Michael Wirth-Davis named the 2020 Goodwill Sustainability Champion

Michael Wirth-Davis, Dr. PA and Goodwill Industries International President & CEO Steven Preston

Congratulations to Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota’s President & CEO Michael Wirth-Davis, who was named the 2020 Goodwill Sustainability Champion at Goodwill Industries International’s AMCOE meeting in Nashville on February 28, 2020.

The award recognizes a CEO who consistently demonstrates strong leadership in support of the triple bottom line: People (social impact), Planet (environmental impact) and Performance (prosperity/financial impact). It recognizes not only green business practices, but also educating the public and creating socially innovative partnerships to enhance the environmental health of the community. 

Under Michael Wirth-Davis’ leadership:

• GESMN eliminated the use of new plastic bags in stores, keeping 4M plastic bags (63K pounds) from entering landfills annually.
• We pick up 10,000 pounds of clothing from the Twin Cities Marathon route every fall to be reused.
• Over 4,000 pounds of warm winter coats are given to people leaving incarceration in partnership with Ramsey/Hennepin County adult detention centers.
• Our organization received Goodwill Industries International’s Sustainable Business Practice Waste Diversion Award.
• GESMN partners with the MN Pollution Control Agency at the State Fair’s Eco-Experience to educate over 2 million attendees about recycling and reuse.

The Sustainability Champion is one of just six awards given annually to a network of 157 Goodwill organizations in the United States, Canada and 12 other countries.