October 12, 2020 • 12 mins
If you want to change, preserve, or build a better America, there’s one easy way to make your voice heard: Vote. This year, iHeartRadio is teaming up with over 20 incredible celebrities (plus a handful of our most popular podcasters) to get the country excited to go vote, broadcasting the personal, emotional and heartfelt stories behind why showing up to the ballot box means so much-- not just as individuals, but for our entire nation.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Why I'm Voting, a production of I Heart Radio. Listen.
You already know this, but it's an election year. You
might already be tired of hearing about it. But here's
the thing. Democracy doesn't work without you. I'm Holly Frying,
and I'm sitting down with many of my fellow podcasters,
from Will Ferrell to Stephanie Rule as well as other
(00:26):
luminaries to find out about their relationships with the ballot
box and ultimately just to find out why they vote.
I hope you're exercising your right to vote, and if
you're not, I hope that their stories inspire you. Welcome
to today's episode of Why I'm Voting. My guest today
(00:48):
is Joey Bergstein, who is the CEO of Seventh Generation.
That is, in case you do not know, a household
in personal care brand that is focused on health and sustainability.
And if I did my math correctly, Joey has been
with the company almost a decade and now he's spending
time here with me. Joey, thank you so much for
being here, Thanks for having me. It's great to be
with you. Is my math correct? Your you hit your
(01:10):
decade next year, next year, I will hit a decade.
That's right. Nice congratulations. But of course today we are
talking about voting, and I found out that this is
actually going to be your first presidential election. Will you
share with our listeners why that is the case. Well,
it's not because I just turned eighteen. I'm a little
bit older than that. No, not exactly, which means you
(01:32):
started when you were eight at your company, a young prodigy,
as they say, there you go. No, it's my first
election as a US citizen. So we got her a
citizenship just over a year ago and decided, I think
about two years ago that after having lived in the
United States for quite a long period of time, that
(01:54):
with green cards, we were tired of taxation without representation,
and that this election was a really important one and
we wanted to make sure that we were all and
I say by we, my my wife and my family,
that we were all in a position to be able
to have our voices heard at this really incredibly important
moment in history. Now, you grew up in Canada, so
I'm wondering. Obviously, most Canadians I know are pretty well
(02:18):
aware of American politics as well as their own. Were
you always politically minded or is that something that's developed
as you've grown and matured. I would say that I've
always been politically aware and interested, always interested in what's
going on about how policy gets made and about how
we advanced society collectively. I wouldn't say that I was
(02:38):
politically active as a kid growing up, or really my
political activism came to life mostly in my time at
seven generation. It's an amazing thing to be working inside
a business that is not just trying to create safer,
healthier products for people and for planet, but really knowing
(03:00):
that our role is much bigger than that. Our rule
in society is to really advocate for change, to change
the world around us. And you do that both through
the products that you create, by being demanding with your
suppliers on ingredients and materials that are truly sustainable to
help them actually move forward in creating sustainable products, but
(03:21):
also in in advocating for change and trying to shift
the way that other businesses are creating products, taking accountability
for where they stand, but also working with a partnership
with public and private partnership in moving legislation to a
place that is trying to create a world that's better,
(03:42):
that's safer for you, for people, and for planet. I'm
glad that you mentioned this because Seventh Generation did something
interesting recently. A couple of weeks ago, your company posted
an open letter to the co chairs of the Commission
on Presidential Debates asking that climate be given some attention
as we go forward to this election cycle. How did
that open letter come about and why did you decide
(04:04):
that that was a step that you wanted to take
as a business leader. I mean, that's a big statement
to make for a company. Yeah, well, it started because
we have really realized that time is running out on
addressing climate change. The science is really clear, that's not
up for debate. The question is really what are the
leaders going to do to be able to navigate us
(04:25):
through the crisis we find ourselves in today. We are
looking at less than a decade to take meaningful action
to arrest climate change, and UM really wanted to make
sure that that was an issue that was on the
minds of voters as they're selecting leaders to represent their views.
