           |
|
- Make the Best of Negative
Pesticide Stories in the Press
- By Joyce Rodler
Cornell Cooperative Extension
- Frequently we read in the daily newspaper how our natural environment is rapidly declining. There are political pressures from environmental and health advocacy groups demanding answers on how to stop the polluting of our surroundings and our bodies.
Emotions are a powerful drive in accomplishing sought after goals. What works best is to keep an open mind, and consider the objectives of others as well as your own. Then working in a positive, proactive way, reach a compromise that achieves desirable results.
Understand that laws will continue to be passed limiting the products in your toolbox for pest management. But, the wise businessperson will modify their strategies seizing the opportunity to take lemons and make lemonade. Here are some ingredients to use in planning the direction to steer your business toward.
Educate you employees, educate your customers and educate your self. Provide pest specific reading materials to clients and be sure to attach your business card. Research new methods and applications of lower toxicity products. Offer incentives to your employees who show enthusiasm toward learning. Teach your customers cleanup, close up common sense. It is important to let your clients know that you are protecting the environment as well as their health. Of course there will always be a few people who don’t but into the education philosophy; forget about them and pride yourself on the people who do.
Establish effective communication with your employees and customers. Encourage your employees to set up positive lines of communication at job sites. A pest communication logbook is an effective and efficient tool for establishing interaction between employees, clients and management. Another idea is to assign an individual at your office to be the customer relations coordinator. This person may be responsible to give courtesy calls for pre and post service, basic pest information or provide a directory of applicable Web sites.
Be a facilitator. Make yourself available to promote your business spirit in the light of being environmentally and health conscious. Break some barriers. Ask to attend other (perhaps environmental) organization’s functions in order to understand their concerns and address yours as well. There may be misperceptions between groups that with some communication can be worked out. Your efforts may be taken in good faith. Be visible in your community and set an example on how to improve the quality in which we all live.
You can successfully adjust to changes taking place in law books. The “make lemonade” cliché just seems to fit.
Joyce Rodler is a Cornell Cooperative Extension agent in Suffolk County New York. This column previously appeared in the Suffolk County Agricultural News.
-
-
-
-
|
|
