Welcome to the Mark Polet professional site


I work as a biologist, a career I started in 1977. My work intersects two areas, often in tension; the intersection of faith and science, and business and environmental stewardship.

In the almost 30 countries I have worked, I have consistently seen a correlation between the lack of people flourishing, and poor air quality, water stress and depleted soil.

In some of my talks, I have challenged people of faith, social activists, business people and scientists to work together to help people flourish, by providing clean air, clean water, restored soils and clean energy.

These pages are dedicated to those people working together, so all can flourish.

– Maynard (Mark) Polet

Introducing the Environmental Technology Initiative (ETI)

In my work around the world, I have noticed that the people I love and serve that are not flourishing spiritually are also not flourishing physically. They often suffer from poor air quality, water stress (both quantity and quality) and the impact of degraded soils. I...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 311 – Being Radical

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 311 – Being Radical Oswald Chambers is characteristically direct when he writes that surrender is not primarily about giving up the external things of life, but about surrendering the will. In My Utmost for His Highest,...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 310 – Take the Towel 

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 310 – Take the Towel  Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;  so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing,...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 309 – Using the leavings

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 309 – Using the leavings Recently, I have been watching my wife Terri at work with what most people would consider scraps. Pieces of fabric. Buttons without a home. Zippers, ribbons, and bits of texture that would normally be...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, No. 308 – Curiosity

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, No. 308 – Curiosity A couple of weekends ago at St. Philip’s in Houston, I had the privilege of speaking to two remarkable groups, one over dinner and one in the Sunday School class. What struck me most was not just their evident...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, No. 307 – Be Still

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, No. 307 – Be Still There are moments in business when everything in you urges you to act. You want to fix what is broken, respond quickly, push harder, and take control of the situation before it slips any further. Action feels...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 306 – The Work of Bees

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 306 – The Work of Bees We had (Western Rite) Easter last week, and as the Easter Candle was lit at the Easter Vigil, we heard these words: “On this, your night of grace, O holy Father,accept this candle, a solemn offering,the...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 305 – Joy, Take 2

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 305 – Joy, Take 2 There are some lessons I need to learn more than once, so I would like to return to Joy.  I once wrote that joy comes from knowing God is with you. I am now learning that joy grows when you begin to...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 304 – God of the small things

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 304 – God of the small things View this in your browser I’ve always admired my colleagues who give careful attention to detail. So does God. “For who has despised the day of small things?” — Zechariah 4:10 In my...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 303 – A great cloud of witnesses

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 303 – A great cloud of witnesses A recurring theme in these devotions is this simple assurance: you are not alone.  Each week, these reflections are meant as a small reminder that I see you. Think of them as a love...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 302 – The God-Botherer

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 302 – The God-Botherer As the Holy Spirit would have it, I have been reading Martin Shaw and spoke with two of the three Jeffs who subscribe to this post over the past couple of weeks. They all reminded me how important it is...

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