MTI Strengthening Sustainability in 2019

Sustainability has always been in the heart of Metamaterial Technologies Inc. (MTI). And with a new year upon us, renewing our focus on sustainability tops our resolution list. In 2019, and for years to come, MTI will promote sustainable practices – both within our company and throughout the community.

“We strive to incorporate sustainability into the DNA of MTI in everything we do,” says George Palikaras, MTI Founder and CEO. 

So what’s MTI’s first step? MTI’s sustainability expert Dr. Alison Mark will lead our efforts. She will help enable, guide and motivate us, and even tackle the complex work of tabulating and analyzing data; allowing us to see where we stand and how we are improving. We are fortunate to have Dr. Mark driving our 2019 resolution – she has a PhD in Materials Science, with over ten years of international experience. She has raced solar cars, designed materials for fuel-efficient and low-carbon energy applications, and indulged a passionate interest in science communication. “Developing sustainability is as much about communicating and working with inspired people and communities, as it is about materials and technology to bring about a positive change,” she says. “This is what makes my role at MTI so fascinating for me.”

We want to lead by example, to demonstrate how we incorporate sustainable practices into all aspects of our business. As a small business, we want to show that we can do it – and so can everyone else.

To begin, why should a business become more sustainable? According to the Sustainable Business Network, a sustainable business operates efficiently; creating a long-term model that conserves resources, enhances employee productivity and reduces costs.

We often hear of large corporations making sustainability moves. Great examples are Starbucks and McDonald’s – two global competitors – teaming up to converse about their environmental responsibilities. Together, they recently announced the development of a compostable coffee cup.  

But to be a sustainable business is not just the responsibility of global companies like McDonald’s or Starbucks. Whether with a team of five, 500 or 5000, sustainable businesses can be successful and can inspire other companies to reach for the same goal. 

This brings us to the inspiration of this blog. Written by our own marketing guru, Kaitlin Fralic, she will work closely with Dr. Mark to capture our efforts and share our experiences with you. MTI hopes to inspire others by showing that becoming sustainable is a process, with many steps. The way to do it is just to get started – even with small changes in the beginning – and then keep going. This is innovation. This is what MTI does.

Along this journey, we will share our success stories and our challenges. And we’d love to hear from you. Together, we can share ideas to help reduce our impact on this beautiful planet of ours. It’s our responsibility. Sustainability – it is a priority and we are all in this together.

Welcome Dr. Mark!