Constadina Zarokostas-Vasiliades
I met Polly Mazaris, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Baxter Group Ltd. in Melbourne, Australia in 2005, who taught me that drive and determination to do what is right for the environment, despite all odds, can slowly change the minds of some of the most stubborn business people. Her company is one of the most economically and environmentally efficient and accessible waste management operators in the South Eastern metropolitan area of Melbourne, Australia.
Polly was one of the few women working in this industry back in 1990 when she started, and even worse, environmental considerations by most landfill owners was not taking place. Her insistence of best practice guidelines took some time to be accepted, but she never backed down and stood behind the ethics of keeping the environment clean, and preventing any waste entering water sources. Fifteen years later she won Southern Australia’s Ernst & Young Entrepreneurs of the Year Award in 2005 for Services Including Financial, Business and Property, and was also a finalist for their national award.
She told me that her most valuable lesson in business is, “to stand up for your values, and be honorable and ready to accept responsibility.”
Part of living a balanced life is respecting your environment, whether it be at home, work, or your surrounding community. We all have the ability to do the right thing one small step at a time, whether it is picking up the garbage at the local park, or following your community’s recycling program properly. I think we are all guilty of putting something in our regular garbage bin instead of our recycle bin. Small steps to doing the right thing for our environment leads to greater changes and a cleaner environment for the generations after us, as well as creating a healthy balanced world.
To learn more about Polly Mazaris and how she operates her company and life, read my article below.