Jerry Greenfield Interview

>>SARAH PURCELL: From the beginning Ben and Jerry both focused their business, part of their business, on having philanthropic and social mission with a portion of the profits of Ben and Jerry's all was being donated to the Ben and Jerry's Foundation, which has participated in many, many good works, many kinds of projects for social justice and progress in the United States.

>>JERRY GREENFIELD: There is a spiritual aspect to business, just as there is to the lives of individuals. As you give, you receive. As you help others, you are helped in return. And just because the idea that the good that you do comes back to you is written in the Bible and not in some business textbook doesn't mean that it's any less valid.

We have a world in which for a lot of reasons we have people who are privileged and then there's a lot of people who don't get a fair shake, and social justice is evening that field so that everybody has an opportunity.

I think it's critically important for a sustainable planet. You know, if you want to have a world in which there's haves and have-nots, it's not that important, but that is not a world that will thrive or continue. I think for Grinnell to be recognizing young people who are changing the world in a positive way is a great statement, and I think Grinnell taking the lead in terms of social justice and equality is a great thing for Grinnell to be doing. So I think it really positions the college as saying this is a stake in the ground, this is something we believe in. For the Prize winners, they're doing the work anyway, but it's nice to be recognized for what you're doing. It's not why people do it. It's not why people are engaged in making the world better and more sustainable, but it's always nice to get recognized.