(04:45):
We wanted to ensure that they were armed with the
information that they needed to be able to understand where
leaders stand on the issues. How are they going to
lead us through this crisis, and so that's been the
genesis of a lot of the work that we've been
doing around this current election cycle. And we decided that
once important thing for us to do was to call
(05:05):
on the Debate Commission to ensure the climate was a
subject in the debate, so that people could understand where
the different candidates stand on this issue and what they're
going to do to address this crisis that's in front
of us now. Obviously, Seventh Generation makes it very clear
with this letter that they are a company that is
not afraid to participate in raise their voices a corporation
(05:26):
as well as as people who live in this country
around these issues. What else is the company focused on,
as you guys, all as business leaders, look to the
future and try to make sure that the generations that
come after us have something even better. It's a great question, Holly,
and as a company, a very name actually speaks to
(05:47):
this question that you're asking. We Our name is inspired
by the great law of the Iroquois that in our
every deliberation we must take into account the impact of
our decisions on the next seven generations, and that is
really deeply woven into everything we do. All the products
that we make and all the actions that we take,
because we really are trying to think ahead and thinking
(06:07):
about the unintended consequences often that come about as one
goes through the normal course of doing business. And so
when we think about how we take accountability or how
we address the issues that are in front of us,
we really think about three things. We think about first
and foremost, the products that we create. How do we
ensure that we're creating products that are mindful of people
(06:28):
in planet. Secondly, we actually sign an internal carbon tax
so that we have our own incentives to continually decrease
the size of our carbon footprint and use those funds
to invest in improving that. And then thirdly, it's as
you were, you're saying, raising our voice advocating for a
(06:48):
better way of doing business. You know, our hope is
that other companies follow suit and are really thinking holistically
about how do we not just do good business, but
also be a force for good at the same time
that you're going about doing your business. And what we
find is that people reward companies like that with their loyalty.
They want to get behind companies that are championing them
(07:11):
and issues that are important to them. That makes me
want to pivot back to talking about you as a voter,
because now knowing how much thought goes into your work
in business, as you look to the future and as
you think about the bigger picture, I suspect you are
probably similarly thoughtful about your personal relationship with voting and
the decisions you make in that space. Do you, especially
(07:35):
since it is your first election, have a research process
as a voter, particularly when it comes to things like
the more local elections that are going to be on
your ballot and not just the big ones that we
see on debates on TV. Yeah, process would probably be
an overstatement for the way that that I'm going about
educating myself, But I do feel really compelled to be
educated about where each of the different candidates stands on
(07:57):
the issues that are of concern to me, and so
going to their sites and understanding what they are saying,
attending debates virtually where I can, so that I can
hear with my own two ears where they stand. Engaging
in phone calls where that's possible as well. I've been
able to do that on a couple of occasions to
be able to really understand where different leaders stand on
(08:18):
different issues, and so I would say the process has
really just been Yeah, the great thing about the world
that we live in today is is actually quite easy
to understand where candidates stand on various issues. So the
seven Generation is doing that, trying to make it easier
for people to understand by giving them by giving everybody
access to the publicly available information for where each candidate
(08:40):
is on a particular issue. And then I use that
as well as you know, just vociferously reading the papers
and and keeping up with what's going on in the
world around me. Now we are in a strange year,
and I might know the answer to this, but are
you planning to do a mail in vote in early
vote or do you want to go day of since
it's your first time around. That's a great question. So
(09:01):
we just received our mail in votes. We did actually
vote in the primary in March with the mail in ballots,
and I actually would like to go do it in
person if I can, on the on the day of.
