What motivates CEOs to solve the world’s big social and environmental problems?

More sustainability leaders are beginning to understand, and respect, the relationship between people and the natural world, argues author Steve Schein

What turns a person into a sustainability crusader? Author and professor Steve Schein wanted to know, so he interviewed corporate sustainability executives - people who have dedicated their careers to doing business better - to find out what makes them tick.

Many of these executives, from global companies including Nike, Sprint, Mattel, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, Starbucks and Unilever, traced their commitments back to their childhood, talking about their families and teachers. One consumer products company executive told Schein about how her parents composted; another recalled spending time in her grandfather's apple orchard.