On any given day, people wake up with a purpose and a drive towards some goal or objective. We make the best decisions we can for ourselves, our families, and those that depend on us. We try and choose the best technologies and providers of our technology needs, and to have the best tools at our side as we pursue our goals. Sometimes that means working to persuade our company, workplace, or boss to understand a better way.
OWC chooses Apple because of consistently reliable and safe operating systems, great software, and quality that lasts. PCs are catching up, and that’s a good thing, but this isn’t a Windows vs. Mac issue. For all of our needs, we require choices that are genuinely best to attack the challenges we take on. And it’s Apple that has long built systems to go the distance. They have more machines over five years old, running the latest available OS – more than any other computer platform on the planet.
For over 30 years, we have focused on creating the right enhancements and educating people about what their systems can do. We want everyone to be aware of—and able to—take advantage of the upgrades we provide. Our free video library is second to none when it comes to showing what upgrades are possible, as well as enabling anyone to do so.
Our daily decisions also affect our own future and the futures of those both near and far away. I had the privilege of speaking at the Monaco Summit during UN climate week this past September, and to me, so much comes down to common sense. We don’t change the world by our worry. We do so by our individual actions and choices. As the famed Japanese poet, Ryunosuke Satoro said, “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”
While not to suggest that corporations and governments don’t also have responsibility for the stewardship of our planet Earth, I firmly believe that as individuals, we have the most significant opportunity to be influencers. And it’s the choices we make that will ultimately persuade corporations and governments – or transcend them altogether. It’s okay for someone like Greta Thunberg to blame government and business. Still, we as individuals have power and hold responsibility for whom we give this power to.
I do believe the majority of us wake up each day seeking to do good. All of us need to be those drops of water, filling the oceans of change. We can make a difference and already do. Suggesting we can’t is defeatist and passing the buck.
Do I bring a reusable water bottle, or buy bottled water? Do I turn off the lights? Do I bring my own reusable bag to the store? Do I need to have that large of a portion? Subtle changes in our own behaviors add up incredibly. Choices in whom we do business with also do as well.
While I can’t say Apple is perfect, they set a great example. Like Apple, OWC has been a leader and model in sustainability – both with the best solutions on the planet to enhance your technology experience as well as utilizing available technology to enable our own sustainable practices. Nearly a decade and a half ago, we chose to use those technologies to build what would be one of the first LEED Platinum-certified building projects in the world. That would be OWC’s Headquarters in Woodstock, IL – a net producer of energy and near-zero waste producer.
Every day we make choices, and when you select from the upgrades and solutions made by OWC, you can do so without compromise. You can rest assured that you are purchasing the best quality products with the best support in the industry. All this from an organization that respects the conservation of the resources we all depend on. Extending the life and capability of technology already in service maximizes those resources already expended while providing a better-than-new experience. Purchasing quality external drives, docks, and solutions that are designed to last—just like your Mac—helps us to get away from the unnecessary disposability that may save a couple of pennies today but cost far more in the long run.
The choices we make for a better tomorrow really are a win-win. OWC made the investments we did in our own sustainability because we care about the air we breathe, our children’s futures, and the long term economic benefit these choices supported. When we look long term, usually the right choice is the best commonsense choice as well. It’s about not being penny wise and dollar foolish. You buy a Mac because it’s going to last and serve you well. You choose OWC because we build solutions that make your Mac last longer and run better. You go the distance with your Mac while enabling the full capability of the talent and creativity God has given you. And I thank you for this – it’s why we’re here.
As we head into a new year, and a new decade, let’s continue working on the big solutions that are needed to ensure the world of tomorrow is left better for our children. But let’s also remember that it will take every one of our small acts too – because these are the drops of water that soon become an ocean. We make the most significant difference together, and just one additional right choice each day from everyone can, and will, change the world.
So, let’s keep changing the world together – one drop at a time!
~ OWC Larry
Thank you for this thoughtful and inspiring article!