World Resources Institute

Jonathan Lash. Jonathan Lash is president of the World Resources Institute (WRI), whose research, analysis and policy recommendations provide practical solutions to global challenges of environment and sustainability. He is recognized internationally for his expertise on climate change, energy security, and resource, environment and development policies. Mr. Lash has broad experience with public policy processes at the international, federal and state levels,… See full bio.

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Anne Calvert Individual Giving Coordinator Mar 04, 2011

The World Resources Institute is a global environmental think tank that goes beyond research to put ideas into action. We work with governments, companies, and civil society to build solutions to urgent environmental challenges. WRI’s transformative ideas protect the earth… Read More.

Website:	http://www.wri.org	Address:	10 G St NE
E-Mail:	acalvert AT wri.org		Washington, D.C. 20002, USA
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Story: This is a brief story about how WRI is working with green entrepreneurs around the world to make a difference: One company supplies solar lanterns to communities without electricity. Another makes energy efficient air conditioners for the developing world. A third turns coffee waste into ethanol. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the engines of local economies. Sustainable SMEs—those that manufacture and market environmentally friendly products and serve low income communities—add even more value. They create models for the businesses of the future, those that will thrive in a low-carbon, resource-constrained world. WRI works with such businesses in six of the world’s major emerging economies—Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, and Mexico. Over ten years, WRI’s New Ventures program has facilitated some $181 million of investment in “green sector” companies, including firms working on renewable energy, green consumer products, and clean technologies. Their experts have helped over 250 businesses to build their capacity, learn key management skills, and find the right investors. Take Ecostar, a pioneering new venture in refurbishing copy machines. Founded in Nanjing, China, by a visionary entrepreneur named Gao Guoqiang, Ecostar refurbishes used machines from the United States and re-sells or leases them, for 20 percent less than a branded photocopier. Executing this simple, creative idea has brought multiple benefits: preventing landfill disposal of copiers, supplying a valuable affordable resource for companies across China, and generating jobs and profit. New Ventures has helped Mr. Gao connect with investors and dramatically scale up his business to capture 60 percent of the photocopying market in China. The refurbished copiers are also available for use in a nationwide chain of print shops. Ecostar’s success can be readily “copied” elsewhere, and, in 2010, WRI will seek to replicate the franchise in Latin America’s emerging markets. “All the good things about New Ventures come together in Ecostar,” says WRI senior fellow Piet Klop. “It is a sustainable business model that addresses real problems, and can be transmitted to other emerging economies for maximum impact.” (Source: http://pdf.wri.org/wri_annual_report_2009.pdf)

Evidence of Impact Summary:

An increasing number of US states and Canadian provinces are enacting regulations to limit greenhouse gas emissions. WRI has been an active contributor to this movement, providing critical technical and policy advice, and facilitating negotiations. WRI provided greenhouse gas accounting tools and training to help cement companies in China measure their emissions.

Organization Strengths Summary:

Climate Change experts believe that the World Resources Institute produces extremely high quality work, is a well-respected organization on an international level, and is run by a strong team of professionals.
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Areas for Improvement Summary:

At the same time, the World Resources Institute could have a much broader reach if they found a better way to communicate their results with the public. Additionally, the Climate Change experts believe WRI should expand their partnerships with other organizations.
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Jonathan Lash is president of the World Resources Institute (WRI), whose research, analysis and policy recommendations provide practical solutions to global challenges of environment and sustainability. He is recognized internationally for his expertise on climate change, energy security, and resource, environment and development policies. Mr. Lash has broad experience with public policy processes at the international, federal and state levels, and with corporate and business practices worldwide. Mr. Lash has been a catalyst in engaging business and industry in environmental and sustainability issues. From 1993 until 1999, Mr. Lash served as co chair of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, a group of U.S. government, business, labor, civil rights, and environmental leaders appointed by President Clinton that developed visionary recommendations for strategies to promote sustainable development. In 2006 he played a key role in the creation and success of the United States Climate Action Partnership, a group of leading companies and environmental groups that in January 2007 issued a highly influential “Call to Action” on global warming. A frequent writer about issues of sustainability, Lash’s article in the Harvard Business Review, “Competitive Advantage on a Warming Planet,” distills more than a decade of active engagement with the private sector on climate issues. In June 2005, Mr. Lash was named one of the world’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Finance, in the annual ranking of Treasury & Risk Management magazine, the only leader of a non-profit environmental organization on the list. Mr. Lash was profiled in Rolling Stone’s “Warriors & Heroes,” a look at “Twenty-five leaders who are fighting to stave off the planet-wide catastrophe.” The piece noted that he “has arguably done more than any other environmentalist to bridge the bitter divide between industry interests and green groups determined to halt global warming.” In December 2007, he was named “one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics” for the year by Ethisphere Magazine, recognizing his “commitment to ethical leadership and corporate social responsibility.” Under Lash’s leadership, WRI has developed innovative approaches to measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, led efforts to demonstrate the financial importance of environmental risks and opportunities to capital markets successfully catalyzed the first global assessment of the state of the world’s ecosystems, and pioneered the use of digital technologies – such as satellite imagery - to solve environmental problems. As the head of a leading international organization with partners in more than 50 countries, Lash has been involved in research and policy discussions with companies, governments, and civil society organizations all over the world. He has served on a variety of international commissions and boards, including the DuPont Biotechnology Advisory Panel; the Tata Energy and Resources Institute (India); the Keidanren Committee on Nature Conservation (Japan); the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development; Generation Investment Management, The VIVA Trust, and the Avina Foundation. He has chaired advisory groups to the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Trade Representative, and the Secretary General of the OECD. From 1987 to 1990, he headed the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, having served the previous two years as Vermont’s Commissioner of Environmental Conservation. During his tenure in Vermont government, Lash helped write, win enactment of and implement innovative statutes on issues ranging from pollution prevention and solid waste management to protection of pristine streams. In 1990 he became director of the Environmental Law Center at the Vermont Law School, rated the best program of its kind in the United States. A former Peace Corps volunteer and federal prosecutor, Mr. Lash worked as a senior staff attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) from 1978 to 1985, litigating and lobbying on issues related to pollution control, federal coal leasing, strip mining, and energy conservation. Mr. Lash earned his baccalaureate degree from Harvard University and his masters and law degrees from the Catholic University of America. He served as a law clerk to The Hon. Frank M. Coffin, then Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Mr. Lash lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Ellie, who teaches at Sidwell Friends School.

Anne Calvert Individual Giving Coordinator Mar 04, 2011

The World Resources Institute is a global environmental think tank that goes beyond research to put ideas into action. We work with governments, companies, and civil society to build solutions to urgent environmental challenges. WRI’s transformative ideas protect the earth and promote development because sustainability is essential to meeting human needs and fulfilling human aspirations in the future. WRI spurs progress by providing practical strategies for change and effective tools to implement them. We measure our success in the form of new policies, products, and practices that shift the ways governments work, companies operate, and people act. We operate globally because today’s problems know no boundaries. We are avid communicators because people everywhere are inspired by ideas, empowered by knowledge, and moved to change by greater understanding. We provide innovative paths to a sustainable planet through work that is accurate, fair, and independent.