Tom Szaky was a freshman at Princeton when he and some friends stumbled upon a killer fertilizer: worm poop.  “We were trying to grow better pot and it turned out worm poop did the trick” Tom told me matter-of-factly at the start of our conversation.  At the time they were just trying to improve their homegrown plants, but Tom knew this find had broader implications.  And furthermore, he was inspired that their fertilizer was made from garbage.  Rather than stick it out in college a full four years, Tom waved goodbye to campus life and said hello to the life of an eco-entrepreneur.  His goal is to run the world’s most environmentally friendly company, TerraCycle.   “I was not a huge environmentalist, I just wanted to use waste as an economic driver,” Tom said.  In bringing this first product to market, they didn’t have the capital to invest in new packaging.  Nor did he want to waste raw materials.  So they reused 1 liter soda bottles to package the stuff, collecting them locally. 

TerraCycle soon branched out into a myriad of waste based products: bags made from old Capri Sun pouches and old plastic bags, cleaners, lawn and garden products - packaged in reused bottles of course,  office products such as juice pouch pencil cases and homework folders, eco-binders and so on.  Each product is unique and requires a distinctive plan in order to collect the targeted typically unrecyclable trash. Tom uses an innovative brigade model to collect materials typically.    One of Tom’s favorite projects involved a front cover ad in Newsweek in which TerraCycle requested people’s plastic bags.  Quite niftily, the ad itself turned into an envelope into which people could place their plastic bags and mail them in.  Tom received over 40,000 plastic bags from that one ad, which were used to make reusable bags.  “It’s a win-win and a really fun product too.”

Every piece of news coverage for TerraCycle will not fail to mention the abundance of high profile partnerships Tom has created.  TerraCycle goods can be found at major retailers such as Office Max, Whole Foods, Target, Home Depot, and Wal-Mart.  It’s not surprisingly then that Tom’s favorite part of his job is creating just such big partnerships.  “ I was grocery shopping this weekend and picked up a box of Capri Suns and saw that my logo was on the side of the package.  That just gets me.”

The biggest surprise for Tom has been the realization of what you can do with waste.  “Fundamentally there is almost no waste that cannot be upcycled and no product that cannot be made from upcycling.  We can create a solution.”  For those new to the term upcycle, Wikipedia defines it as “a component of sustainability in which the use of waste materials to provide new products. It is generally a reinvestment in the environment. This process allows for the reduction of waste and use of virgin materials.”  Upcycling differs from recycling.  Recycling often uses more energy than making something from virgin materials, Tom points out.  This is never the case when upcycling. 

While I love the idea of a product made from waste, I can’t help but wonder about hygiene and other related issues.  I asked Tom if consumers or retailers had had any negative reactions and apparently not – “People are really into green products right now so they are much more receptive.” 

Throughout our conversation and my pre-interview research, one issue was on my mind: greenwashing.   I see Kraft partnering with TerraCycle (see press release) to invest in upcycling the loads of plastic packaging created when you make individual 6.75 ounce drink pouches as a way to allay Kraft’s guilt.  I would hope that the partnership was a step in the direction of creating better packaging that can be more easily reused.  Tom replied that they will collect 50 million juice pouches this year and while that is not enough, they can take it all.  “We don’t see the issue of not being able to use the waste.”  While he agreed that they should use more reusable stuff, Tom pointed out insightfully that “People aren’t great at recycling…It’s better to have lighter packaging get tossed away that is not recyclable.   At the end of the day the argument is there environmentally to package juice in a pouch as it is lighter.”  To Tom, greenwashing is when a company claims they have a 96% natural product when it’s just 96% water.  Or when a company brags about using recyclable packaging, when it all is.  Or when BP runs an ad which features “kids swimming near oil rigs with dolphins.”  “But this Kraft thing is a serious step.  If that is perceived as greenwashing then everything is.  What these companies are doing should be encouraged.” 

Before closing the conversation, I am always one to ask about profitability.  TerraCycle is backed by a venture fund with most money invested in growth.  Tom unfortunately could not speak to profits (other than “It is definitely profitable”), but he could share with me his sales, which have been growing exponentially.  In 2004, TerraCycle had revenues of $70,000, up to $0.5M in 2005, $1.5M in 2006, $3.3M in 2007 and projected sales of $7.5M in 2008.  That’s some garbage!  As for the future, Tom imagines TerraCycle will double in size every year, something he thinks will be manageable.   What’s next product wise?  Look out for TerraCycle’s upcoming launch of a line of gift wrap and trimmings made entirely of waste.

Amie Vaccaro is interested in innovative companies and entrepreneurs reducing waste through green product design. You can read her blog, ecofrenzy, which is focused on sustainability and San Francisco.

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Some might suspect that the connection between the Olympic Games and Corporate Responsibility might focus on the recent opening of the summer games in China and the political turmoil that has surrounded the games even before the first athletes stepped forward to compete.

