Nathan Waterhouse co-leads OpenIDEO, a website that enables design collaboration crowd-sourcing. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., Nathan develops and explores the potential of open innovation as it grows and matures as a business, designing new concepts and offerings for IDEO clientele in the US market.

Nathan has always been fascinated by how technology can be used to increase cooperation within groups of people, from professionals employed by the same company to colleagues connected by online social networks. His innovative work in this area has been featured by the BBC, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the International Furniture Fair (Milan).

What is your favorite thing about your job? That you can release something to the world unfinished, in beta, and your community figures out better than you can how it should be improved. The inspiration never ends.

What's the most surprising thing that's currently on your desk? A pirate ship.

What would you like to see change in your neighborhood? I'd like there to be a really good pub.

What's the one thing you'd want people to know about sustainability? Less is more. Small actions can create big results if we can work together. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Fill in the blank: Reduce, reuse, recycle, _________. Reward? Motivation is key to change.