SUSTAINING OUR PLANET

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PH: Also, I think it's important to understand that for every person who really takes a stand there are a hundred other people who care, but are too busy or can't take a stand for whatever reason. And so I think it is important to focus on one company and to really make them attend to a problem. Join a network of other groups and activists and individuals. Because what happens is that if you can bring one company to its knees-whether it's Nestle with the baby-formula boycott or a company like Mitsubishi that's destroying the world's remaining primary forests-what happens is that other large companies become aware of what happens to them.

If I had one recommendation for your readers, it would be to join a campaign. Write or call companies that are harming some aspect of the environment and tell them why you're boycotting them. Or walk into one of their stores and say, "You know, I just want you to know that I cannot consider buying your product at this time because it is harmful to the environment."

MOTHER: How realistic is your proposal to repeal corporate charters, in effect, to punish exclusively directors and CEOs of companies that act in a way adverse to the general environment?

PH: Well, maybe you can pull back a little bit from the word "punish:' What you want to do is create a system that has accountability. That's a healthy system.

Originally when corporations were granted state charters, they were held accountable by the systems of that state in terms of how they acted, who the directors were, and what they did. The charters were all revocable. And people understood that in order for our society to be healthy, there had to be a balance of power between business and citizens. And what happened it's a long history, but I'll state it very briefly-was that after the Civil War and the corruption that ensued in both the public and private sectors, there was a real diminution of the power of these chartering laws. At the same time, corporations sued to get equal protection, and in a sense, gained a right to be perceived as individuals.

MOTHER: Without any liabilities individuals have?

PH: Yes, instead of being regulated by individuals, they took on our identity and we now see cigarette advertising aimed at teenage smokers protected by the first amendment. I think the movement to revise chartering laws is not going to happen tomorrow. I do think that it is time for people to recognize and even read their own state's chartering laws.

Being incorporated is a privilege in the same way that being a citizen is. And with citizenship comes rights and responsibilities. When a corporation violates those responsibilities, they should have to answer to some sort of charter board that has the power to revoke the privilege of incorporation.

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