For want of a nail, the shoe was lost
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost;
For want of a horse, the rider was lost;
For want of a rider, the battle was lost;
For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost! - pace Benjamin Franklin
In 1960, meteorologist Edward Lorenz was working on his computer. He fed in tiny calculations and simulated weather patterns. One night, in a hurry to get home, he tapped in only the first three decimal digits of a six-decimal number and closed the door.
When he returned the next morning, he was shocked to find that the weather on his computer screen was totally different to what he had expected, and he realised that the tiniest alteration to his input could have a dramatic impact on results.
This became known as the "butterfly" effect - a butterfly flaps its wings in Japan and causes a storm in Europe. Complex, dynamic, seemingly independent systems can be connected. What we do in our own small world has a ripple effect on the universe.
The theory can be applied to all sorts of models, human and physical, but it is particularly relevant to environmental issues.
Headline issue
Protecting the environment has faded as an attention-grabbing headline issue recently. We seem to have got used to the ideas that the ozone layer is tattered and torn, and global warming is slowly cooking the planet. But ignoring the issues won't make them go away, and everyone, particularly in human-related businesses, has a duty to take account of the environment. It may not be trendy, but it is still important.
The safari lodges run by Conservation Corporation Africa are doing their bit. The company runs some 25 lodges under the motto "Care of the land, care of the wildlife, care of the people". That makes the operations more than holiday centres in the bush. Each lodge is involved in wildlife conservation and preserving the environment.
It is probably easier - because it's more obvious - for an African lodge to take direct action to help the environment than it is for operators in the UK or Europe or the USA. But how many can say that they honestly try? Not enough.
Put to shame
OK, maybe you are too busy dealing with the skills shortage or compiling your latest business plan, but, while you do that, safari lodges in Africa are putting you to shame. They know that, for want of a nail, the kingdom can be lost. Every step, however small, makes a difference. Take note of what they do and ask: "Can't I do something similar?"
And if you don't know how to get started, an enquiry form highlighting the HCIMA's Hospitable Climates programme has just dropped out of this magazine. Don't throw it away. Look at it. Running for more than two years now, Hospitable Climates offers environmentally friendly energy-saving proposals. They can save a hotel as much as 40% of its running costs. And yet, only about 1,000 hotel operators in the UK have bothered to subscribe to the scheme. That's pathetic.
The environment in the UK and Europe may not be as raw or as vulnerable as the African bush, but every programme to cut down waste, every recycling scheme initiated, every energy-saving light bulb fitted, helps in its own small way in the big survival picture.
Forbes Mutch
EditorCaterer & Hotelkeeper
