A few nights ago, I reunited with a tribe that has shaped much of my life over the past 25 years. A tribe committed to making the world a better place through community and commitment, joy and love, passion and possibility, business and politics. At the center of the tribe is its chief, its foreman, its court jester, and its visionary leader—Josh Mailman. We were gathered to celebrate his wedding (the first and only one in fact) to Monica Winsor.

Josh Mailman is the president of the Sirius Business Corporation. While I get the reference to the Dog Star (the brightest in the night sky), I always took the name as Josh’s coded reminder to himself that parts of his life need to be serious.

In many respects, Josh was one of the pioneers of the corporate-responsibility movement and helped bring it from the fringe to the mainstream. He helped start several influential foundations and philanthropic business initiatives since the early 1980s, including the Threshold Foundation and the Social Venture Network—which later led to Students for Social Responsibility (now known as Net Impact)—and more recently the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). In 1992, he co-founded Business for Social Responsibility. Josh also serves on the boards of Human Rights Watch, Witness, Sierra Madre Alliance, Afropop Worldwide, and the Environmental Defender Law Center. And he’s a founding shareholder in Stonyfield Farm, the Utne Reader, and Seventh Generation.

The ceremony, replete with Sufi chants and Tibetan Buddhist blessings, was everything you would expect from Monica and Josh. Gurus and mystics were also in attendance, and while I couldn’t spot a Rabbi, Josh did break a glass at the end of the ceremony under a modified huppa.

The people assembled at the wedding helped launch Seventh Generation, and provided the support that was critical during the 13 years that passed before we made our first profit. Some provided money; others delivered advice and courage as we struggled through our first decade. Seventh Generation’s success would not have been possible without them.

At a minimum, Josh’s tribe would meet twice a year at the Social Venture Network conferences. To see Wayne Silby (founder of the Calvert Funds) and Joel Solomon (founder of Renewal Partners)—both of whom were Seventh Generation investors for over 15 years—in the same room with Nina Utne of the Utne Reader, Ben Cohen, Richard Pearl, and countless other friends was a joy for Sheila and I.

So this is a thank you to that tribe, who brought me up and taught me about the world of corporate responsibility. We’ve lost some of our most inspiring lights like Anita Roddick, but the group remains strong and ready to provide whatever the world needs most.