CleanTech.Org

Greening My Life: A Green Building Pioneer Takes On His Most Challenging Project
By David Gottfried

It takes courage for a public person to open up their personal lives and share what really motivates and gives them satisfaction.  David Gottfried, is the founder and guiding spirit of the US Green Building Council, the LEED building rating system, and the World Green Building Council.  Gottfried's first book, 'Greed to Green: The Transformation of an Industry and a Life,' goes into detail on these achievements, and talks about how his involvement with the green building movement changed his professional life.

In 'Greening My Life' he follows up by providing a very personal and candid picture of what it took for him to launch these groundbreaking organizations.   This was an effort that left him feeling exhausted and alone, completely at odds with the spirit of the green revolution he was trying to drive.

'Greening My Life' is organized around Gottfried's 'Six Steps to a Green Life,' a personal rating system he developed to help him achieve a more balanced and satisfying personal life.  As we follow him through the process of restructuring and greening his own life, we are challenged to think about what living well might mean for each of us, both on a personal scale, and in terms of making a contribution to saving the planet. 

Gottfried's example is worth following ... I hope more high-impact figures will find the courage to share their own personal motivations, difficulties, and triumphs!