The Triple Bottom Line Blog

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman is a big boy--author of several best-selling books and one of America's most influential opinion-shapers about topics like globalization, economic policy, the "war on terror," and the energy crisis. Over the years, his ideas have been subject to plenty of scrutiny and criticism. But I was a bit startled to see his recent column on sustainable energy policy attacked by Daniel Luzer in the respectable Columbia Journalism Review not on the basis of any logical or factual errors but on purely personal grounds:

Friedman . . . is married to Ann Bucksbaum, the heiress to the $2.7 billion General Growth Properties fortune. Founded by Friedman's father-in-law in 1954, GGP is America’s second largest real estate investment trust and owns, develops, and operates regional shopping malls in forty-one states.

That's right, malls. Fat, energy-hogging, climate controlled, sprawl-inducing—many of the most palpable examples of American waste and ecological irresponsibility are owned and managed by Tom Friedman's family.

This makes [Friedman's] gee-why-don't-you-write-your-congressman naivete a little hard to take. Friedman actually has direct access to a company with some control over the level of waste the United States perpetuates on the world.

Is this fair or reasonable? Arguably not. Who knows how much actual influence Tom Friedman wields over the company his father-in-law founded? Nor does Luzer's article offer any information as to whether GGP has taken any steps to move the properties it manages toward greater energy efficiency or eco-responsibility. Apparently, as far as Luzer is concerned, the fact that GGP runs malls is damning in itself--and it thoroughly undermines Friedman's credibility.

This little episode offers an interesting reflection on the place of sustainability in the American dialogue today. Although more and more people now recognize the legitimacy of sustainability issues in the political and business arenas, there is somehow still a need to prove one's bona fides before advancing a sustainability argument--as though, unless you can somehow prove your personal purity, you're likely to be considered a hypocrite just for talking about sustainability. (Remember the attacks on Al Gore for owning a big house and flying around the world by jet.) And as Luzer's column suggests, criticism of your sincerity is just as likely to come from the left (i.e. from environmental advocates) as from the right (i.e. environmental skeptics).

It's funny: Anyone can make an argument on behalf of self-serving, absolute laissez-faire policies ("Down with regulation! Drill in Yellowstone! Pollute at will!") without having their right to make that argument questioned. The assumed sincerity of self-interest insulates the anti-sustainability crowd from this form of criticism. Environmental advocates are held to a higher standard, one that extends not only to their own behavior but even to that of that families.

If you're a CEO working to position your company at the forefront of the sustainable business movement, you should devote a little time to analyzing (and, if necessary, "cleaning up") your personal behavior as well, including the kinds of cars you drive, the houses you own, and the holdings in your retirement account. If your efforts on behalf of sustainability provoke resistance or resentment from any quarters, you can be sure all those purely personal matters will come under scrutiny--fair and reasonable or not.

If it can happen to Tom Friedman, it can happen to you.

Labels: Ann Bucksbaum, C-Suite, Daniel Luzer, GGP, malls, Personal Musings, Thomas Friedman