It took Ray C. Anderson, founder and CEO of Interface Inc., 60 years to have his environmental epiphany. While reading The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken, Anderson realized that this book basically convicted him of being a plunderer of the earth. This “spear to the chest moment ” defined the remaining 17 years of Anderson’s life, as he worked desperately to drive the necessary innovations that would allow his company to take a pledge of sustainability and set the stage for a new way forward in the realm of sustainable business.

For the man who became known as “The Greenest CEO in America,” the work was never about establishing a personal legacy. He believed wholeheartedly that future generations must benefit from business leaders addressing and solving the environmental challenges of the day. “I’m doing this for the generation to come, for tomorrow’s child.” he said. And with his grandson John Lanier leading the way, his grandchildren are carrying on that legacy.