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Jeffrey has a wonderful conversation with Ray Anderson, whom some of you may know from the movie The Corporation, about his remarkable life and miraculous achievements.

Ray is the president and founder of Interface, the largest commercial carpet manufacturer in the world and after a sort of “awakening” after reading and contemplating Paul Hawkin’s tome The Ecology of Commerce, Ray has managed to take his gigantic company towards a world class model of sustainability by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions in his operations by over 60% over the last 10 years.  This is no small feat for a company in carpet manufacturing which is one of the most toxic industries in the world, and a incredible example to those in business who say it cannot be done without curtailing profits drastically.

As Ray makes the case about his efforts to do so effectively:

”Sustainability “doesn’t cost, it pays” — in customer loyalty, employee spirit and hard cash…Interface sustainability efforts have saved the company more than $336 million since 1995.”

Not only has Ray been able to do this for his company, but because of his remarkable success and growing world wide reputation, Ray is recognized as one of the main leaders in the sustainability movement for industry and travels extensively around the world spreading the message of sustainability with CEO’s of major corporations from all industry areas of focus.

Ray has earned such a remarkable reputation that the New York Times ran an article on him called: Executive On A Mission: Saving The Planet.

In describing Rays incredibly successful efforts to turn his company around,

The New York Times had this to say:

“…in the process, Mr. Anderson has turned into perhaps the leading corporate evangelist for sustainability. He had a head start, he acknowledges, because he ran his company and controlled its voting stock. But he can make the case effectively, he said, because his Interface experience teaches that sustainability “doesn’t cost, it pays”

As a world-renowned advocate for sustainable industry, In 1997 Ray was named co-chair of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development and then in 1999 he published his book:
Mid-Course Correction: Toward a Sustainable Enterprise — The Interface Model.

Today Ray travels the world, spreading the consciousness of sustainability with a passion and intelligence rare in the corporate industrial world.

I invite you to listen to a remarkable man describe his work to uplift humanity and bring about a transformation of business and industry to become conscious co-workers towards the sustainability and balance that is so critical as we move into the next election cycle, and the next ecological cycle.

The Omni Art Salon theme music When Angels Smile, is provided courtesy of Back To Earth

 

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Jeffrey discusses the energetic implications of Hurricane Gustav as it enters the gulf coast region on the eve of the Republican National Convention as  President Bush and Vice President Cheney cancel their appearance at the convention and John McCain and Sarah Palin attempt to make the best of it.

Jeffrey discusses the play of cause/effect in the events surrounding this disaster and the connections it has to The Democratic National Convention with Barack Obama and Joseph Biden and the role that Stuart Shepard from Focus On The Family has played.

An interesting thought piece for an interesting time.

The Omni Art Salon theme music When Angels Smile, is provided courtesy of Back To Earth

 

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Jeffrey has an historic conversation with former Senator Gary Hart in his offices at The University of Colorado in Denver.  Senator Hart speaks about The Presidential Climate Action Project and what this project can do to address the challenges of global climate change and create a more sustainable way of living for humanity.

Today is a fitting release for this show because Barack Obama just delivered his historic acceptance speech to become the official democratic candidate for President of The United States.  Obama’s remarkable speech was the culmination for the Democratic National Convention in Denver as he carefully outlined his policies and programs that he will pursue in his administration if elected. Before a huge crowd of democrats and well wishers, Obama drew rave reviews, with comparisons it to the electrifying charisma and content of John F. Kennedy’s acceptance speech in 1960.

In his speech, Barack Obama promised to seriously address the issue of global climate change and forever remove American dependence on fossil fuels as the mainstay of energy for this nation.

The Presidential Climate Action Project is tailored to reduce carbon emissions in specifically  measurable ways, and we hope that Barack Obama’s campaign will incorporate most if not all of it into his administration once he is elected. Only time will tell.

Senator Hart, who was a former presidential candidate himself has been working on this 100 day plan for the next administration to use in putting into effect a specific action plan to address global warming.

Other committee members on the Advisory Committee for the project include Jonathan Lash, President of the World Resources Institute, Ray Anderson, Founder and Chairman of Interface, Inc.; Dr. D. James Baker, former Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Prof. David Orr, Chair of the Environmental Studies Program at Oberlin College; Scott Bernstein, Executive Director of the Center for Neighborhood Technology; Hunter Lovins, President of Natural Capitalism Solutions, Inc.; Brian Castelli, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance to Save Energy; Larry Schweiger, President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation; April Bucksbaum, Vice President of the Baum Foundation; and Chris Beem, Environmental Program Director of the Johnson Foundation.

This is a remarkable interview with one of the worlds great leaders whose efforts to create an environmentally sustainable human future is historical, timely and  guided by the highest of aspirations.  It is an honor to present it to you.

You Tube Video Clip of Gary Hart

The Omni Art Salon theme music When Angels Smile, is provided courtesy of Back To Earth

 

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Jeffrey’s thought’s about the heightened focus on global warming, global climate change and the consciousness supporting sustainability.

Time magazine featured  “The Global Warming Survival Guide, 51 Things You Can Do To Make A Difference” on it’s cover a while ago, and now with the presidential elections with Barack Obama and Joseph Biden in full swing against John McCain and his unannounced vice presidential candidate, it will be interesting to see how both the Republican and Democratic party’s address the issues of climate change, and whether they follow through with realistic plans to address it.

With the continued attention that Al Gore has gotten from his film An Inconvenient Truth, even George Bush has conceded that he too is taking global warming seriously.

The Omni Art Salon theme music When Angels Smile, is provided courtesy of Back To Earth

 

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Jeffrey’s 3 part historical biographical dialogue about how Omni Art and The Universalist Group museum installation came into being.