Father’s Day is on Sunday, and America should celebrate.

That’s because the Pew Research Center released “6 facts about American fathers” on Wednesday, with updated information from its 2014 post on the topic — and the results are pretty heartening.

Not only are more and more fathers staying home with their kids, but 57% of dads say that fatherhood is central to their identity; 54% report that parenting is rewarding all of the time, and 46% say they find it enjoyable all of the time.

The data also shed light on the growing convergence of men’s and women’s roles in the workplace and home. Fewer dads than ever before are their family’s sole breadwinner — only about one-quarter of families are supported only by the father; about two-thirds are dual-earning.

Over the years fathers have also been spending more time at home — they’ve more than doubled their time spent doing chores and tripled their time with their children since 1965. At the same time, women have increasingly joined the workforce, now making up almost halfof the US labor force.

As women work more and men want to spend time with their family, an increasing number of parents are finding it hard to balance their work and their family — 60% of women and 52% of men say it is very or somewhat difficult to balance the two. And half of the fathers surveyed said they think they’re spending too little time with their kids.

Now as paid parental leave is expanding in the US — 17 companies have introduced paid-leave options for fathers, and four states have passed guaranteed paid-family leave laws — we may well see an increase in fathers taking advantage of the policy to spend more time with their kids. And letting their wives do the work might be beneficial as well.

SEE ALSO: The 20 best dad movies for Father's Day

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NOW WATCH: A psychologist reveals why you shouldn't buy your dad a Father's Day gift

Siemens made its interest in building hybrid-transportation technology known when it signed a deal earlier this year with Airbus to create hybrid-electric planes.

The industrial firm will continue to work with hybrid transportation as it builds diesel-electric high-speed trains for Brightline, a privately funded transportation venture.

In a 600,000-square-foot production factory in Sacramento, California, Siemens employees weld, wire, and paint Brightline trains that will travel Florida's east coast, from Miami to Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach, reports Wired. The trains will reach speeds upward of 125 mph, thanks to one of the newest engines on the market: the Cummins QSK95.

“The idea of being able to connect downtown Miami to Fort Lauderdale in 30 minutes really changes the way that we think people are going to move about,” Brightline President Michael Reininger told Wired.

Siemens is also producing 69 diesel-electric trains for the Illinois, California, Michigan, Missouri, Washington, and Maryland Departments of Transportation. Brightline's trains will be available for travelers in a year's time and, according to the Sun Sentinel, its rails should extend to Orlando by the end of 2017.

You can see more photos of the train and its construction below.

SEE ALSO: 38 photos that show how darn romantic it can still be to ride a train around the US

Each Cummins 16-cylinder engine weighs 42,000 pounds and must be dropped by crane into individual locomotives. The engines have a horsepower of 4,400.

The massive engines generate the trains' electricity, while cables that span a total of 42 miles provide electricity for movement, lights, and passengers' electronic devices.

Coaches will be equipped with Wi-Fi, power outlets, reclining seats, and large windows that provide panoramic views. Aisles are 32 inches wide to accommodate the disabled.

The flat white is the most popular coffee drink in Australia and New Zealand, but will it be a success in America? We visited Toby's Estate to find out. 

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A career in advertising can allow you to be creative every day — and get paid for it.

Execs on Madison Avenue spend their days plane-hopping to client meetings and schmoozing at cool celebrity-filled parties.

And many of them document their work — and what they do at the weekends — on Instagram.

We've picked out some of the best advertising and marketing executives' accounts to follow on Instagram. We've weighted our rankings using a (not entirely mathematical) scale of how often the user posts, and whether their pictures are beautifully shot/aspirational/offer an insight into their working life/or simply brighten up people's Instagram feeds.

29. Rob Norman, chief digital officer at GroupM. WHY? Mostly for photos of this dog.

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28. Shiv Singh, SVP and global head of digital marketing and transformation at Visa. WHY? A stunning set of scenic snaps.

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27. Eric Franchi, cofounder at Undertone. WHY? Hip hop artist selfies.

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At Business Insider, we believe capitalism can and should be a force for good. With this inaugural edition of Business Insider 100: The Creators, we are celebrating leaders who embody this spirit.

Many rankings focus only on those who have achieved great financial success. Our CEO Henry Blodget sums up the drawbacks of such a focus:

"The more money you make, the implication is, the better and more successful you are. We believe this cheapens the mission and sense of purpose that many great business leaders bring to their companies and products. And it certainly undersells their inspiring accomplishments."

Over the course of several months, we scoured the business landscape for inventive leaders making bold moves to create value for four constituencies: shareholders, employees, consumers, and society.

We scoured the business landscape for inventive leaders making bold moves.

We found companies from around the world, both public and private, across many industries. We considered not only what they have created, but how. We consulted a variety of databases, including Glassdoor to gauge employee sentiment and Wealth-X to chart noteworthy philanthropic missions.

