1. You attended the RILA Environmental Sustainability & Compliance Conference last year. What would you tell those who did not attend about the event and why you are registered to attend again this year?
For retailers, this is the one event during the year that will cover all of the most timely topics concerning sustainability and environmental compliance. Nowhere else will you find such a diverse group of experts willing to share their knowledge, and eager to learn from each other. Last year well over half of the attendees were executives at the vice president or director level. Whether you’re looking to build a world class sustainability program from the ground up or you just want to improve your existing corporate social responsibility and environmental compliance programs, these are the people you should be networking with and this is the event where you can do it.
2. How does your department spread awareness of environmental sustainability issues within your company and to your customers?
We have numerous means of communicating internally, including regular newsletters, videos that are shown in break rooms, intranet web portals, and our Get Into a Green Routine program. Get Into a Green Routine is a program used to communicate the importance of conservation to all Publix associates through education, training, performance reporting and the occasional contest. In addition to various advertising campaigns and local events, the most effective tool for communicating to our customers about our commitment to sustainability is our website at www.publix.com/sustainability. On it you will find a lot of information about what Publix is doing to be a responsible corporate citizen and what you can do to green your own routine.
3. What do you think is the biggest opportunity today for retailers who want to become better stewards of the environment?
It may seem like a cliché, but I absolutely believe that a company’s greatest resource is its people. When building and measuring sustainable programs, attention is focused on performance metrics and cost/benefit analysis. Companies often lose sight of how important it is to engage employees in every aspect of what they are doing. Everyone has a part to play. Developing cross-functional teams, collaborating with other organizations, creating opportunities for input, and providing ample feedback will help to strengthen bonds and build enthusiasm. Conservation and innovation are key elements in any successful sustainability program, and they require everyone’s participation.
4. How do you think corporate attitudes and action towards environmental sustainability will change in the next five years? The next 10 years?
In recent years sustainability has become widely accepted as a tool for managing and conserving resources, which is crucial if we want to ensure that today’s essentials will be available for tomorrow’s generation. Now, I think we are realizing that sustainability is not just about being a good corporate citizen. It is also a very successful strategy for driving out inefficiency and improving performance. In the next five years I think we’ll continue to see sustainability becoming a core corporate strategy. Over the next decade, as energy and commodity prices continue to rise, carbon emissions are capped or taxed, water reserves dwindle, and as renewable energy becomes more commonplace, I think we’ll see that the companies who have fully embraced sustainability will have a significant competitive advantage.
5. What led you to pursue a career in retail environmental sustainability?
My background is environmental engineering. When I was in college (when disco was dead and big hair rock bands were popular), no one was talking about conservation or waste minimization. I was only taught how to treat toxic industrial discharges to meet regulatory standards. It wasn’t until years later (after new wave and punk rock, when disco began to make a comeback), I began managing corporate environmental programs and it dawned on me that removing the toxins from the manufacturing process or maybe eliminating the discharge all together would not only be better for the environment but better for the bottom line. It took years for sustainability to catch on, but now that it is mainstream I’m confident that it won’t be a passing fad.
6. What is your favorite non-work pastime?
I spend so much time behind a desk, when I’m not a work I like to be outside. I hike and bike a lot with my family on the weekends. We’re really not that outdoorsy. After a long day of communing with nature our idea of camping is dinner at Red Lobster before bunking down at a Hilton. Last Spring we went kayaking in the Florida Keys and had a blast. Now I’m in the market for a couple of used kayaks and a car rack to hold them. If you know of any, please call me.
7. What book are you reading now?
I’m a Grisham fan. His latest book, The Appeal, has everything you would want in a good summer read – dirty elections, big money, corrupt politicians and environmental disaster.
8. If you could invite any four people (dead or alive) to a dinner party, who would you invite and why?
This is a tough one. There are a lot of people I would like to meet with to discuss religion, politics, philosophy, history and current events. The hard part is getting the mix just right. It would be fascinating to get Mandela and Gandhi together for dinner. Now add Tolstoy and the Dalai Lama. You’ve got a very amicable group, but way too restrained. Invite four Nobel Laureates like Einstein, Max Born, and the Curies (Pierre and Marie). We would have more than enough brain power to figure the 15% gratuity and split the check five ways at the end of the meal, but I would have nothing to add to the conversation. I want my dinner party to be interesting and fun. Cultured, but not stuffy. Maybe even a little raucous. I think I would invite John, Paul, George and Ringo for a reunion dinner concert, stream it live over the internet and let the world watch for free.