Polar Bear Plight Inspired Mogul

Owner Of Largest Apartment Business Is Going Green, In A Fittingly Big Way Howard Ruby had a revelation while enjoying one of those luxurious pursuits one can indulge in after building a $600 million company: Repeated photography expeditions to the Arctic. He saw polar bears apparently struggling to find solid ground. The image, which has become familiar worldwide as a call to action on climate change, affected him deeply. It convinced him to green up the 25,000 apartments managed by his company, Oakwood Worldwide, the largest provider of furnished apartments. And it prompted him to start various educational programs to inspire children to follow in his footsteps -- not to financial extravagance, nor to the Arctic -- but to an epiphany about environmental protection, inspired by polar bears.