Mavens of Sustainable Business & the Climate March

“Mavens have the knowledge and the social skils to start work-of-mouth epidemics..

..no one else matters.”   

-       Malcolm Gladell, The Tipping Point

Two days after a climate march in New York City organized by environmental, labor and social justice groups, are we any closer to an epidemic spread of sustainable business thinking and practice?  (The Wall Street Journal reported the march on page 10, and included a skeptical editorial on “The People’s Climate Demarch”.)

Or, as a trigger for an epidemic of actions to mediate climate change in the businesses community, do those 311,000 marchers (number reported in the New York Times) just not matter?

If some 300K environmental, labor and social justice marchers are not the connectors, mavens and salesmen that can start an epidemic of sustainable business thinking, where are the Mavens who do matter and do have the standing to activate the business community? I nominate the following two business leaders for Maven status because they demonstrate “the knowledge and social skills to start word-of-mouth epidemics” of sustainable business thinking and practice:

#1. Ray Anderson, founder and past CEO of Interface Carpet was an early actor and voice in the business community for sustainability. He reinvented his company to use resources more efficiently and to eliminate waste. His innovations were not so much based on rocket science or technological breakthroughs, as they were grounded in sustainability mindsets.

Ray emphasized the importance of engaging the creativity of all employees in the sustainability journey. He successfully created a corporate culture of learning and education, and galvanized employees around his vision of a sustainable enterprise.

He was a popular speaker until his death in 2011, and he connected with audiences on an emotional level. At a conference when Ray was too ill to travel and near death, he spoke to conference attendees via internet and video screen. There was not a dry eye in the room. So many other businesses heard about and wanted to imitate his successful sustainability practices that Interface developed a consulting business to share what they had learned.

#2. Elon Musk, the outspoken founder of Tesla Motors is not shy about stating his views of climate change and business in public. In the words of his cousin and business associate, Lyndon Rive, “We have a big problem to solve” --that is climate change. Musk sees synergy, rather than conflict, between contributing a solution to the climate change problem and creating a prosperous business.  

Musk is a media magnet with rock star status. His recent election to Vanity Fair’s #1 spot on their “Disruptor” list guarantees his voice will be heard. He provokes people to grapple with the dissonance between his status as a successful billionaire entrepreneur and his convictions about the reality of climate change and the opportunity for businesses that address the climate crisis.

Who else would you nominate for Maven status? Who else is leading the spread of sustainability thinking in the business community? Tom Steyer? Hank Paulson? Someone else?