An Interview With Wanda Malhotra
Clear rules, regulations, policies that at minimum do not add roadblocks to new sustainability initiatives. That would include reducing subsidies for various industries. In the USA, there are multiple transmission projects that are on permitting or legal hold that could bring inexpensive, renewable energy to the national grid. A cleaner planet is worldwide; national permitting and regulation can help reconcile local and planet-wide priorities.
As we face an unprecedented environmental crisis, the need for sustainable solutions has never been more urgent. This series seeks to spotlight the innovative minds and passionate advocates who are leading the charge in environmental conservation and sustainable practices. We aim to explore the most effective strategies, breakthrough technologies, and transformative policies that are shaping a more sustainable future for our planet. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jeffrey Atkin.
Jeffrey Atkin founded Sustainable Forest Systems companies in 1991, pioneering one of the world’s earliest sustainably managed tropical hardwood businesses in Paraguay, South America, and later in Bolivia and Brazil. Prior to this, from 1981 to 1989, he led Atkin Petroleum Group, a prominent market maker in heating oil, gasoline, and crude oil. He also served as Managing Partner of two petroleum-based hedge funds and was a member of the New York Mercantile Exchange from 1980 to 1996. He graduated from Amherst College.
His current efforts focus on Eucalyptus timber mats from World Forest Group LLC (a Sustainable Forest Systems company) www.worldforestgroup.com . He serves on the Board of the North American Matting Association (www.nama-assoc.org )
Thank you so much for joining us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?
I started off as a commodity trader, trading petroleum products and later doing what people will now call a hedge fund. Did that for about 12 years. Always fascinated with trees and forestry and had been reading on the side about sustainability. The intersection for me was lack of sustainability and tropical forests in conjunction with a dysfunctional market. Turns out that that combination has been influencing both tropical forests and temperate forests for the last 40 years at least.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
Perhaps the most interesting thing is what John Keynes said a long time ago, “markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.” The same point could be made about transitions to sustainability. It’s taken a long time for people to finally wake up even though the 1st research on global warming was published in the 1950s.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Integrity/Honesty: One of my long-term partners says, “Only God is honest. The rest of us are almost honest.” I hope we are almost honest in our dealings. One thing happened in Paraguay, South America. Some Paraguayan IRS agents told us that we owed taxes on losses. Obviously, that’s impossible. Both the local attorneys and the local and international accountants said, “No way”, and both suggested we pay the fine. So, we negotiated down the tax from $50,000 to $700 figuring that it was just worth it to get the whole thing resolved. At that point, we asked for a receipt and couldn’t get it. The attorneys still recommended paying even though it was clearly a bribe. We refused; it all worked out. However, I never forgot how much good meaning people can do the wrong thing just because it’s easier.
Long-term vision: Things take longer than we ever expect, especially in the natural world and with people. I remember going to our eldest daughter’s kindergarten class and teaching the kids in 1999 about sustainable forest management. They got it. It took the rest of the country probably until the recent weather disasters to start to sign on to, “We’ve got to do something different.”
Education: Love discussing markets, trends, solutions with and for customers. This is a give and take. Our current sector is hampered by lack of standards so there’s a lot more education that needs to happen for people to understand that they are making sub optimal decisions, which are costing them a lot in terms of money, time, safety, productivity, and costing the planet and the environment a lot too.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that might help people?
We’ve been working with the North American Matting Association for about two years to create a standard for various kinds of matting. After permitting and before a pipeline, transmission line, big civil project, or any big infrastructure project starts the first thing that you install is matting ground protection. Unfortunately, there’s been no standard in this business, which means that nobody knows what they’re getting. People, the environment and cash flow suffer. As consumers we take for granted that we know what we’re buying when we buy it. For example, when we go to the gas station and ask for 87 octane, that’s what we get. We don’t get some unknown liquid, jet fuel, diesel fuel, water, kerosene or something else. Without standards none of us can make right decisions. So, I’m hopeful that the new standards will bring some greater sustainability and market discipline to this sector.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of our interview. What pivotal moment led you to dedicate your career to sustainability, and how has that shaped your approach to environmental challenges?
In 1990 I read an article that described the first satellite images of global tropical forests and how the forest was disappearing at the rate of 0.5 to 0.75% per year. I was intrigued and I thought, as a trader, that it might be a good idea to buy mahogany futures. Mahogany futures didn’t exist.. Had there been a market in mahogany futures, I never would have gone into this business. After I realized there was no market, I realized that also there was a long-term opportunity where you could buy tropical forest, manage it sustainably, and over the long term have a good quality forest while the rest of the non-managed forest was degrading. Many years later I understood that the Menominee tribal people had had the same concept in the mid 1800s. Their land is still being managed sustainably. And the forest is better and better every decade. So that’s what we tried to do.