So I'm looking for the full election experience. I hope
you get to because it really is super fun. So
many of our guests have talked about how connected they
(09:21):
feel to their community just in seeing other people walk
up and get in line, or or walk into their
polling place. It's a really there's almost like a little
bit of a festival atmosphere about it, and I hope, hope,
hope you get that experience. Well, I'm looking forward to
the experience. I will say in the primary that I
have a crazy travel schedule normally, I'm normally out in
about all over the place all the time, and I
(09:42):
wouldn't have been able to vote had to not been
able to mail in a ballot. So I'm grateful for
the ability to do that. I think it's really important that,
however people decide to vote, that they're taking the opportunity
to do so and do so in a safe way.
You mentioned also that your wife is also now going
to be voting in her first presidential election, as well
as I think some other members of your family. Are
(10:03):
you guys planning a celebration. We haven't planned that yet.
We're certainly going to be watching the results really carefully
the night of, and but also knowing that we need
to be patient for you know that it's going to
take some time for us to to be able to
really understand the full results of the election. We'll start
planning something delicious now, now that I've planted the seed,
(10:24):
my last question, I think you'll have a unique perspective
on Since you are a naturalized citizen who is voting
their first presidential election, if you could tell someone, particularly
people like yourself that maybe haven't voted before, who isn't
using their right to vote, why it is so important
that they get out and do this thing and participate
in this way. What would that one thing be. Why
(10:46):
wouldn't you want to raise your voice at a clearly
historic election that's going to have real, big implications for
years and potentially generations to come. And if we don't
address issues like climate change that in front of us
right now, if we don't address racial equity which is
in front of us right now, if we don't ensure
that we have a safe transition back into a healthy
(11:09):
world through this COVID nineteen crisis that's in front of us,
and do so in a way where our economy emerges
actually stronger um as we come out than it was
going in holistically investing in infrastructure for clean energy, clean water,
clean air, really using this this crisis to be able
to make a meaningful step forward. Why wouldn't you want
(11:31):
to use your voice to help guide where we're going
to go in the future and for future generations. Hey,
are you not registered to vote yet but you think
it's something you want to do. You may still have time.
Voter registration deadlines vary by state, so to find out
the scoop for where you are, check out a nonpartisan
(11:52):
registration voting site like head count dot org or fair
vote dot org. Why I'm Voting is an I Heart
Radio production. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit
the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever it
is you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to Why I'm Voting, a production of I Heart Radio. Listen.
You already know this, but it's an election year. You
might already be tired of hearing about it. But here's
the thing. Democracy doesn't work without you. I'm Holly Frying,
and I'm sitting down with many of my fellow podcasters,
from Will Ferrell to Stephanie Rule as well as other
(00:26):
luminaries to find out about their relationships with the ballot
box and ultimately just to find out why they vote.
I hope you're exercising your right to vote, and if
you're not, I hope that their stories inspire you. Welcome
to today's episode of Why I'm Voting. My guest today
(00:48):
is Joey Bergstein, who is the CEO of Seventh Generation.
That is, in case you do not know, a household
in personal care brand that is focused on health and sustainability.
And if I did my math correctly, Joey has been
with the company almost a decade and now he's spending
time here with me. Joey, thank you so much for
being here, Thanks for having me. It's great to be
with you. Is my math correct? Your you hit your
(01:10):
decade next year, next year, I will hit a decade.
