Ron Gonen
Script error: No such module "Draft topics". Script error: No such module "AfC topic".
Ron Gonen is an Israeli born, American entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Closed Loop Partners, an organization that invests in recycling technologies and infrastructure to reduce landfill waste and boost recycling rates.[1]
Early life and education[edit]
Before his parents divorced when Gonen was 5, he spent his early years in Israel.[2] Gonen grew up in a lower-middle-class neighborhood in Philadelphia, he was raised by his mom who was a school teacher.[3] Gonen's single parent family life meant his early years were financially challenging, which led to a variety of education experiences, including a Jewish day school, an underserved inner-city public school, a suburban middle school and then an elite private high school. In his own words, it was his mother who pushed him to use his academic and athletic skills to achieve his goals.
As a 14-year-old, Gonen received a scholarship to play water polo at a prestigious private school. The coach he had was a pioneer in the nascent green architecture movement. He worked as a babysitter and handyman for his coach, who shared his views on the "circular economy," in which materials are constantly recycled, leaving little to no waste behind.[4]
In college, Gonen played water polo for the University of Massachusetts. He graduated cum laude in 1997 with degrees in history and economics. Ron received an MBA from Columbia Business School.[5]
Career[edit]
Gonen knew from an early age what he wanted to do, his passion was "trying to solve societal problems".[6]
When Gonen was attending his M.B.A program, a friend from high school approached Gonen and asked him the question, "Is it possible to reward people for recycling?". In response to the challenge, Gonen created RecycleBank, a recycling company that developed software and rewards programs to pay households for recycling.[7] During his time as CEO at the RecycleBank, the company serviced over 50 cities, and millions of pounds of waste were diverted from landfills to be recycled.[8]
After his departure from RecycleBank, Gonen took time to consider new career possibilities, he said: “The best thing I did in the years after RecycleBank was not jump at the first, second or third opportunity to validate myself. I knew what I most enjoyed and waited to find the next opportunity to do that, though at times it was difficult.”
In May 2012, Gonen served as the Deputy Commissioner for Sanitation, Recycling, and Sustainability for New York City. As part of the Bloomberg administration's recycling initiative, he developed a plan to divert over 30% of New York's waste stream from landfills by 2017 and over 70% by 2025.[9] During his tenure with the city, Gonen and his team established the most advanced recycling centers in the US and assisted with passing legislation on banning Styrofoam.[10]
In a 2010 speech at the United Nations, Gonen emphasized that the way things are produced is not sustainable; "There are not enough raw materials on the planet to satisfy the growing demand for products as the planet’s population expands and more people move into the middle class."[11]
Today Gonen is the founder and CEO of Closed Loop Partners: an investment firm focused on investing in circular businesses around the globe.[12]
Works[edit]
- The Waste-Free World: How the Circular Economy Will Take Less, Make More, and Save the Planet (2021)[13]
References[edit]
- ↑ Bobrow, Emily. "Investor Ron Gonen Thinks a Greener Economy Depends on Businesses". WSJ. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
- ↑ "Applied Wisdom and Purpose: How Closed Loop Partners' CEO Ron Gonen came to lead the circular economy movement - WELL, Magazine". wellmagazineasia.com. 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ↑ "Ron Gonen — Poetry of Impact". 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ↑ "Applied Wisdom and Purpose: How Closed Loop Partners' CEO Ron Gonen came to lead the circular economy movement - WELL, Magazine". wellmagazineasia.com. 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ↑ "Ron Gonen | Greenbiz". www.greenbiz.com. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ↑ "Applied Wisdom and Purpose: How Closed Loop Partners' CEO Ron Gonen came to lead the circular economy movement - WELL, Magazine". wellmagazineasia.com. 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ↑ Gotham Media Interview: Ron Gonen, Recycle Bank, retrieved 2023-01-05
- ↑ lcrenshaw (2015-02-02). "Ron Gonen". U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
- ↑ lcrenshaw (2015-02-02). "Ron Gonen". U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ↑ "New York City weighs polystyrene foam ban". Plastics News. 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
- ↑ Bishop, Matthew (2022-01-27). "Books Driving Change: Ron Gonen and The Waste-Free World". Driving Change. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
- ↑ "Applied Wisdom and Purpose: How Closed Loop Partners' CEO Ron Gonen came to lead the circular economy movement - WELL, Magazine". wellmagazineasia.com. 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
- ↑ Gonen, Ron (2021). The waste-free world : how the circular economy will take less, make more, and save the planet. [New York, New York]. ISBN 978-0-593-19184-2. OCLC 1202772731. Search this book on
This article "Ron Gonen" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Ron Gonen. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
