• by Tom Siebert , January 12, 2007

Making the rounds at yesterday's Ad Club meeting was Andrew J. McKeon, a former investment-banking consultant who is now a true believer in the inconvenient truth of global warming.

In November, McKeon launched the nonprofit Climate Change Foundation--the name is supposed to be taken literally on two levels--and is looking for support from the ad community and marketers. The idea is to help make Americans aware of the seriousness of global warming and to raise money for the cause.

"My goal is to approach companies like Starbucks and the Gap--companies that want to have a good position on this issue and engage with their customers," McKeon says. "I want to get them to ask their customers to add an extra nickel or quarter to the price of what they're paying for, and use that money to fund projects to fight global warming."

The nickels and dimes will add up, McKeon says: Change for change, in other words.

McKeon is currently forming a board for the organization. One member is the former head of global control for Goldman Sachs and current chairman of Patriot National Bank, Angelo de Caro. McKeon is also looking to recruit from the advertising or marketing community.

"This is an imperative moment in our time," McKeon says. "Even if there's only a 17% chance this is true--and I think it's much, much higher than that, almost a certainty--that's like playing Russian roulette."