It appears at first to be a shallow pool of water in the middle of a muddy field. But the water gives way at its depths to a greasy black sludge that thickens its consistency, and taints its clarity. In northern Ecuador, in a land area three times the size of Manhattan, there are thousands of these toxic waste pits left over from oil mining projects in the 1970s and 1980s.
Looking at one of these pools of toxic waste with a delegation of concerned environmental activists, lawyers and indigenous people, Suzanne West found it hard to imagine that pristine jungle once enveloped this land. Her friend, who visited the site years before when it had been jungle, was in tears.
At home in New York City, West is a managing partner at real estate placement and consulting group Park Madison Partners. She’s also a mom, an avid hiker and scuba diver, and a woman who hardly considers herself an activist. But that four-day trip to Ecuador would change that, inspiring her be an advocate for social responsibility among corporate shareholders and a cheerleader for the eco-rights group Amazon Watch.
“[The environment] is such an important issue for us to all be aware of now. It’s going to impact our children and our families, and we have a chance to continue to make a difference. All of us in this industry can make an impact because we have both financial influence and the power of shareholder activism,” she says. It’s the shareholders, says West, who will be able to make an impact in the fight to raise environmental standards.
“Companies are motivated to focus on the short-term results, but there needs to be somebody that’s focused on the long-term impact overall,” she explains. “I believe this will require pressure from shareholders, the largest of which include the public pension funds.”
Over the past several years, many corporations and pension funds have embraced better environmental practices and focused efforts on sustainability. West tells them simply to continue raising the bar.
“What I’m suggesting isn’t radical,” she says. “We’re saying, ‘Look, growth is going to happen, but let’s try to be as sensitive to the environment as we can because we’re all in this together. In the long-term, this development is going to have an impact on all of us.”
Atossa Soltani, founder and executive director of Amazon Watch, says now is a great time to get involved. “We’re at this watershed moment where the conversation on triple bottom line is finally taking hold,” she says. “In this day and age there’s a growing opinion among investors that environ¬mental risk and social risk do lead to financial risk down the line. There is a rising recognition that companies can do better by doing good.”
West, who has introduced Amazon Watch’s leaders to many people in her business circles, has raised $35,000 for the foundation and recently accepted a volunteer position with the organization’s Executive Director’s Leader¬ship Council. This September she’s planning to ride her bike 100 miles through New England in hopes of raising another $50,000. Though she ranks among the charity’s top donors, West shrugs off her personal efforts.
“If everyone did just a little bit, that adds up to a lot,” she says. “I try to be aware in my daily life. But I also ask myself, ‘What else can I do?’ This is something I can do — I can help an organization that I spent enough time with that I believe in. It’s my way of having an impact. Everyone can, and should, find one place where they can help.”
Amazon Watch is a San Francisco–based nonprofit organization that works to defend the environ¬ment and the rights of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin. If you’re interested in donating to Suzanne West’s Century Ride fund raiser, go to the www.amazonwatch.org, click “donate” and earmark the funds “Suzanne West Charity Century Ride.”