That's right. Nice congratulations. But of course today we are
talking about voting, and I found out that this is
actually going to be your first presidential election. Will you
share with our listeners why that is the case. Well,
it's not because I just turned eighteen. I'm a little
bit older than that. No, not exactly, which means you
(01:32):
started when you were eight at your company, a young prodigy,
as they say, there you go. No, it's my first
election as a US citizen. So we got her a
citizenship just over a year ago and decided, I think
about two years ago that after having lived in the
United States for quite a long period of time, that
(01:54):
with green cards, we were tired of taxation without representation,
and that this election was a really important one and
we wanted to make sure that we were all and
I say by we, my my wife and my family,
that we were all in a position to be able
to have our voices heard at this really incredibly important
moment in history. Now, you grew up in Canada, so
I'm wondering. Obviously, most Canadians I know are pretty well
(02:18):
aware of American politics as well as their own. Were
you always politically minded or is that something that's developed
as you've grown and matured. I would say that I've
always been politically aware and interested, always interested in what's
going on about how policy gets made and about how
we advanced society collectively. I wouldn't say that I was
(02:38):
politically active as a kid growing up, or really my
political activism came to life mostly in my time at
seven generation. It's an amazing thing to be working inside
a business that is not just trying to create safer,
healthier products for people and for planet, but really knowing
(03:00):
that our role is much bigger than that. Our rule
in society is to really advocate for change, to change
the world around us. And you do that both through
the products that you create, by being demanding with your
suppliers on ingredients and materials that are truly sustainable to
help them actually move forward in creating sustainable products, but
(03:21):
also in in advocating for change and trying to shift
the way that other businesses are creating products, taking accountability
for where they stand, but also working with a partnership
with public and private partnership in moving legislation to a
place that is trying to create a world that's better,
(03:42):
that's safer for you, for people, and for planet. I'm
glad that you mentioned this because Seventh Generation did something
interesting recently. A couple of weeks ago, your company posted
an open letter to the co chairs of the Commission
on Presidential Debates asking that climate be given some attention
as we go forward to this election cycle. How did
that open letter come about and why did you decide
(04:04):
that that was a step that you wanted to take
as a business leader. I mean, that's a big statement
to make for a company. Yeah, well, it started because
we have really realized that time is running out on
addressing climate change. The science is really clear, that's not
up for debate. The question is really what are the
leaders going to do to be able to navigate us
(04:25):
through the crisis we find ourselves in today. We are
looking at less than a decade to take meaningful action
to arrest climate change, and UM really wanted to make
sure that that was an issue that was on the
minds of voters as they're selecting leaders to represent their views.
(04:45):
We wanted to ensure that they were armed with the
information that they needed to be able to understand where
leaders stand on the issues. How are they going to
lead us through this crisis, and so that's been the
genesis of a lot of the work that we've been
doing around this current election cycle. And we decided that
once important thing for us to do was to call
(05:05):
on the Debate Commission to ensure the climate was a
subject in the debate, so that people could understand where
the different candidates stand on this issue and what they're
going to do to address this crisis that's in front
of us now. Obviously, Seventh Generation makes it very clear
with this letter that they are a company that is
not afraid to participate in raise their voices a corporation
(05:26):
as well as as people who live in this country
around these issues. What else is the company focused on,
as you guys, all as business leaders, look to the
future and try to make sure that the generations that
come after us have something even better. It's a great question, Holly,
and as a company, a very name actually speaks to
(05:47):
this question that you're asking. We Our name is inspired
by the great law of the Iroquois that in our
every deliberation we must take into account the impact of
our decisions on the next seven generations, and that is
really deeply woven into everything we do. All the products
that we make and all the actions that we take,
because we really are trying to think ahead and thinking
(06:07):
about the unintended consequences often that come about as one
goes through the normal course of doing business. And so
when we think about how we take accountability or how
we address the issues that are in front of us,
we really think about three things. We think about first
and foremost, the products that we create. How do we
ensure that we're creating products that are mindful of people
(06:28):
in planet. Secondly, we actually sign an internal carbon tax
so that we have our own incentives to continually decrease
the size of our carbon footprint and use those funds
to invest in improving that. And then thirdly, it's as
you were, you're saying, raising our voice advocating for a
(06:48):
better way of doing business. You know, our hope is
that other companies follow suit and are really thinking holistically
about how do we not just do good business, but
also be a force for good at the same time
that you're going about doing your business. And what we
find is that people reward companies like that with their loyalty.
