Ceres Works - A Profile on Giving

On his interest in sustainability issues:

For as far back as I can remember I’ve always been interested in these issues. I was in elementary school in New York City riding around in the back of the school pickup truck and collecting newspapers to be recycled. We would then take them over to a mashing plant where they would mash them together and we’d get a penny on the ton – that was what recycling was in those days before it had ever really been done. It fostered my personal belief that sustainability comes from being responsible for what you do and how it affects others.

On corporate responsibility:

Whether it is done on an individual basis by a kid collecting recyclables, or as in Ceres’ case, pushing that fundamental value of responsibility into economic calculations and business decision-making of global corporations, the notion of accountability is critical. If one wants to drive change in how businesses behave, Ceres has a really interesting and effective approach for how to do that.

On giving:

I like to fund different kinds of things – really small organizations where a modest amount can make a real difference, as well as organizations that seem to be truly capturing the moment and need help to keep their momentum going. Ceres falls into the latter category and has done a good job of identifying what is (and is not) going on in the marketplace, determining what needs to be done, and figuring out  how to leverage the marketplace to drive change. That is an exciting thing to fund.