Agility and adaptability are the keys to succeeding in sustainability initiatives.

by Bill Langer, USGS

While waiting for Rosie’s next run at an American Kennel Club (AKC) agility trial, I watched the other dogs running the courses and thought about what goes into a successful trial. 

“Agility trials are just like sustainable aggregate resource management (SARM),” I said to my wife, Pam. “The dogs are the stars of agility, and aggregate producers are the stars of sustainability. But there is more to agility than dogs, and more to SARM than producers.”

Pam’s response: “Billy! Stop with the rock stuff! Aren’t you supposed to be walking the course?”

I dashed to the ring where about 50 other people and I maneuvered through the course giving commands to our imaginary dogs. What works for one dog may not work for another, so we each did things differently. Likewise for SARM — there are general principles, but each aggregate producer can approach sustainability as preferences and conditions permit.

At the pre-trial briefing that morning, the judge told us to treat our dogs kindly or she would “excuse” us from the course. Ditto for aggregate producers, who are expected to exercise “corporate social responsibility” when addressing environmental, economic, and societal issues.