Movie Poster for Beyond Zero & photo of Nathan Harvey
One Earth (OE):Beyond Zero shows how businesses can transform their impact on the planet. What lessons from this story feel most relevant today?
Nathan Harvey (NH): The most important lesson is the ambition that interface had. They began with the question of what their business would be like in a world where industry and ecology were in harmony, and then they started to figure out how to close the gap. Every business can (and must) follow their lead - and if they do, they will realize the same advantages Interface enjoyed, and still enjoys today.
OE:How can companies become part of the GenWe movement(Our theme displaying that people regardless of their age range can work together to help our planet), working alongside communities and activists?
NH: Companies need to start by acknowledging the aspect of business as usual that won't work in a sustainable world. Then they need to figure out which of those aspects they are best positioned to solve. Companies (and we as individuals) are complicit in many systems that need to change, but we can't do it all. So we need to focus on a small number of things we can do, and get them done.
Interface didn't tackle shipping, they didn't tackle the concrete on which their carpet was laid, they didn't tackle deforestation. They tackled what they were best able to tackle, and in doing so, they made available to the world a choice that is consistent with a sustainable future. So that one is solved. Now we all companies need to do the same for the thing that is theirs to do.
OE:What surprised you most about the people who helped drive change inside the company?
NH:They were normal people, just like the people at work in every other company. They weren't environmentalists before. But once the company committed to doing what needed to be done - they became the amazing team that did it.