This, however, is not that essay. Instead I would like to begin my blogging effort with JustMeans with a different approach.

We all have our own favorite memories from the Olympic Games – whether it be Jessie Owens' demonstrating the absurdity of Adolf Hitler's racist notions, gymnast Nadia Comaneci's perfect '10', Kerri Strug's valiant vault on a sprained ankle to win gold or Michael Phelp's eight gold medals.

The real lesson for corporations to consider, however comes from how Italian bobsled driver Eugenio Monti acted when he was literally on the slippery slope.

When the 1964 Winter Olympic Games opened in Innsbruck, the favorites in the four-man bobsled were the Austrians and the Italians. But in the first heat, Canada broke the Olympic record and posted a substantial lead. Doing so, however, had damaged the axle on the Canadian sled. Facing disqualification – which would have resulted in an20Italian win -  Team Canada reached the top of the track to find their sled upside down. Monti had instructed his mechanics to fix it.  Canada went on to win the gold medal.

Later in the same games, Italy was favored in the two-man bobsled event. Great Britain recorded the fastest time after their first run. However, a bolt attaching the runners to the sled had sheared. Monti completed his run and had the needed bolt removed from his own sled, and attached to the British bob. Great Britain took home that gold.

When he was attacked in the press for helping the British win, Monti replied "Nash didn't win because I gave him the bolt. He won because he had the fastest run."

And while Monti went on to bring home gold medals four years later in both the two-man and four-man bobsled events, his place in Olympic history is defined not by those wins – but by the way he played the game. In this way, doing well and doing right are intertwined, even when it is not required or expected or even understood.

Given the choice between merely following the rules or making that extra effort, organizations should ask themselves these basic questions:
 
         For whom would you rather work or have your loved ones work?
         From whom would you rather purchase?
         Whom would you welcome into your town?

An organization's reputation is derived from its behavior. And while cynics will say that public relations is nothing more than putting organizations in their best possible light, corporate leaders are realizing that going the step, and engaging in transparency, openness and disclosure, they reveal the true character of their organization. Like Eugenio Monti, organizations that allow this model will find that they win not only on the playing field, but the hearts and minds of their customers and stakeholders as well.

John Friedman is a corporate executive with a 20 year background in corporate communications and social responsibility and I serve as a volunteer chair of the board for the Sustainable Business Network of Washington.

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The JustMeans staff hand picks today's five most interesting and important stories in the world of sustainable thinking.

Financial Times, development, London - What could the authoritarian successes of late mean for economic development?  Pranab Bardhan suggests that the recent economic growth of Russia and China could have ears in the developing world turning toward the voices of communism and centralized authority, not capitalism.

BBC, human rights, Beijing - The Chinese government has released 10 protesters who were taken into custody for hanging a banner calling for China to free Tibet.  The protesters were held in custody for approximately 10 days, and were set free near the time of the closing ceremony of the Olympics.  The American government expressed "disappointment" at China's lack of respect for the right to speak freely.

Renewable Energy World, sustainability, Washington D.C. - America's federal government will be investing $24 million to make solar energy more widely available.  The Solar Energy Grid Integrations project (SEGIS), will help to accelerate the penetration of solar photovoltaic system technology throughout the country by funding less expensive, higher performing solar products.

Yahoo News, development, Beijing - The Olympic Games have often been a source of economic woe for host countries.  The infrastructural cost of hosting the games tends to be high, with moderate returns or even losses in most cases.  China, however, has used this year's competition to drastically improve its infrastructure.  An expert on the Chinese market at J.P. Morgan Securities says that  "post-Olympics Beijing will be better positioned to fulfill its potential as a world-class metropolis" thanks to the improvements made in preparation for this summer.

The Guardian, clean technology, Yuma - Renewable energy is catching on in the armed forces, and an impressive record was set this week.  A solar powered unmanned aircraft was aloft for 82 hours, and experts think that the plane will soon be able to fly "for weeks or months duration."  At 66 pounds, the carbon fiber plane is light enough to be launched by three people holding it in the air as they run.

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I happen to think the government is not going to come up with the solutions to many of our pressing social and environmental problems. Social entrepreneurs, dedicated nonprofits, private foundations and lifelong volunteers unburdened by bureaucracy and the need for voter support will always have the greater freedom to find creative solutions.

That said, the government will have to support and adopt those solutions to infuse the resources that will allow them to reach the kind of scale that can actually impact global realities. So with the Democratic National Convention starting in Denver Monday, I’m ready to take a hard look at the platform put forth by the major party presidential candidates. (Thanks to the folks at the Chronicle of Philanthropy for making it so easy to do so.)

Unfortunately, if you’re looking at the McCain campaign website, it’s a short look. There is no mention of “nonprofits” (or “non-profit,” or “non profit” or “volunteer”), other than to describe Cindy McCain’s history of volunteer service for children and the less fortunate around the world (not to take anything away from Cindy McCain, but raise your hand if you’re ready for a first lady with a full-time job, and a controversial pet cause. Hilary supporters, settle down over there, I hear you.).

