Norman Keyes
Co-founder and Advisor
Prior to co-founding The Copernicus Project to advance climate impact, Norman received a Bachelor of Arts from Kenyon College in Art History and Economics.
His deep connection to nature and strong sense of stewardship during his formative years in Scouting led him to become the entrepreneur and leader that he is today. As a child, he held the good faith assumption that the world and systems around us fully incorporated all relevant information, resulting in the best, most responsible outcome.
Now, facing measures to rapidly-scale climate impact, Norman appreciates that it’s a little more complicated than that.
When he’s not busy developing The Copernicus Project, Mr. Keyes spends his time at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) in New York, NY.
Three Questions
- When did you first realize you wanted to do what you do? (e.g., formative experience or discovery)
As a child, I held the good faith assumption that the world and systems around us had fully incorporated all relevant information, resulting in the best, most responsible outcome. Now, I appreciate that it’s a little more complicated than that. I remember being devastated when I realized that the resulting debris from demolishing a house–usually, a perfectly livable home–is simply thrown into a landfill. It is easy to champion growth and progress, but I believe it is critical that we first foster and maintain what we already have.
- To learn more about you or the field you work in, what 3-5 books/resources do you recommend?
The Lorax, Dr Seuss – hard to get more straightforward than this
Economics Rules: The Rights and Wrongs of the Dismal Science, Dani Rodrik – This book does an excellent job at discussing the advantages and potential pitfalls of quantitative modeling. While it is focused on economic models, Rodrik’s takeaways are broadly applicable.
- What publications should we subscribe to? Websites, newsfeeds, pod-casts? People to follow?
Anything by PBS Digital Studios (e.g. Crash Course,
Talking Politics; History of Ideas, Podcast
FD Signifier, YouTuber
“I believe it is critical that we first foster and maintain what we already have.”
– Norman Keyes