John S. Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), stressed the urgency of addressing the incoming glut of electronic waste and other ways businesses and individuals can get in touch with their “green DNA” today at the fourth annual Minority Automotive Supplier Symposium presented by Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Wall Street West and the Auto Project.
The theme of this year’s conference at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel was “Taking the Wheel in a Shifting Market: Adapting to Innovative Trends in the Auto Industry” and Shegerian was asked by the organizers to participate in a panel titled “Make Green by Going Green: Paving the Way for a Sustainable Business” to provide insights on policies that work for both the environment and the economy.
Shegerian described his motto that “green is good” by explaining to the crowd that “…you cannot accomplish anything relevant if you do not first create a sustainable company, focused on the bottom line.” For the panel, Shegerian shared the stage with representatives from Toyota, Southern California Edison, J King Solar Technology and Urban Go Green.
“It’s an honor and privilege to have been asked to speak at this important event before such an esteemed and influential audience of automotive suppliers,” said Shegerian. “It’s very rewarding to find groups of businesses within any industry that are willing to take the time to share ideas and spread the message of getting greener through simple and highly proactive measures. We tip our hats to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Wall Street West and the Auto Project for taking such a leadership role in helping us promote the concept that ‘Green is Good’ and that there are both fiscal and environmental benefits to be gained through the proper recycling of electronics.”
Shegerian closed the panel discussion with a statement by Dr. Martin Luther King that is printed over the front door of ERI’s headquarters, “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” Shegerian argued that everyone can be part of the green revolution, no matter where they are situated. “You have to look at everything we do and realize that all the old paradigms are in the process now of being transformed,” he said.