Pulse March / April 2016 | Page 57

nvironmental awareness and protection resonate deep within the spa industry. “Isn’t it ultimately the objective of every business to provide a product or service that improves the well-being of their customer in some form? If we provide that well-being, how can we ignore the impact the delivery of that product or service has on the environment? Without a planet that is well, we cannot be truly well,” says Szilvia Hickman, senior vice president of Szep Elet, exclusive distributor of ilike organic skin care. The Indiana-based company takes this mission to heart. “We are developing businesses that create products that help people reduce their impact on the environment while at the same time improving their own personal well-being,” she says. Blake and Carmen Gendebien, founders of A Wholesome Glow located in Canton, New York, share similar views. “We believe a healthy lifestyle means more than a few moments per day of environmental awareness. As farmers and spa owners, we have a responsibility to be advocates for wellness, which means healthy people and a healthy planet. All businesses play an important role in educating others of how they can optimize their own mindfulness to be stewards of sustainability in their own communities. This inspires people to take important action and leads to better choices and a better world for future generations,” says Carmen Gendebien. Good Business Sense For many businesses, protecting the environment is not only a moral responsibility, but also makes good business sense. “For us, caring for our planet and its inhabitants is a defining cornerstone of our company. How ironic would it be that a company relying so heavily on the goodness of Mother Nature would conduct its affairs in a manner that are detrimental to our source of raw material? One could argue that our desire to protect the environment is for self-serving reasons, as without the bountiful of natural ingredients, we wouldn’t have the raw material to make our products,” says Blue Beautifly CEO Vida Karamooz. Shelley Lotz, author of Green Spas and Salons: How to Make Your Business Truly Sustainable and founder of Vios Spa Group, states that promoting green initiatives is a necessity in today’s market, primarily because consumers demand it. “From using organic products with sustainable packaging to assessing “Isn’t it ultimately the objective of every business to provide a product or service that improves the wellbeing of their customer in