Collaboration is the New Competition: Why Carolyn Pistone Believes Sustainability Demands Working Together

USA Today

4 hours ago

When Carolyn Pistone founded Clear Blue Commercial, Inc., she didn't set out to beat the competition. She only wanted to make a difference. For her, building a company focused on sustainability wasn't to set herself apart or chase a market share, but to leverage business as a force for good. And that, she says, requires a fundamental rethinking of how one needs to approach competition.
'We've all been fed with this idea that business is a zero-sum game,' explains Pistone. 'But this 'me versus you' mindset is short-sighted.' She believes that collaboration, not competition, is the real path forward. 'Sustainability, by definition, is about the long game,' she says. 'But when companies are focused only on short-term gains or quarterly earnings, they miss the forest for the trees. They might win a quarter, but they'll lose the planet.'
It's a philosophy she lives by, one that played out as a real-world example when she set out to convert a large property's grass turf into a drought-resistant landscape. The original bid came in at an amount that was far beyond sustainable, both environmentally and financially. But Pistone had a different idea.
She approached the landscaping company with a proposition: What if she could source the materials and organize volunteer labor to slash costs? Would they still be willing to partner? The answer was yes. What followed was a day-long transformation of a neglected, line-item property into a vibrant community event. High school students earned volunteer hours. Local bands played. A massage school across the street brought chairs to help relax volunteers. Local businesses donated food and drinks. And the best part: the final expenditure was much less than expected.
When the client's finance department later questioned why 'massage chairs' and 'live music' appeared in the landscaping invoice, Pistone showed them the video they had produced. The company was so impressed, they featured it in their annual shareholder meeting. 'This was more than just a landscaping project,' Pistone shares. 'It was community building, environmental stewardship, and a culture change. And we did it by working together.'
Pistone's company, with its numerous certifications such as woman-owned, green business, and B Corp, is uniquely positioned to qualify for major contracts, especially those tied to sustainability and equity. However, Pistone acknowledges that as a small business, it doesn't always have the capacity to fulfill some big contracts alone. Meanwhile, large corporations that do have the scale often lack certain certifications needed to qualify.
'Instead of competing, we collaborate,' she says. 'They have the size; we have the credentials. Together, the output is so much better.' A refreshing departure from 'crush the competition,' Pistone truly believes that the outdated mindset is rooted in ego, short-termism, and a transactional view of work.
She recalls, 'I saw it in the entertainment industry all the time. Decisions were based on contract lengths and bonuses, not the long-term outcomes. If a choice boosted short-term profits, it did not matter.'
However, according to Pistone, sustainability demands a different approach. She says, 'Ask a farmer or a banker if efficient resource usage is good for business. They'll say yes. But getting the farmer and banker to work together on a sustainable project? That's a bigger challenge. But that's also exactly where the opportunity lies.'