A New Great Awakening

Are CEOs the voice and conscience of America? The public has increasingly shifted its trust alliance to corporate executives and away from politicians, media, and social institutions. You don’t need a crystal ball to see the shift when you have the annual Edelman Trust Barometer. In 2021, Edelman shows that business has become the only globally trusted institution at 61%. When 86% of survey respondents agree with the statement, “I expect CEOs to publicly speak out on one or more of these societal challenges: pandemic impact, job automation, societal issues, local and community issues” a higher bar for corporate leaders is at hand.

Earlier this year, hundreds of CEOs and their companies took two pages in the New York Times and the Washington Post to declare “voting is the lifeblood of our democracy” and calling for all Americans to “stand for this most basic and fundamental right.” The effort was not without its critics including U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who was quoted in the Washington Post as saying,?“My advice to the corporate CEOs of America is to stay out of politics. Don’t pick sides in these big fights.”

The American public disagrees. Business is more trusted than government in 18 of 27 countries. The perception of trust in the respondent’s employer and its CEOs grew even greater. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Dean of the Yale School of Management brought together ninety Fortune 100 CEOs from a broad cross-section of industries and services to discuss the voting rights issue fueled by changes to Georgia’s voting rights. In his opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, Sonnenfeld noted the CEOs “spirit was defiant against politicians trying to muzzle them.” He also noted they comprehended “their roles in ensuring a harmonious society and functioning democracy that vibrant markets need.” Dean Sonnenfeld called it a fifth spiritual awakening.

Executives in plumbing fixture and fitting manufacturing have long taken their social responsibilities to heart. When you produce products with roots dating back to 6000 B.C. that are now responsible for the health and safety of hundreds of millions of people in local communities around the globe, it’s easy to understand the strength and depth of that commitment. In modern times plumbing product manufacturers continue to push for voluntary and regulatory efforts, codes and standards, and legislative solutions to improve water efficiency, safety, harmonization, and the reduction of lead in drinking water. The industry’s continued engagement with local, state, and federal policymakers, industry leaders, and professionals contributes to achieving a universal vision of safe responsible plumbing. Always.

There is still much work to be done. Award winning science journalist?Chelsea Wald’s fascinating book,?Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the Toilet?brings many of those projects to light.??Wald notes that we flush all kinds of inappropriate things down the drain and with infrastructure repair and maintenance long deferred, she imagines our sanitation infrastructure heading for collapse. The challenges are equally notable in the parts of the world where no water or sanitation infrastructure exists at all. Wald points out there is a growing army of scientists, engineers, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and activists worldwide who are focusing their formidable skills on making toilets accessible and healthier for all. This potential revolution in sanitation has many benefits, including reducing inequalities, mitigating climate change and water scarcity, improving agriculture, and optimizing health.

As you ponder the question of trust, you might be interested to know nearly 60 million Americans don’t drink their tap water according to research by Penn State biologist Asher Rosinger, Ph.D., Stanford’s Anisha Patel, M.D., and Francesca Weaks of Morgan State University. In a summary published in TheConversation.com, Rosinger writes that beyond the 2 million Americans who don’t have access to clean water another 59 million have tap or well water access, but don’t drink it. He notes the alternative and more expensive options such as bottled water or sugary drinks often replace tap water. According to Professor Rosinger, “When children don’t drink any water on a given day, research shows that they consume?twice as many calories from sugary drinks?as children who drink water. Higher sugary drink consumption increases risk of?cavities, obesity and cardiometabolic diseases.

Increased media coverage of high visibility water contamination events and systemic water issues such as Benton Harbor, Flint, and Newark have led people to distrust their tap water even after the problems are fixed. President Biden’s ask of $111 billion to improve water delivery systems, replace lead pipelines, and tackling other contaminants is a good start to rebuilding confidence in America’s water infrastructure, according to Rosinger. He also cites a need to increase public education about water quality and testing and the health benefits of drinking water, something he thinks the EPA could readily handle. Building trust is never easy. The rewards, when it comes to water could not be higher.?

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