Adam Werbach
Encyclopedia
Adam Werbach is an environmental activist who was elected as the youngest-ever national president of the Sierra Club
in 1996 when he was 23 years old. He is the author of Strategy for Sustainability: A Business Manifesto, published by Harvard Business Press, and named one of the top business books of the year by Fast Company Magazine. The book appeared on the Inc. Magazine bestseller list. Werbach is a web correspondent for The Atlantic, serving as the magazine's online "sustainability expert."
As a high school
student in 1991, he founded the Sierra Student Coalition
, the United States' largest student-run environmental organization. In 1994, Werbach galvanized students nationwide to generate crucial votes to pass the California Desert Protection Act, which created Death Valley National Park and Joshua Tree National Park. Werbach was a protégé of noted 20th Century environmentalist and Sierra Club Director David Brower
, who hand-picked Werbach to run for the club's presidency. As President of the Sierra Club Werbach helped negotiate a behind-the-scenes agreement with the Clinton Administration to create the 1900000 acres (7,689 km²) Grand Staircase of the Escalante National Monument.
In 1997, while president of the Sierra Club, Werbach wrote "Act Now, Apologize Later," a series of essays and autobiographical anecdotes published by HarperCollins
. In it, he recounted the stories of the many average citizens he'd met while visiting nearly every local chapter of the Sierra Club: "From rural priests to animal trackers, from a 12-year-old girl in California to three elderly women in Georgia, from senators to surfers and from Woody Harrelson
to llama riders, an incredible array of people give us a thousand reasons to be hopeful."
Werbach later formed a company, Act Now Productions, to consult to nonprofits and work with corporations that wished to green their enterprise, including clients such as Autodesk
, Procter & Gamble
, Cisco Systems
, Columbia Records
, Frito Lay, General Mills
, Sierra Club
, and World Wildlife Fund. In 2006, he controversially began to work with Wal-Mart
to help lead their efforts in sustainability. In January 2008, Act Now Productions joined the global advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi
to become Saatchi & Saatchi S, which consults with large corporations to "create sustainable visions." Today, Werbach spearheads Saatchi & Saatchi's global sustainability efforts in 80 countries.
In late 2004, Werbach wrote and presented a speech referred to as "Is Environmentalism Dead?" (the official title was "The Death of Environmentalism and the Birth of the Commons Movement") at the Commonwealth Club of California
. This widely-circulated, controversial speech suggested that advances in environmentalism
had stalled, due to outdated thinking and approaches. He challenged the environmental establishment to tackle the issues differently, by linking environmental goals with other broad social and economic goals.
Werbach, a San Francisco resident, was appointed in 2003 by San Francisco city supervisor Chris Daly
to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
while then Mayor Willie Brown was out of town. Additionally in April 2006, Werbach was elected to the six-member international board of Greenpeace
He was subsequently re-elected and later resigned to focus on writing his next book, Strategy for Sustainability: A Business Manifesto. In 2010, Werbach wrote Extinction/Adaptation, a one-hundred copy limited edition ABC book illustrated by the artists Andrew Schoultz and Kyle Knobel. The book catologed extinctions and adaptations in human behavior.
Werbach was named to the American Advertising Federation's "Hall of Achievement" for his contributions to promoting pro-social, anti-consumptive marketing. Werbach commented, "Giving an advertising award to a lifetime ecological activist is like the American Grammatical Association giving a lifetime achievement award to Sarah Palin."
Werbach lives in San Francisco and Bolinas, California and is married to Lyn Werbach. They have three children.
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
in 1996 when he was 23 years old. He is the author of Strategy for Sustainability: A Business Manifesto, published by Harvard Business Press, and named one of the top business books of the year by Fast Company Magazine. The book appeared on the Inc. Magazine bestseller list. Werbach is a web correspondent for The Atlantic, serving as the magazine's online "sustainability expert."
As a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
student in 1991, he founded the Sierra Student Coalition
Sierra Student Coalition
The Sierra Student Coalition is the national student chapter of the Sierra Club. Founded by Adam Werbach in 1991, it now has about 14,000 members and is likely the largest student-led environmental group in the United States.- National-level :...
