Next time you reach for regular bottled water, think again - the man that started Ethos water is coming to Penn.
Jonathan Greenblatt will give the keynote address on Nov. 14 as part of the University Honor Council's sixth-annual Integrity Week.
Greenblatt launched the water brand on a mission to bring clean water to communities in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
"This year, we wanted to focus Integrity Week around ethics and integrity in business," UHC chairwoman and College junior Caitlin Devlin said. "We felt that Greenblatt, with his entrepreneurial spirit and focus on issues of corporate accountability, would be the best person to headline."
In an effort to raise world awareness about the current water crisis, the Ethos company plans to invest more than $10 million before 2010 into communities facing dire water needs.
Greenblatt is also a former vice president of Starbucks and teaches social entrepreneurship at the University of California, Los Angeles.
He spends time advising corporations and non-governmental organizations on integrating sustainability into their business decisions.
Held in collaboration with the Provost's Office and the Social Planning and Events Committee, UHC Integrity Week is a chance to "emphasize the importance that integrity and ethical conduct holds in all aspects of personal and professional life," Devlin said.
"We had a really good relationship working with the Honor Council on this," SPEC Connaissance director Elana Wilf said. "Especially since Greenblatt is very applicable to all the issues of ethics and sustainability on campus."
Past speakers have included Erin Brokovich, Wolf Blitzer and Patch Adams, who spoke about ethics in journalism, television media and politics, respectively.
Wils said Greenblatt would be one of the first to speak about integrity and ethics specifically in business.
"He is going to bring something unique to Integrity Week," she said.
Tickets to the event are free and will be available outside the Office of Student Life in Houston Hall from Nov. 5 through Nov. 14.