Could you describe a groundbreaking project or initiative you’ve been involved in that significantly contributed to sustainability?
We were early adopters of the Forest Stewardship Council certification program, and in our Paraguay business the second FSC certified forest in Latin America. We duplicated that in Bolivia. The financial crisis of 2008 / 2009 was a problem. Even over the long term when you’re trying to do the right thing, markets, people and geopolitical issues can get in your way. You have to have staying power.
How do you navigate the balance between economic growth and environmental preservation in your sustainability strategies?
We don’t see any conflict in our markets between economic growth and environmental preservation. A well-made, long lasting timber mat is profitable for everybody and quite sustainable. There are markets where you aren’t so lucky to have a clear sustainability advantage. One might be windmills: they are terrific for long term energy sources but there is clearly an environmental impact from resource extraction. Some companies are making terrific advances in figuring out how to recycle windmill blades. I’m confident the world will get there.
What emerging technologies or innovations do you believe hold the most promise for advancing sustainability and why?
That’s a great question. I’m not sure anybody really knows. I can think of two broad areas. The first one is public policy. The second one is biomimicry. For example, public policy for good reasons, has favored secure energy supplies. Prior to the renewables revolution secure supplies meant petroleum-based energy. Subsidies followed. Removing those subsidies would do a great service for the renewables economics. The second one, biomimicry, is interesting because nature has had hundreds of thousands of years to “experiment” with “strategies” for species survival. The planet is chock full of those examples. Humans could learn a lot by mimicking nature, and perhaps take a shortcut to a greener, cleaner, more stable world.
Based on your research or experience, can you please share your “3 Top Strategies for a Cleaner Planet”?
1 . Clear rules, regulations, policies that at minimum do not add roadblocks to new sustainability initiatives. That would include reducing subsidies for various industries. In the USA, there are multiple transmission projects that are on permitting or legal hold that could bring inexpensive, renewable energy to the national grid. A cleaner planet is worldwide; national permitting and regulation can help reconcile local and planet-wide priorities.
2 . Make sure the market works and that price signals are clear. For example, right now, USA cardboard is in high demand and prices are high. Industry may know that, but 90% of consumers probably don’t and may not recycle in countries where recycling is optional.
3 . More education. In the long view, it didn’t take long for education about health risks from smoking to kick in. Elementary school kids were educated and pestered their parents. (I was one of those kids.) Recently, a six-year-old told me that I should be careful buying only sustainable palm oil because 28 orangutans are killed every month. Clear messaging works.
In your view, what are the key steps individuals, communities, and governments need to take to achieve a more sustainable future?
Because a sustainable future is for the entire planet, communities and governments are going to be the drivers of the fastest change. That’s good news. My gut is that human policies and protocols are more of a barrier than the physical world, though it’s also clear that we will be placing huge demand on the current natural resources we have. Those institutions respond to individuals’ preferences. So, the advice is still the same: Be clear about your priorities and make them known to the people who represent you. Don’t give up hope. Even small demonstration projects can influence people’s thinking.
Practically, look at the permitting procedures in your area. Permitting project procedures are probably 20 years behind the current need. It doesn’t mean that they’re bad, just that they need an overhaul and rethink so that people with good ideas which can advance sustainability will take the risk to develop those concepts. You can see that in the electric transmission grid in the United States. There are some enormous opportunities for sustainability for the entire country, and possibly the entirety of North America, but they are being hamstrung by permitting procedures that could not possibly anticipate the current race for a sustainable future.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Give younger people more voice over policy. They are inheriting our earth (and mistakes). They will be the ones to fix it and to bear the costs.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
Go to our website. www.worldforestgroup.com and hit the contact button. I’ll respond.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About the Interviewer: Wanda Malhotra is a wellness entrepreneur, lifestyle journalist, and the CEO of Crunchy Mama Box, a mission-driven platform promoting conscious living. CMB empowers individuals with educational resources and vetted products to help them make informed choices. Passionate about social causes like environmental preservation and animal welfare, Wanda writes about clean beauty, wellness, nutrition, social impact and sustainability, simplifying wellness with curated resources. Join Wanda and the Crunchy Mama Box community in embracing a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle at CrunchyMamaBox.com .
The Future Is Green: Jeffrey Atkin On Their Top Strategies for a Cleaner Planet was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.