They want to get behind companies that are championing them
(07:11):
and issues that are important to them. That makes me
want to pivot back to talking about you as a voter,
because now knowing how much thought goes into your work
in business, as you look to the future and as
you think about the bigger picture, I suspect you are
probably similarly thoughtful about your personal relationship with voting and
the decisions you make in that space. Do you, especially
(07:35):
since it is your first election, have a research process
as a voter, particularly when it comes to things like
the more local elections that are going to be on
your ballot and not just the big ones that we
see on debates on TV. Yeah, process would probably be
an overstatement for the way that that I'm going about
educating myself, But I do feel really compelled to be
educated about where each of the different candidates stands on
(07:57):
the issues that are of concern to me, and so
going to their sites and understanding what they are saying,
attending debates virtually where I can, so that I can
hear with my own two ears where they stand. Engaging
in phone calls where that's possible as well. I've been
able to do that on a couple of occasions to
be able to really understand where different leaders stand on
(08:18):
different issues, and so I would say the process has
really just been Yeah, the great thing about the world
that we live in today is is actually quite easy
to understand where candidates stand on various issues. So the
seven Generation is doing that, trying to make it easier
for people to understand by giving them by giving everybody
access to the publicly available information for where each candidate
(08:40):
is on a particular issue. And then I use that
as well as you know, just vociferously reading the papers
and and keeping up with what's going on in the
world around me. Now we are in a strange year,
and I might know the answer to this, but are
you planning to do a mail in vote in early
vote or do you want to go day of since
it's your first time around. That's a great question. So
(09:01):
we just received our mail in votes. We did actually
vote in the primary in March with the mail in ballots,
and I actually would like to go do it in
person if I can, on the on the day of.
So I'm looking for the full election experience. I hope
you get to because it really is super fun. So
many of our guests have talked about how connected they
(09:21):
feel to their community just in seeing other people walk
up and get in line, or or walk into their
polling place. It's a really there's almost like a little
bit of a festival atmosphere about it, and I hope, hope,
hope you get that experience. Well, I'm looking forward to
the experience. I will say in the primary that I
have a crazy travel schedule normally, I'm normally out in
about all over the place all the time, and I
(09:42):
wouldn't have been able to vote had to not been
able to mail in a ballot. So I'm grateful for
the ability to do that. I think it's really important that,
however people decide to vote, that they're taking the opportunity
to do so and do so in a safe way.
You mentioned also that your wife is also now going
to be voting in her first presidential election, as well
as I think some other members of your family. Are
(10:03):
you guys planning a celebration. We haven't planned that yet.
We're certainly going to be watching the results really carefully
the night of, and but also knowing that we need
to be patient for you know that it's going to
take some time for us to to be able to
really understand the full results of the election. We'll start
planning something delicious now, now that I've planted the seed,
(10:24):
my last question, I think you'll have a unique perspective
on Since you are a naturalized citizen who is voting
their first presidential election, if you could tell someone, particularly
people like yourself that maybe haven't voted before, who isn't
using their right to vote, why it is so important
that they get out and do this thing and participate
in this way. What would that one thing be. Why
(10:46):
wouldn't you want to raise your voice at a clearly
historic election that's going to have real, big implications for
years and potentially generations to come. And if we don't
address issues like climate change that in front of us
right now, if we don't address racial equity which is
in front of us right now, if we don't ensure
that we have a safe transition back into a healthy
(11:09):
world through this COVID nineteen crisis that's in front of us,
and do so in a way where our economy emerges
actually stronger um as we come out than it was
going in holistically investing in infrastructure for clean energy, clean water,
clean air, really using this this crisis to be able
to make a meaningful step forward. Why wouldn't you want
(11:31):
to use your voice to help guide where we're going
to go in the future and for future generations. Hey,
are you not registered to vote yet but you think
it's something you want to do. You may still have time.
Voter registration deadlines vary by state, so to find out
the scoop for where you are, check out a nonpartisan
(11:52):
registration voting site like head count dot org or fair
vote dot org. Why I'm Voting is an I Heart
Radio production. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit
the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever it
is you listen to your favorite shows.
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