Greed to Green: The Transformation of an Industry and a Life

By David Gottfried

The U.S. and World Green Building Councils have transformed the world more than any other environmental organizations according to author Paul Hawken. In this inspirational and personal memoir, David... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0974432601
• ISBN13: 9780974432601
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: WorldBuild Publishing
• Length: 243 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Inspiring and Motivating!

This book is wonderful! I learned so much about the story of the USGBC and the people who brought it to fruition. I love that it is written to let the reader into the story of David's life and the 'family' of the green building industry. It's inspiring and motivating to anyone who wishes to make a change in their personal or professional lives!

Greening the world through buildings

I thought that this book would be a hard read, as are most environmental books. Instead, I found the story refreshing and a pleasure to read. I stayed up most of the night finishing it. Most inspirational was the last chapter -- Greening My Life. I'm going to start working on my own Life Balance Sheet immediately. It was helpful and insightful to read about Gottfried's two epiphanies as he struggled to change his life from "greed" to "green". This is an important path and lesson for all of us -- if we are going to change this world.

Awesome!!

Mr. Gottfried's book finds the perfect mix of anecdotal inspiration and real-world pragmatic knowledge as he recounts the formation of an organization that wants to improve the world. It's easy to feel his personal struggle as he tries to reconcile his drive to succeed with his passion for environmental change. It's not always easy, and it's not always pretty, but it's incredibly inspiring. For all of us who are trying hard to figure out how to make money and make the earth a better place, this book tells us: we are not alone.

This is a great book.

David Gottfried's story of his quest to be true to himself is a warts and all behind the scenes look at the life of a guy who could have taken the safe, easy road and kept making big bucks as a developer. But instead he took a big chance, followed his heart and his morals, and set off on a journey to do something more than line his pockets. Most of us dream of doing something great, something that will make the world a better place. This is the story of someone who did just that, who fought back his fears and doubts and kept going long after most would have stopped. That journey completely changed his life, and is revolutionizing the $500 billion dollar construction and remodeling industry. Imagine -- a $500 billion industry that is now competing on the healthiness of its products and methods. Bravo!

Green Inspiration

Greed to Green is a rollicking tale of David Gottfried's journey from self proclaimed greedy developer to one of the world's leading proponents of Green Development.The story tracks the remarkable drive and determination it took for David and a growing band of like minded people to begin the transformation of the building industry in the US - a transformation that has now taken substantial hold, via the work of the body that David founded - the US Green Building Council.Whilst the results of David's efforts are impressive in their own right, David also provides insight to his personal journey - and some of the human factors which drive people to achieve remarkable things - the search for love and recognition from a demanding father, the traps of following convention and money, over dreams and personal values, and the inner tension of seeking to match personal values to your life's work.The tale shows both how much a dedicated individual can affect change by working with others and leading the way, and how much our outer worldly jouneys are a reflection of our inner, personal journeys. One senses that there will be a follow up book one day, chronicalling an even deeper progression to come.David's journey will be an inspiration to anyone who dreams of a better world and wants to do something about it.