Not every company is a standout in each criteria. Companies with a questionable record with their employees, for example, weren't necessarily eliminated, but they rank lower than similar companies that make employee welfare a priority. Size wasn't a deciding factor. Small companies adding great value to the world, like Toms, outranked many multinational conglomerates, such as IKEA. Other entrants, such as Uber and Snapchat, make the list primarily because they have created dramatic economic or cultural impact, attracting millions of customers daily.

To celebrate many of these inspiring people and success stories, we're pleased to present Business Insider 100: The Creators.

The Creators: Ranked 1 to 100

The Creators: Sorted A to Z by company

More stories about these 100 business visionaries

Edited by Alex Morrell. 

Additional editing and reporting by Matthew DeBord, Diane Galligan, Mo Hadi, Ashley Lutz, Lydia Ramsey, Matt Rosoff, Sara Silverstein, Dave Smith, and Matthew Turner. 

100. Andras Forgacs

Cofounder and CEO, Modern Meadow

 Modern Meadow’s cofounder and CEO, Andras Forgacs, believes that as our population grows to 10 billion people in the next few decades we will need 100 billion animals to sustain our meat, dairy, and leather needs. Modern Meadow has found a way to grow food and leather in its lab using biofabrication, which takes small biopsies from animals, leaving them unharmed.

Modern Meadow says its solution will mean 99% less land required for animals, 96% less water to create the meat, 96% fewer greenhouse gases emitted, and 45% less energy needed to produce the meat.

Forgacs, who also cofounded the 3-D organ printing company Organovo, says  he meat takes about a month to produce, and the leather takes a month and a half. Compared to the years it takes to raise animals, that’s almost like no time at all, Modern Meadow just needs to figure out how to commercialize it first. Forgacs told Crain’s he sees the products hitting the market in 2018.

99. Jessica Alba

Cofounder, The Honest Company

In 2011, Jessica Alba pivoted from entertainment to entrepreneurship, launching The Honest Company — a startup dedicated to producing eco-friendly household and beauty products. The idea came to her years before, when she was starting a family and tested a baby detergent that caused her to break out in a rash. Alba was frustrated to find dubious ingredients and safety records for many other household products, so she took matters into her own hands, starting The Honest Company with entrepreneur Brian Lee.

Though it began as an online shopping site, The Honest Company’s products eventually hit the shelves in stores like Costco, Nordstrom, and Whole Foods. As it has expanded, its dedication to creating sustainable products and making a social difference hasn’t wavered, earning it B Corporation certification in 2012. Alba also takes care of her more than 500 employees, announcing this year a benefit of up to 16 weeks paid parental leave for new parents, up from 10 weeks.

But the brand has hit a few bumps in the road. It has faced a spate of lawsuits alleging its products — including baby formula, shampoo, detergent, and sunscreen — contain the same nonorganic, unsafe ingredients the company was created to avoid. The Honest Company has denied the accusations and is fighting the lawsuits.

Alba hasn’t let the flap slow it down. The budding retail operation, which has raised over $200 million in funding and is estimated to be worth $1.7 billion, has been flirting with an IPO this year.

98. David Reis

CEO, Stratasys

The world’s largest 3-D printing company, Stratasys develops and manufactures professional printers and materials capable of building everything from factory parts to dental equipment to personal projects. The company also encompasses smaller ventures such as MakerBot, known for leading the charge in desktop 3-D printing.

In 2012, Stratasys merged with Objet, another leader in the 3-D printing space, to become a dominant firm worth an approximate $3 billion at the time. Objet CEO David Reis also came over with the acquisition, taking over as chief executive of the new, larger company.

Under the leadership of Reis, who will step down as CEO this summer, the two companies’ histories abound with milestones for the industry, including introducing the first 3-D printer available for under $30,000 in 2002, launching the world’s first multimaterial 3-D printer in 2007, and building the first printer to combine more than 100 materials in 2012.

In April, Stratasys added one more milestone to that list. It debuted a new printer than can seamlessly switch between 360,0000 colors and up to six materials. To put the technology into perspective, an OtterBox phone case would previously take three full days to prototype, but using the new printer, it can be made in a mere 30 minutes. The technology will help cut down production time — and cost — on everything from stop-motion animation to airplane parts.

Despite year-over-year revenue losses and a slowdown in the 3-D printing industry at large, Stratasys beat Wall Street expectations for its fourth-quarter earnings, and its stock surged nearly 30% in March.

Becoming a father can be one of the most rewarding experiences in a man's life, but it can also affect his chances of success. We've looked at the research and found what kind of impact becoming a dad has on a man's career.

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For many of us, staying in a luxury home or villa on vacation is a pipe dream — especially when those accommodations cost hundreds or thousands of dollars a night. 

Airbnb is known for being home to inexpensive rentals, but it also hosts a number of luxurious homes that are up for grabs. Many of these luxury listings are outside of most budgets, but just because you can't actually afford to stay at an English manor or an Italian villa doesn't mean you shouldn't get to see inside. 

