A son of the conservative South and president of his college’s Young Christian Club, Dave Smith was radicalized by Vietnam. The young Porsche-driving computer programmer went to work with César Chávez during the formative years of the United Farm Workers. From there, Smith became instrumental in founding a series of businesses — including the seminal gardening and lifestyle company Smith and Hawken — that planted the seeds for the now-burgeoning organic and sustainable business movements. In this fascinating memoir of his transformation, Smith shows how business can be a force for radical change, that business driven by simple core values — not the hijacked values of right-wing extremism but common values of compassion and decency — can truly make the world a better place. To Be of Use is both an entertaining, stirring read and a thoughtful guide to making our work lives personally meaningful again.
From book bio:
Sustainable business pioneer Dave Smith has been an executive assistant to Cesar Chavez, a cofounder of Briarpatch Natural Foods Co-op in Menlo Park, California, and cofounder of gardening company Smith & Hawken. He has held leadership positions in such companies as Real Goods, SelfCare, Seeds of Change, and Diamond Organics and has been a key figure in the organic food movement. A serial startup entrepreneur, Smith cofounded Organic Bouquet, the first national organic floral company, and is currently part of the team introducing Organic To Go, a chain of restaurants offering organic meals for take-out and delivery. He has served on the boards of directors of Ecology Action and Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op in Mendocino County, California, and is a cofounder of Mendocino Organic Network, an alliance of farmers and consumers promoting local, organic, and sustainable farming.
