William Germain

I am very privileged to have grown up on a barrier beach island of Long Island, NY, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the many beautiful beaches, bays, and marshes of the “South Shore”. I thrived in this natural playground and learned to cherish nature’s beauty, diversity, and power. A childhood camping trip to Adirondack Park first introduced me to large-scale environmental degradation caused by industrial activity: acid rain. Though the impacts were invisible to my young eyes, I understood that nature was threatened.

During my teen years, a summer job as an ocean lifeguard exposed me directly to other disturbing and dangerous byproducts of human activity: slicks of untreated human waste and hospital waste from facilities in the NY region. Such formative experiences sensitized me to environmental issues and influenced an increasing awareness and desire to advocate for important environmental causes.

In 2010, I embarked on a journey to transform my career in licensing, media production and sales, to better align with my values. In short, I wanted to actively help solve-rather than perpetuate-the many serious systemic environmental problems we face. I have since completed a master’s degree in Environmental Policy & Management from the University of Denver, CO, and have developed expertise in sustainable management and reporting for organizations and communities (FSSD, GRI), green building (LEED AP BD+C), as well as energy and food policy through research and advocacy at the American Sustainable Business Council and Food & Water Watch.

I have come to understand that acting in an environmentally responsible manner can generate many rewards, but can also be difficult to practice. My professional mission is to make sustainability a reality for organizations and consumers alike by implementing practices that improve organizational performance, enabling sustainable choice in the daily lives of as many people as possible, and ultimately, transforming our economy to work for and not against the environment.