It is my great honor to announce the launch of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, a culmination of several months of planning between Ray’s friends and family members. Ray Anderson was a close personal friend of mine who passed away August 8, 2011. He was a visionary and a leader in the world of sustainable business. He was the founder of Interface, and envisioned his carpet company as a model for the closed-loop, restorative enterprise of tomorrow. Together, his friends and family have breathed new life into his foundation as a memorial to a great man and to carry his legacy into the future.
The Ray C. Anderson Foundation will promote a sustainable society by supporting and pioneering initiatives that harmonize society, business and the environment for the present generation and tomorrow’s child. We will achieve this mission through inspiring and funding innovative, educational and project-based initiatives that advance the revolution in sustainable production and consumption.
The foundation will operate on these four principal goals:
• Funding innovative new ideas and projects that promote visionary change in the sustainable manufacturing cycle.
• Educating the public and business leaders alike in meaningful ways that propel a revolutionary change in the way we produce and consume products.
• Inspiring a new generation of leaders and consumers to be good stewards of the planet’s resources, igniting action that radically impacts the way products are created and used.
• Connecting thinkers, builders, innovators and idealists to a shared, ethical responsibility to the environment.
Please visit the new website to learn more about Ray and his amazing contributions to the world.
One Comment
I had the privilege of meeting Ray in his office with five other people a few years ago, and I told him what I have said many times to people whenever the occasion arises: In 50 years people are either going to look back and say “Thank God for Ray Anderson, he showed us the way,” or they are going to plaintively ask “Why didn’t we listen to Ray Anderson?”
I think his book, Business Lessons from a Radical Industrialist, could be the Silent Spring for the 21st Century: it makes a powerful, numbers driven case for changing our ways, encased in eloquent prose laden with vision, aspiration, and core personal values. I recently gave copies of his book to 30 colleagues, and have just ordered ten more copies to distribute further.
I so agree with Bill McKibben: “Ray Anderson is a hero.” He is sorely missed but over time his legacy will be strong and influential. He belongs in the pantheon of great and eloquent leaders for a better world along with the likes of Rachel Carson and Aldo Leopold.