Earlier this year, China decided to ban foreign imports of different types of solid wastes, effective January 1, 2018. As a result, Chinese recycling companies won’t be buying American recyclables, which will crater the global demand for those materials.

Let’s see. How do I write this blog post without it sounding like every other “thank you for coming” that has ever been given? It’s like a wedding toast – original content is pretty much impossible to come by.

Instead, let’s just steer into the clichés, because they’re all true.

Seventh Generation is a reference to a phrase from the Constitution of the Iroquois Nation, which stresses the need to consider impacts of actions on the seventh generation to come. In many respects, it’s the same message as Tomorrow’s Child.

I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be sitting in my local coffee shop writing this blog post if Ray hadn’t given that speech. My professional vocation might not have had anything to do with environmentalism if he hadn’t planted the “sustainability” flag that day in the heart of Interface’s business operations.