In 2009 Butler concluded that a common
professional goal for environmental managers does
exist separate from, though related to, that of the
industries that employ them, and he tentatively
identified that goal as “ecological balance.” His
efforts were unique in that they were supported
by a collaborative international research program,
established at Rochester Institute of Technology,
called the Environmental Management Leadership
Initiative (EMLI), which was created specifically
“to define and develop the evolving role of the
professional environmental manager in moving our
social economic systems toward a more sustainable
future,” (“Statement of Purpose”).