Tell you the truth, I would have expected the Republican candidate to offer more solutions that don’t depend on the government. More support for the third sector (fourth estate? Or is that the media? I can’t keep those things straight.). More interest in leveraging the American spirit of entrepreneurship and the power of free markets. It’s that desire to keep government in check that makes me sometimes glance longingly at the Republican party after I glance at the withholdings from my latest paycheck.

Instead, it is the Obama campaign that caught the social entrepreneurship wave. Check out this quote from the Obama campaign document “Helping All Americans Serve Their Country”

“In recent years, social entrepreneurs have been the catalyst for much social innovation in education, economic development, health and the environment. By developing innovative solutions to important social issues, social entrepreneurs provide many of the important services that address human needs, improve our quality of life, and make democracy work better. Barack Obama believes the federal government should invest in this approach by strategically leveraging public and private sector investment; cultivating higher levels of competition, innovation, and accountability in the nonprofit sector; inspiring a new generation of Americans to engage in service; and unleashing the potential of existing high-impact organizations.”

I could nitpick with the specifics of the approach described in the rest of the document. Mostly I think it focuses too much on nonprofits—nonprofits are a vehicle, not a solution, and excluding low-profit or for-profit organizations is short-sighted. It’s that need for neat and narrow, well-documented and easily verified definitions that always seems to limit the government’s own effectiveness.

But still, Obama’s team has done its homework and clearly read the nonprofit literature. Let me recap: Obama’s “Social Investment Fund Network” will “leverage” “best practices,” “build capacity,” be “results-focused,” “community-directed” working “long-term” and “cross-sector” to “streamline processes” and then “measuring results” to “ensure accountability.”

Ironically, this Network would be administered by a new piece of government bureaucracy: the Social Entrepreneurship Agency for Nonprofits. I think the irony of creating a government agency to oversee social entrepreneurship was lost on the Obama Campaign.

For this lack of self-awareness, I have to give him an overall B+. For McCain’s seeming lack of awareness of the nonprofit sector ‘s existence, I give him a D.

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Each fall, thousands of passionate students are thrown back into the chaotic jumble of classes, parties, and the great big dreams of changing the world that make up the American college experience. At the Center for Global Engagement, we recognize that students’ good intentions don’t always match their ability to act, and design programs to help them develop the skills they need to address issues of global poverty and inequality.

At its best, education is about challenging you in ways that improve your ability to think and act. With that in mind, we regularly ask our students to read and reflect upon some of the toughest criticism of development and volunteerism available. It seems to us that the more critical voices you can add to a worldview that still drives you firmly in the direction of doing something, the better suited to creating change over your lifetime you’ll be.

With that in mind, here are some of our favorite gut-wrenchers to challenge even the most determined optimists.

5. The Subtle Problems of Charity (1899)
Jane Addams
One of America’s foremost progressive reformers and social entrepreneurs, Jane Addams kept busy not simply founding Hull House and changing the way we provide support for the urban poor, but writing about the philosophical challenges of philanthropy and democracy. This article is important for its recognition that charity inevitably splits the world into the helpers and those to be helped and can, as such, become an instrument for reinforcing rather than redressing inequality.

4. White Man’s Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good  (2006)
William Easterly
Easterly, the “anti-Jeff Sachs,” wrote this book to prick the swelled expectations of movements like the One Campaign that suggest that the key to ending global poverty is more aid money. While the work has been used as a bludgeon by the anti-aid political Right, Easterly’s focus on challenges like governance and bureaucracy should be required reading.

3. A Bed for the Night: Humanitarianism in Crisis (2003)
David Rieff
If this one doesn’t hurt your soul, you might not have one. Eloquent, pleading and brimming with barely-controlled rage, Rieff’s ‘Bed for the Night’ is a chronicle of an ever growing disenchantment with the hypocrisy of 'humanitarian intervention' and a serious condemnation of the overreach of aid and development organizations.

2. “To Hell with Good Intentions” (1968)
Ivan Illich
In the late 1960s, post-development theorist Ivan Illich levied this scathing critique of the naivety of international assistance on a group of university students about to begin volunteering in Mexico. It cuts straight to the bone of the limits of ‘solidarity’ and the difficulty of transcending class differences to create partnerships for change.

1. Imposing Aid: Emergency Assistance to Refugees (1986)
Barbara Harrell-Bond
“Imposing Aid” is every bit as imposing as its title. Written by the woman who literally invented the field of refugee studies, this seminal work chronicles how the very programs created to support people forced from their homes end up undermining their dignity. Harrell-Bond takes the top spot not only for the incredible clarity and precision of her critique, but because she’s spent the last quarter century working to put her insights into practice, building refugee studies programs in London and Cairo and inspiring generations of change agents along the way.

Nathaniel Whittemore is the founding director of the Northwestern University Center for Global Engagement and blogs at Do Good Well.

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