk into a bar. The bartender asks the manager, “What’s your No. 1 priority?” Much to the bartender’s surprise, the manager answers, “The environment.” The bartender turns to the auditor, asks the same question, and gets the same answer. Next he asks the soccer mom, “I suppose the environment is your top priority, too?” The soccer mom smiles, “Yep.” The bartender squints at the trio and says, “What is this, some kinda joke?”

Lots of jokes go like that, but the rift between those three groups isn’t funny at all. We usually hear about the divisions between manufacturing, standards auditors, and consumer groups. I’d like to point out that, when push comes to shove, we all share environmental concern equally. By finding and defining the common ground of environmental interest, we can easily envision these groups helping each other to reach their individual goals.

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