The worth of any endeavor or establishment should be measured with a triple bottom line of social, economic and environmental outcomes. And, if the year 2017 was to be measured as such, how might we rank its contributions in both a global and very local picture?
As active readers of this newspaper, and as engaged citizens and leaders of this community, you have the most influence on these final scores. Only natural disasters, national politics and global markets outrank you. Oh, well.
Local history books will forever label the year 2017 by the North Bay wildfires, while the world’s 2017 history books will have an oversized chapter titled “Trump.”
Locally, the coming years of recovery and renewal will impact the triple bottom lines of many years to come. But more than just terrible wildfires happened here in 2017 and many social, economic and environmental issues will follow us into the new year of 2018.
Our social bottom line is about people over profits. For us, this past year was about neighbors helping neighbors, time and time again, after the destruction and losses of the wildfires. It was also about the homelessness in our midst and the exacting cost of housing, health and safety. If we are honest with our assessments, we will admit we’ve barely begun to frame these questions.
The paramount issue for us living in Sonoma County is that our chosen lifestyle and cherished quality of living has become too expensive for too many people to obtain or share. We say we want to be all-inclusive but we are becoming a community that is more and more exclusive.
The social bottom line is where we test our morals and values. It is where we measure our public policies and community endeavors with the scales of justice, opportunity and empathy.
On the 2017 national political level the truism that “anyone can be elected president” was proven. When a man who has never served in a government office before, who willfully dodged military service, was convicted of housing discrimination, operated a fraudulent private university, bragged about sexually harassing women and berated whole religions, disabled people and Gold Star families gets elected to the U.S. Presidency, then we now have no idea who our fellow Americans might choose as their next leader. How do we live with that?
Sonoma County’s economy in 2017 — and going forward — remains strong, diversified, well-managed and more fair than others elsewhere. The billions of losses from the wildfires will have deep and lasting impacts on local government budgets, as well as families and businesses. Sadly, thousands of fire victims will be permanently displaced and will restart their lives in faraway places where housing and a fresh start won’t be so expensive.
Still, our county’s economic bottom line has the capacity for supporting a world-class agriculture industry, main street independent business ownership, entrepreneurships and a boldness to welcome a new era of a legal cannabis industry.
Our environmental bottom line is where we balance people, profits and permanence. Sonoma County is considered a leader in many sustainable initiatives involving land use, renewable energy, farming practices and open space preservation.
But 2017 may have delivered us new challenges to natural resources and climate. Many are calling the dramatic cycles of drought, wildfires, warming oceans and challenged infrastructures a “new normal.” We could also call it a new test.
Our triple bottom line is supposed to guide us to create the most benefits for the most people without damaging our natural environment, limiting economic growth or sacrificing our social values.
A “key word” search of 2017 would turn up such markers as “too many wineries and tasting rooms,” “rent control,” “increased homelessness,” “mental illness and opioid abuse,” “what is livability?” and “immigration fears.” (What would you add?)
All said, if we keep our eyes on this triple bottom line, we can accomplish much in 2018. No matter who is the U.S. president.
