When Todd Paglia joined ForestEthics in 1999, he saw that major corporations in the office supply industry and the catalog industry were purchasing and selling millions of tons of paper—with no accountability for the environmental devastation that was feeding their demand. He also found that many corporations had no knowledge of the environmental devastation that their practice were having, and were interested in working with ForestEthics to not only transform their practices, but challenge their entire industries to become environmentally responsible.

Now, as executive director of ForestEthics, Mr. Paglia can be credited with transforming the paper policies of multi-billion-dollar Fortune 500 companies, including Staples, Office Depot, Williams-Sonoma, Dell, Victoria's Secret, and many more.

In terms of forest protection, the results have been inspiring. Under Mr. Paglia's leadership, ForestEthics has saved more than twelve million acres of Endangered Forests. Recycled pulp mills are operating at record-high capacity—and independent analysis has attributed the change directly to demand from companies that ForestEthics has transformed.

Mr. Paglia has also presided over an unprecedented period of growth for ForestEthics, from 15 staff members and an annual budget of one million to a staff of over 35 and a budget of $3.5 million in just over three years. The network of people engaged with ForestEthics' campaigns continues to grow rapidly as more activists and corporations recognize the power of its unique philosophy that individual people can be mobilized to create positive environmental change — and so can corporations.

In the last year, Mr. Paglia's work at ForestEthics has been recognized with his selection to the annual "Hot 20 Under 40" list published by 7x7 Magazine, San Francisco's glamour and culture publication. Mr. Paglia was the only environmental leader selected, as the article noted, because "few activists have succeeded in the practical business of hitting earth abusers where it really hurts—their wallets." Mr. Paglia was also chosen as one of Ethisphere magazine's one hundred most influential people in business ethics.

Mr. Paglia has challenged some of the largest companies in the world to become environmental leaders on the Today Show, NPR's Marketplace as well in stories in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Time Magazine, Business Week, and many other publications. In March 2007, Mr. Paglia was a featured speaker at San Francisco's Commonwealth Club, the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum.

Before joining ForestEthics in 1999, Mr. Paglia was an attorney for Ralph Nader focusing on consumer protection issues such as environmental purchasing by governmental agencies to spur alternative markets, enforcement of antitrust laws, corporate welfare issues and corporate accountability.

Mr. Paglia received his Bachelor of Arts from Binghamton University, SUNY, his J.D. from the New England School of Law, and his LL.M. from George Washington University, National Law Center, in Environmental Law and Policy. He lives in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife Shannon and two young sons, Nico and Luca.

Show full bio

Hide full bio