, the United States' largest student-run environmental organization. In 1994, Werbach galvanized students nationwide to generate crucial votes to pass the California Desert Protection Act, which created Death Valley National Park and Joshua Tree National Park. Werbach was a protégé of noted 20th Century environmentalist and Sierra Club Director David Brower
David R. Brower
David Ross Brower was a prominent environmentalist and the founder of many environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club Foundation, the John Muir Institute for Environmental Studies, Friends of the Earth , the League of Conservation Voters, Earth Island Institute , North Cascades...
, who hand-picked Werbach to run for the club's presidency. As President of the Sierra Club Werbach helped negotiate a behind-the-scenes agreement with the Clinton Administration to create the 1900000 acres (7,689 km²) Grand Staircase of the Escalante National Monument.
In 1997, while president of the Sierra Club, Werbach wrote "Act Now, Apologize Later," a series of essays and autobiographical anecdotes published by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
. In it, he recounted the stories of the many average citizens he'd met while visiting nearly every local chapter of the Sierra Club: "From rural priests to animal trackers, from a 12-year-old girl in California to three elderly women in Georgia, from senators to surfers and from Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
to llama riders, an incredible array of people give us a thousand reasons to be hopeful."
Werbach later formed a company, Act Now Productions, to consult to nonprofits and work with corporations that wished to green their enterprise, including clients such as Autodesk
Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that focuses on 3D design software for use in the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media and entertainment industries. The company was founded in 1982 by John Walker, a coauthor of the first versions of the company's...
, Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
, Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
, Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, Frito Lay, General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
, Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
, and World Wildlife Fund. In 2006, he controversially began to work with Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
to help lead their efforts in sustainability. In January 2008, Act Now Productions joined the global advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi
Saatchi & Saatchi
Saatchi & Saatchi is a global advertising agency network with 140 offices in 80 countries and over 6,500 staff. It was founded in London in 1970 but now headquartered in New York. The parent company of the agency group was known as Saatchi & Saatchi PLC from 1976 to 1994, was listed on the London...
to become Saatchi & Saatchi S, which consults with large corporations to "create sustainable visions." Today, Werbach spearheads Saatchi & Saatchi's global sustainability efforts in 80 countries.
In late 2004, Werbach wrote and presented a speech referred to as "Is Environmentalism Dead?" (the official title was "The Death of Environmentalism and the Birth of the Commons Movement") at the Commonwealth Club of California
Commonwealth Club of California
The Commonwealth Club of California is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization based in Northern California. Founded in 1903, it is the oldest and largest public affairs forum in the United States...
. This widely-circulated, controversial speech suggested that advances in environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
had stalled, due to outdated thinking and approaches. He challenged the environmental establishment to tackle the issues differently, by linking environmental goals with other broad social and economic goals.
Werbach, a San Francisco resident, was appointed in 2003 by San Francisco city supervisor Chris Daly
Chris Daly
Chris Daly is a former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He represented District 6, on which he served from 2000 to 2010...
to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is a public agency of the City and County of San Francisco that provides water, wastewater, and power services to the City and an additional 1.6 million customers within three San Francisco Bay Area counties.The SFPUC manages a complex water supply...
while then Mayor Willie Brown was out of town. Additionally in April 2006, Werbach was elected to the six-member international board of Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
He was subsequently re-elected and later resigned to focus on writing his next book, Strategy for Sustainability: A Business Manifesto. In 2010, Werbach wrote Extinction/Adaptation, a one-hundred copy limited edition ABC book illustrated by the artists Andrew Schoultz and Kyle Knobel. The book catologed extinctions and adaptations in human behavior.
Werbach was named to the American Advertising Federation's "Hall of Achievement" for his contributions to promoting pro-social, anti-consumptive marketing. Werbach commented, "Giving an advertising award to a lifetime ecological activist is like the American Grammatical Association giving a lifetime achievement award to Sarah Palin."
Werbach lives in San Francisco and Bolinas, California and is married to Lyn Werbach. They have three children.