Ray Anderson, chairman of Interface, Inc. is a household name in sustainable business. Now he’s written a book. In it, he says:
“Most of the time, when I make an environmental speech, I’m ‘preaching to the choir.’ Yet I am greatly encouraged and believe the choir is growing, that the global brain is waking up. The number of “alarm clocks” to wake us is growing, too.
So, to this swelling number, I continue to say that we are all part of the
continuum of humanity and the web of life in general. We will have lived
our brief span and either helped or hurt that continuum, that web, and the
Earth that sustains all life. Which will it be? It’s your call.
Each of us is one in 5.8 billion (at this writing, but growing); yet all of
us at Interface are 7,000 in 5.8 billion, more than one in a million. But
Interface is 1/33,000 of the global economy. DuPont and BASF, both 50 times
bigger, our major suppliers, are each 1/600! All of us are resource
intensive, so together we have an even bigger impact than our numbers
suggest. As a company, Interface can make an immense difference by setting
an example. If DuPont and BASF join in, too, we can make a colossal
difference!
You, too, have influence. You have the power of one. Your organization has
influence, too – the collective influence of one and one and one.
Knowledge, deep (not superficial) knowledge, getting well up that curve,
comes first. Doing (taking action) must follow – in your personal lives and
at work. Knowledge and action are critical. They give creditability and
validity to your examples and to your influence, which can spread and grow
without limit.
Chelsea Green Publishers: http://www.chelseagreen.com
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