On Thursday, September 29, Taylor Guitars was inducted into the International Green Industry Hall of Fame (IGIHOF), joining eight other individuals or organizations that were also honored.
The hall of fame is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote excellence in ecological sustainability by recognizing pioneers, leaders, innovators, creators and visionaries who have made significant contributions to the green industry.
Taylor joined the ranks of previous inductees such as the U.S. Green Building Council, Patagonia, Interface Inc., The Honda Motor Company, TerraCycle, environmentalist Paul Hawken and environmental scientist Amory Lovin. The award recognized our commitment to being a socially and environmentally responsible company, citing not only our “Big Three” initiatives (i.e. our work in Cameroon with ebony, in Hawaii with koa, and here in California with urban wood), but also the way our innovative manufacturing processes have reduced material waste.
This year’s induction ceremony, the 12th annual event, was held virtually and livestreamed. The emcee for the event was Tom Bowman, President of Bowman Change, author of the book Empowering Climate Action in the United States, and a previous IGIHOF inductee. Bob Taylor was invited to be one of two keynote speakers and delivered a pre-recorded video address in which he shared lessons he has learned about sustainability during his nearly five decades in the guitar business. Among the themes Bob touched on were the importance of using modern manufacturing methods to reduce wood waste and creating other products from wood parts that can’t be used for guitars — such as using “orphaned” ebony pieces to craft guitar wall hangers or kitchenware products. Another was the greater value of Taylor’s tree planting initiatives as demonstration cases — that the larger impact may be the ripple effect of inspiring others to also take action.
The second keynote address was presented by Dr. Michael E. Mann, an author, educator and industry expert on climate change.
Other inductees also delivered acceptance speeches and in most cases, a short presentation that highlighted their mission. In addition to Taylor Guitars, other IGIHOF inductees for 2022 were:
Asilia Africa, an East African safari company whose safari experiences are designed to leave a positive impact on Africa’s crucial wilderness areas and local communities.
Climate Action 100+, an investor-led initiative to ensure that the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters take necessary action on climate change.
Good Planet Innovation, a company that works in the entertainment industry to inspire conscious consumer behavior globally by integrating eco-friendly, healthy and ethical products and behaviors into major movies and television shows.
Jet Blue, an airline whose innovative sustainability initiatives aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
Sir Robert Watson, a British chemist who has worked on atmospheric science issues including ozone depletion, global warming and paleoclimatology since the 1980s. He is lead author of the February 2021 U.N. report Making Peace with Nature.
Understanding Ag, a regenerative agricultural consulting company that educates and mentors farmers, ranchers, landowners, businesses and communities in the principles and practices needed to repair, rebuild, revitalize and restore their farming and ranching ecosystems.
World Centric, a manufacturer of compostable foodservice and packaging products that gives 25% of its profits to social and environmental organizations to further their work in creating a better world.
Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, the late conservation biologist who was widely recognized as the godfather of biodiversity. Lovejoy spent more than 50 years of his life illuminating and protecting the Amazon.
You can learn more about the International Green Industry Hall of Fame at gogreenhall.org.
