Natural ally

摘要

Jack Smith, the recently retired chairman of General Motors, reflects on driving his company toward an intersection with conservation. The view from atop a lofty corporate skyscraper, peering down, could not be more different from the humbling perspective found beneath a wild rain forest canopy, gazing up. But John F. Smith Jr., having savored the sight of creation from both vantages, is trying to connect one with the other. He believes he can show that while working to do what's good for the largest automaker on Earth, as it endeavors to turn a profit, he can also help save biological diversity. Some may see that as a paradox, but for Smith, 65, the former president CEO and recently retired board chairman of General Motors Corp., there is room for common ground. "A lot of people think corporations are bad, and that we're not doing anything [to protect the environment]," says Smith, known as "Jack." But "I can look anybody in the eye and, without blinking, say that we are seriously trying to makeit happen." What began years ago as a passing interest in environmental protection has deepened for the no-nonsense executive, who is credited with helping to instill a conservation ethic in the ranks of GM. In fact since 1994, under his command and that of his successor, intrepid GM president and CEO G. Richard ("Rick") Wagoner Jr., the megacompany has poured nearly 23 million dollar into grass-roots Nature Conservancy projects in 20 countries.