Put your money where your mouth is: How much money are you investing into sustainability? Jeff Bezos said he’s good for $10 billion.

You may have seen this watershed post from Jeff Bezos earlier this week. It was big. It was heavy. It was dramatic. Jeff Bezos is investing $10 billion to fight the Climate Crisis, funding “scientists, activists, NGOs — any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world.”

But it was also impossibly simple: a stock picture of the earth, plus 120 or so words. Why was it so simple? Because two words said it all: TEN BILLION. That was really all he needed to say.

Obviously, this is a truly titanic amount of capital to invest into the global fight against Climate Change. But what is most remarkable about this announcement itself is that Bezos did something other CEOs almost never do: he publicly stated a specific amount money to invest in sustainability. Other CEOs may talk a big game but they never seem to talk numbers.

And to be clear, I’m not suggesting that Bezos’s pledge absolves him — or his company — of the many criticisms that have been levied against them, from the 44 million metric tons of carbon the company reportedly emitted in 2018 alone to Amazon’s reported suppression of employees who have spoken out against its contribution to the climate crisis. Bezos isn’t perfect. Amazon isn’t perfect. None of us are perfect. But with his commitment, he is showing that he is serious about this, and $10 billion can equate to enough resources to actually bend the arc of history.

However, the way Bezos made his commitment was so refreshing in its simplicity…..he put up a stock picture of the planet and then very publicly committed to deploying cold…hard…cash towards finding solutions. He did the thing that matters most: he publicly committed to investing a specific, truly unprecedented amount of money ($10 billion) in saving the planet.

What Jeff Bezos DIDN’T do in making this bold commitment was equally refreshing. He didn’t do any self-congratulatory grandstanding about “raising awareness,” “going green,” “making sustainability a priority,” or any other breathless, green platitudes. There was no virtue-signaling and no staged pictures of him planting trees. He didn’t hire an ESG consulting firm or partner with the latest “green” celebrity who had commandeered an award show to raise “issue awareness”. He didn’t pander green jargon to the crowd on stage at Davos. He didn’t sanctimoniously announce that Amazon had phased out plastic straws from its office commissaries. He didn’t take out a full-page ad in The New York Times outlining a vague ten-year sustainability plan. He didn’t flaunt his or Amazon’s sustainability awards, commendations and initiatives. He didn’t conflate his commitment to sustainability as being synonymous with supporting every other progressive cause nor did he claim that this commitment alone might solve all the world’s geopolitical, societal, race, gender, or income inequality problems. . He didn’t claim Amazon was a beacon for sustainability itself. He didn’t claim he was was. He didn’t claim he was perfect. He didn’t claim Amazon was. Jeff Bezos, Amazon, and all of us are not perfect no matter how much money we give to any cause. But, imperfect or not, $10 billion is more than any individual has ever given to the save the planet in the history of humankind. And that is profound.

The understatedness of Bezos’ unprecedented $10 billion commitment is so so so so rare amidst the near endless (what can only be described as) sustainability virtue-signaling that litters so many companies’ glossy annual reports, websites, and social media accounts. Companies love to self-confer accolades like “we are an industry leader in sustainability.” And such unverifiable statements are often paired with conspicuous & bewildering displays of of dubious sustainability distinctions, certifications & awards. But what you’ll notice is curiously absent from all of this artful greenwashing is a specific answer to one simple, straightforward question: How much MONEY are you going to INVEST in sustainability? You just don’t see a lot of companies or CEOs doing what Jeff Bezos did: putting numbers next to dollar signs and committing to invest those numbers. It’s the presence of that number ($10 billion) in Bezos’s post that makes it special. Without that number, his post would be indistinguishable from every other such hand-wavey, green-jargon-bedazzled commentary by “sustainability conscious” CEOs on websites, in annual reports, or at cocktail parties at Davos.

As a business leader, tackling the climate crisis requires a dedicated effort to innovate, deploy, and invest in new technologies across a company. The formula is really that simple. INVESTMENT drives sustainability. Outrage alone doesn’t solve problems. Awareness alone doesn't’ solve problems. Talking alone doesn’t solve problems. Problems require money to be solved. And money means investment. And the thing about money is….you can quantify and measure it. And from measurement comes accountability. So Jeff Bezos just threw down the gauntlet to every other CEO in every other industry: very publicly pledging to invest $10 billion into sustainability.

So, what are the lessons that CEOs can take from Bezos’s announcement? I thought of a few.

• Focusing on sustainability initiatives is great. But not enough.
• Raising awareness around sustainability is great. But not enough.
• Talking about investing in sustainability is great. But not enough.
• The question that CEOs and companies will increasingly have to answer is this: How much money are you and your organization investing into sustainability? If you truly care about the environment (and/or want the world to know that you do), you’d better have a clear answer for that one question. And be prepared to state it. Because you’re about to get asked for that one, very specific number. A lot. You have Jeff Bezos to thank for that.

So the next time you see a CEO’s tweet about XYZ sustainability initiatives or winning XYZ decorative, self-congratulatory sustainability award or touting how green their company is ……send/retweet this response:

“Put your money where your mouth is: How much MONEY are you INVESTING in sustainability? Jeff Bezos said he’s good for $10 billion.”

You don’t need to say much else. You don’t need a glossy sustainability section in your annual report or a complicated subsection of your website to state that number. You can do it in the same way Bezos did: a stock photo of the earth, 120 words, and a number with a dollar sign next to it. Simple. Public. Accountable. Two minutes max.

I’ll go next…I’m personally committing $2 million. You?

This article is presented for informational purposes only, is an opinion, and is not intended to recommend any investment, and is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase an interest in any current or future investment vehicle managed or sponsored by Fifth Wall Asset Management, LLC or its affiliates. Any such solicitation of an offer to purchase an interest will be made by a definitive private placement memorandum or other offering document.