GP Talks with Ray Anderson - Grandparents.com

The legacy he might have left was grim, made gray with the by-products of industrialism: depleted natural resources, polluted air, teeming landfills. In 1994, all this changed when Ray Anderson, founder of the carpet tile company, Interface, Inc. embarked on what the title of his book labels a Mid-Course Correction (Peregrinzilla Press, 1999).

Anderson put his employees to the efficiency challenge. They, in turn, set a deadline of 2020 for making Interface, Inc. an operation not only sustainable, but restorative, that neither harms the earth's biosphere nor uses resources that can't be recycled or regenerated.

To date, Interface, Inc. has sliced the mounds of waste it sends to landfills by 66 percent, reduced its net greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent, cut use of fossil fuels by 55 percent; and, get this, increased sales by 49 percent. Grandparents.com caught up with the born-again "green revolutionary" to ask what having five grandchildren, now ages 15-23, had to do with his legendary about-face.

Grandparents.com: Are you a Spoiler or a Grampinator?

Ray Anderson: We're far from Spoilers. What's the other word?

GP: A play on The Terminator movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. You know, do you lay down the law?

RA: Hey, they're not my children! I'm benign. And, non-compliant (laughing).

GP: You're now called a pioneering green visionary. You weren't always. Did becoming a grandfather change your perspective?

RA: Years ago, outdoorsman Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, asked if I liked to climb mountains. I said, that's dangerous and strenuous (laughing). I try to avoid both. Did I fish, surf, hike, he asked. Not really, I said. Then, why do you do this? he asked. It came right from my subconscious: I have five grandchildren. What kind of world will their children grow up in?

GP: When did you know Interface, Inc. had to change how it operated?

RA: In 1994, customers, especially interior designers and architects, asked what we were doing for the environment. We had no answer. A group in our company asked me to launch a task force with an environmental vision.

I didn't have one. I didn't want to make that speech. I had no clue what to say beyond "we'll obey the law and comply." Then, Paul Hawken's Ecology of Commerce (Collins, 1994) hit my desk. I read about human damage to the biosphere ruining the earth's livability. This take/make/waste industrial system was digging up raw materials to make products that ended up in landfills. The only institution pervasive and wealthy enough to change this, was the one doing it: business and industry. That's my institution. I took the message seriously. Using Hawken's materials, I made that speech. I challenged my people to lead our company toward sustainable and restorative practices.

GP: When they hear about your strides, what message do your grandkids take away?

RA: There was no doubt that this was the right thing to do. It was the smart thing, too, in a purely business sense. But, they've grown up with it and taken it for granted.

RA: I think so. I did have a fulfilling moment with my grandson who worked at Interface last summer. He walked into my office and said, "I made a decision I want you to know about. I'm going to study environmental law." I said, "John, you're gonna kick some butt?" He said, "Yes, Sir."

GP: What's your advice to grandparents who want to affect positive change in the world. Is it too late?

RA: It's never too late. Deepak Chopra says people do the best they can, given their level of awareness. The secret to living a full life is to keep seeking a higher level of awareness.

GP: How can grandparents instill socially-conscious values in their grandchildren?

RA: Example is the most powerful teaching tool. All the talk in the world won't amount to anything.

GP: What traditions do you share with your grandkids?

Ray Anderson's grandchildren

RA: We built a house in North Carolina. It's off-the-grid, not connected to an electrical grid, water, sewage, or other community municipal services. It depends on the sun. One of my favorite things is getting the family together there at "Lost Valley." I hope my grandchildren will always go there with fond memories, and take care of the place.

GP: The deadline for Interface, Inc. to reach its sustainability goals is 2020. Are you on track?

RA: Yes. We're 45 percent up the mountain. The peak symbolizes the zero footprint we aspire to. We've been at it 12 years with measured results; we have about 13 to go. If it takes an extra year or two, I expect we'll still be the first industrial company to have eliminated its footprint...and prospered at the same time.

GP: What challenges are you facing?

RA: The biggest is keeping people focused. Then, technology. Some of the technologies don't yet exist and must be invented.

GP: What companies are following your model?

RA: We influenced Wal-Mart. When Lee Scott launched the initiative with his management team, I was there to make the case. And, the number two person at General Electric in this area, who heads the "Ecomagination" initiative – they've committed to doubling R&D and expect to double revenues in clean technologies – told me, "You showed us the way."

GP: Many people said you did what couldn't be done.

RA: Impossible is a big word. In 1995, if I described a company that reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent in 12 years, it would have been unheard of.

GP: People would have said 'that's crazy,' right?

RA: Right. A major competitor called me a dreamer. Today, he's scrambling to catch up. In1996 and 1997, we gained 29 companies in a string of acquisitions. Before I spoke at the first sales meeting, a senior executive said, "You know what they're saying? You've gone around the bend."

I confronted this head-on. I said, "I understand you're asking if I've gone around the bend. I want to remind you that I went there once before and found carpet tiles, and we created a pretty company out of that trip." (laughing).

GP: Are you proud of the legacy you will leave your grandchildren?

RA: I'm grateful that book landed on my desk. The moment was there. It was as if the hand of God was directing. I'm grateful our people responded. You don't dictate this. It's not the program of the week. It's the program of a lifetime. People bought in and signed on to meet the challenge. The word gratitude comes to mind way before pride.

GP: What would you ask the presidential candidates?

RA: To acknowledge global warming. It's real. We have to take action now. The proposal we won't hear, that would have the greatest effect, is taxing every barrel of oil enough to internalize all the externalities associated with it. To get the price of oil -- and everything made from it — right. To offset the tax burden on the general public, we'd reduce income taxes. That would change the world as we know it. The government's single greatest power is taxation. This would be financed by eliminating the economy's perverse subsidies. A tax break for driving an SUV? C'mon. Give me a break. No, don't give me that break (laughing). I don't need it.

GP: What candidate do you see moving to the forefront?

RA: All the democrats are there in some form. The Republicans are a little bit slower.

GP: What's Corporate America's role?

RA: Business and industry can reverse this downward trend we're caught up in. You can put it another way, too. If business and industry do not come aboard, then the game is over for humankind. It's just a matter of time. They must. In Gandhi's words, we must be the change that we want to see.