The Ultimate Eco-Entrepreneur's Advice For Taking Action

You're going to want to hear what the innovative eco-entrepreneur has to say on meaningful consumer action, the inherent value of nature, and why we're talking about climate change all wrong.

Later, during my travels to Europe, I noticed how ahead of the curve these countries are in terms of sustainability. At the same time, my kids were studying environmental sciences in school and that formed the basis of an idea for a new brand in the United States. This was also around when An Inconvenient Truth first came out and Americans finally began to realize the extent to which the planet was warming. By then, I already knew how to make hotels stylish, inviting places to gather. But for my next project, I wanted to make a hotel that was cause-oriented. I wanted to use a hotel as a platform to teach people how to live a green life and live well, while still having a luxury experience.

I want people to realize that in today's world of gadgets and gizmos, nature is the greatest luxury of all. It's the most beautiful thing that we have. It should be revered. And we all have a role in protecting that one world. What we want people to realize with this hotel is that tiny changes do add up. It's all about small steps, whether you're eating organic food, shopping local, recycling, taking shorter showers, etc., and you don't have to sacrifice your luxury aspirations in the process. Last Earth Day, we surveyed 50,000 guests, asking them a bunch of questions, including, "Has staying in 1 Hotel influenced your life at home?" Forty-eight percent of them said yes.

When people travel, they don't want to be beat over the head or made to feel bad. But if you can cause an emotional connection that makes them reflect, "Oh, I never thought about it that way" or, "Oh, isn't that cute," they'll listen.

Get involved locally. Organize a beach cleanup, start a recycling program. Get active and get your hands dirty. On top of that, stay aware that the decisions that you make affect other people. The name 1 Hotel comes from the idea that we share one world. The actions you take today don't just affect you—they're for your neighbors and your kids and your kids' kids and your nieces and nephews and your friends around the world. There's exponential power in reminding yourself of that.

We've been telling people for 25 years that the tides are rising and the coral reefs are dying. We're hitting them with facts and numbers that are too heavy and too hard to grasp. Instead, let's remind each other of the beauty that surrounds all of us and hope that will inspire action and lasting change in protecting our environment.

My favorite place is my home in Nantucket. It's a modest cottage but it has has a pond in the backyard, dunes and grasses to the west, and the ocean at its front door. It's serene. Nature really is my biggest design inspiration. I believe a close-up photo of nature is one of the most beautiful images you'll ever see. Plants, flowers, and branches from fallen trees are the sculptures in my eyes.

I focus on what I can do today. Instead of getting depressed by negative thinking, I try to use it as motivation. A problem is a project. When I see that something isn't working, it's one more piece of information that I can use to inspire creative solutions. I don't have a doomsday outlook because I really believe that at the end of the day, people are good. Their intentions are right. They want to make the right choice. We just have to educate them on what the right choice is.