Bill Habig
Executive Director
Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
Rowland C. W. Brown
Senior International Consultant
Council for Ethics in Economics
Together 2000 is a non-profit collaborative initiative to improve the quality of life in Central Ohio. More than 100 volunteers are working together to find ways to build the healthiest community possible for the 21st century. Members of the community, working with existing organizations, are taking a hard look at the challenges to quality of life and searching for solutions.
The volunteer leaders of Together 2000 began their work in 1994, identifying the following key areas as contributing to the quality of life; education, safety and security, health individuals and families, transportation and mobility, living environment, the economy, culture, spirituality and values, and rebuilding a sense of neighborhood. On the basis of those priorities, they formed task forces to study the problems.
Bill Habig reported that the task forces are completing their work. The results will be announced at a October 12 community celebration. Habig noted that the inspiration for the Together 2000 initiative came from the US Health Corporation, but that "healthy community" means much more than medical care: "People in a health community are safe and feel safe. They are well informed and save and feel safe. They are well informed and feel empowered to use this information to make choices. They have lasting bonds with each other, strong families and a sense of meaning in their lives. The health of a community depends on its interconnectedness."
The Council of Ethics in Economics chose to highlight the community-wide Together 2000 effort because we understand the specific mission of our membership organization, "to strengthen the ethical fabric of business and economic life," as a contribution to the health and vitality of our city and religion.
In a narrow and negative sense, there is evidence that ignoring the ethical principles of honesty, fairness, and respect for persons in the workplace can have harmful health effects. More positively, high standards of business ethics contribute to community confidence and economic vitality. Above all, when we bring ethical responsibility to all of our customers, clients, employees, and colleagues, we truly contribute to the "quality of life" of our city.
Council for Ethics in Economics
125 East Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215-3605 U.S.A.
(614) 221-8661 FAX: (614) 221-8707
