Adam Werbach
Adam Werbach is the former President of the Sierra Club (a station he achieved at the age of 23) who now works on Wal-Mart's environmental initiatives. This is a speech he gave to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco in December, 2004:
Is Environmentalism Dead?
It's quite long, but worth reading carefully. It is clear that Adam's mind had already turned away from traditional activism toward "radical" solutions such as engaging Corporate America in environmental programs. He stresses interdependence over the extreme factionalism that characterizes the political sphere. Ironically, he is now finding the private sector far more amenable to such ideas. Maybe it's time to re-examine some of our often unquestioned assumptions about "how things are."
If I had to choose one line to encapsulate the speech, it might be this one:
Right. The system is all linked together. The good news is that in an interconnected system, you can really start helping anywhere, and it will eventually filter to help everywhere.
Werbach has gotten a lot of criticism for his decision to work for Wal-Mart, most of it coming from his old friends, colleagues, and clients. (For example, see this Fast Company article entitled "Working with the Enemy.") But after reading this speech, and attending BGI for 2 years, I think Werbach is far more visionary than most political activists. He outgrew the Sierra Club, even by the age of 30. He is willing to wrestle with very challenging issues that are far from black-and-white, and is never willing to simplify his thinking just to make it more comfortable for other people. Best of all, he doesn't just think and talk about it -- he is willing to go out and experience the things he wants to learn about. Ten years with the Sierra Club, and now a few years with Wal-Mart... he's actually tasted the things he talks about.
I feel confident that Werbach's complexity is leading in a good direction, and look forward to his continued development. One of my favorite inspirations comes to mind (attributed to Einstein): "I wouldn't give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity."
Is Environmentalism Dead?
It's quite long, but worth reading carefully. It is clear that Adam's mind had already turned away from traditional activism toward "radical" solutions such as engaging Corporate America in environmental programs. He stresses interdependence over the extreme factionalism that characterizes the political sphere. Ironically, he is now finding the private sector far more amenable to such ideas. Maybe it's time to re-examine some of our often unquestioned assumptions about "how things are."
If I had to choose one line to encapsulate the speech, it might be this one:
It's easy enough to deconstruct the concept of the "environment": if humans are part of the environment, then how can some human problems be "environmental" and others not?
Right. The system is all linked together. The good news is that in an interconnected system, you can really start helping anywhere, and it will eventually filter to help everywhere.
Werbach has gotten a lot of criticism for his decision to work for Wal-Mart, most of it coming from his old friends, colleagues, and clients. (For example, see this Fast Company article entitled "Working with the Enemy.") But after reading this speech, and attending BGI for 2 years, I think Werbach is far more visionary than most political activists. He outgrew the Sierra Club, even by the age of 30. He is willing to wrestle with very challenging issues that are far from black-and-white, and is never willing to simplify his thinking just to make it more comfortable for other people. Best of all, he doesn't just think and talk about it -- he is willing to go out and experience the things he wants to learn about. Ten years with the Sierra Club, and now a few years with Wal-Mart... he's actually tasted the things he talks about.
I feel confident that Werbach's complexity is leading in a good direction, and look forward to his continued development. One of my favorite inspirations comes to mind (attributed to Einstein): "I wouldn't give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity."
posted by Kim at
2:26 PM
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