#80 Bill Shireman - Five Decades of Radical Collaboration

<p>In this episode, Alistair sits down with Bill Shireman — sustainability pioneer, social entrepreneur, and lifelong bridge-builder — to explore a radically different theory of change: stop fighting your opponents and start building with them.</p><p><br></p><p>From bringing Coors, Safeway, and the Sierra Club together to pass California’s landmark Bottle Bill, to brokering a forestry agreement between Mitsubishi and the Rainforest Action Network, Bill has spent five decades proving that collaboration can accomplish what confrontation cannot.</p><p><br></p><p>Together, they explore the deeper intelligence behind living systems, the rainforest as a model for regeneration, and Bill’s vision for Circle America — seeding circular laws, markets, and culture from the ground up.</p><p><br></p><p>If you&#39;re working on climate, social justice, or systemic change, this episode asks a deceptively simple question:</p><p><br></p><p>👉 What if the path to changing the world isn&#39;t winning the fight — but finding a way for everyone to build together?</p><p><br></p><p>🔷 Guest Bio (Bill Shireman)</p><p><br></p><p>Bill Shireman is a serial social entrepreneur and pioneer in sustainability who has spent more than five decades bringing unlikely allies together to solve seemingly impossible problems.</p><p><br></p><p>He is the founder of Future 500, co-founder of BridgeUSA, and now leads Circle America, an initiative focused on building a popular foundation for the circular economy.</p><p><br></p><p>Bill helped pass California’s landmark Bottle Bill and brokered the Mitsubishi–Rainforest Action Network forestry framework, which was subsequently adopted by approximately 400 companies. He is also the author of seven books, including What We Learned in the Rainforest with Tachi Kiuchi and In This Together.</p><p><br></p><p>His work is grounded in a simple but powerful belief: lasting systemic change requires moving beyond the mentality of enemies and allies toward collaboration, shared purpose, and the intelligence of living systems.</p><p><br></p><p>🌐 https://solutioncitizen.org</p><p>🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-shireman</p><p><br></p><p>👉 To learn more about me:</p><p>🌐 https://alistairlanger.com</p><p>🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/alistairlanger/</p><p><br></p><p>#Sustainability #SystemsChange #CircularEconomy #ClimateAction #SocialImpact #Collaboration #Regeneration #ChangeMakers</p>