On Thursday, April 21, during the City of Raleigh’s annual Environmental Awards presentation parishioner Charly Kerr was recognized for his outstanding work on environmental stewardship. Charly owns the Chick-fil-A restaurant at 8860 Six Forks Rd.
For several years, he has been out to demonstrate to the world that within the fast food industry vast improvements can be made so that restaurants will operate in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way. There are those who think that the very concept of fast food is inconsistent with being green because fast food is based on large-scale, low-cost, high energy, and intense fuel and agricultural use.
Charly has studied and analyzed basically every aspect of his operations to find ways to lower his environmental footprint, operate in a more sustainable way and improve consumer and environmental health. A foundation of his work is that ethical as well as ecological considerations need to be at the heart of business decisions. Charly is also working for change in other Chick-fil-A restaurants as well as at the corporate level.
It is very appropriate to recognize, congratulate, and thank Charly for being a moral leader and pioneer. His story can be used as a model for other business leaders. As a society, we need to acknowledge that just because business has always been done a certain way that doesn’t mean it has to be the right way. Our faith calls us to explore new ways to live on Earth so that both the planet and all life may flourish.