Below is a round-up of some of the most luxurious homes for rent on Airbnb. For more, check out Airbnb's list of luxury rentals from around the world. 

SEE ALSO: Airbnb raises $1 billion in debt financing to create new travel services

Island Harbour, Anguilla

For a casual $2,100 per night, you can rent out Villa Amarilla in Island Harbor, Anguilla. The five-bedroom luxury villa can accommodate up to 10 guests and has an infinity pool, private gym, and offers stunning views of the ocean.

Cartagena De Indias, Colombia

Located in the heart of Barrio San Diego in Cartagena, Colombia, this home sleeps eight guests and offers an open-air terrace, pool, and piano salon. The house is available to rent for $721 per night. 

Penafiel, Portugal

Located in the city of Porto, this rustic home features an infinity pool, four bedrooms, and views of the Duoro river. This cottage is — comparably — a steal at only $301 per night. 

Industrial pollution has been a huge problem for many countries and is one of the primary sources for environmental contamination. Photographer J. Henry Fair has found a new way to bring attention to the severity of toxic waste by taking beautiful, yet disturbing, abstract aerial photos of industrial pollution all over the world. 

"My concern with the environmental issues that face us has grown over the years, and I tried to combine these fascinations and make compelling images that would speak to people about these issues," Fair told Business Insider. 

He uses small planes such as the Cessna 172 and 182, which have high wings and openings that allow him to get the photograph he wants. Many of his flights have been donated flight services by Southwings, Lighthawk, and Neuse Riverkeeper. Fair has been working on this series for a decade and has turned it into a book entitled "Industrial Scars: The Hidden Costs of Consumption." Ahead, see haunting aerial photos of toxic waste.

SEE ALSO: Haunting and realistic images of a post-apocalyptic world

"These industrial impacts exist everywhere," Fair said.

Fair has spent years tracking the production of oil, aluminum, and more.

He has traveled to many countries where this is a problem, such as the United States, Canada, and Germany.

Twenty-five years after founding New Belgium Brewing Company, Kim Jordan still has pinch-me moments.

From 1991 to 2015, Jordan (No. 12 on the BI 100: The Creators) was CEO of New Belgium, which she built into one of the US's largest craft breweries, with $225 million in annual revenue.

The company's success isn't uniquely Jordan's. Since 2013, New Belgium has been 100% employee-owned, which helped solidify Jordan's intent to engage her coworkers in each facet of the business.

In an interview with Business Insider, Jordan, who's now executive chair, discussed the road to employee ownership and how sustainability has been a crucial building block of New Belgium's success.

From basement to brewery

As the story goes, the creation of New Belgium stemmed from a trip Jordan's then husband, Jeff Lebesch, took to Belgium in 1988. As he cruised through the streets on a fat-tire bike and stopped to taste local beers, Lebesch yearned to bring the flavors of Belgian beer back to the US.

Three years later, Jordan, a social worker, and Lebesch, an electrical engineer, installed brewing equipment in the basement of their home in Fort Collins, Colorado. By the summer of 1991, they were selling their two flagship Belgian-style brews, Abbey and Fat Tire, at local beer festivals on the weekends.

At the outset, consumer interest in New Belgium was driven by a void in the market, Jordan said.

"When we started, there was no one in Fort Collins making packaged beer," Jordan said. You couldn't go to a store and buy craft beer to take home. They decided to specialize in 22-ounce bottles of beer, and the cash flow followed.

In their first year of home brewing, New Belgium earned $150,000 in revenue.

Despite the early signs of success, neither Jordan nor Lebesch had quit their day jobs yet. In October 1992, after more than a year of home brewing, the pair finally moved New Belgium from their basement into its first official location in Old Town Fort Collins and took the company on full time.

Introducing employee ownership

In February 1992, months before relocating to the first brewery location, New Belgium hired Brian Callahan — now the company's longest-serving employee aside from Jordan — and gave him a "10% pot of sweat equity" in the company.

By the end of the year, New Belgium was growing fast and hiring bottlers, brewers, and engineers.

With a growing team and a booming new business, Jordan said she wanted to create a plan for the succession of the company.

After reading "The Great Game of Business," a book by management expert Jack Stack, Jordan felt inspired by Stack's urge to apply open-book management, the practice of full financial and business transparency within the company.

"It spoke to my desire to have broadly shared awareness of the business and of running the business," Jordan said. "The inclination to have as flat a hierarchy as we could manage and a really trusting, transparent, engaged group of coworkers was really important to me."

In 1995, Jordan began teaching employees about financial statements and enlisting their input for annual planning and long-term strategy. "It was a very collaborative process with a lot of consensus," she said. But she quickly realized that if employees had a say in the company, they should also have a stake in it, and the first iteration of New Belgium employee ownership was born.

Going forward, every employee was formally awarded stock in New Belgium upon their first anniversary at the company.

Becoming 100% employee-owned

In 2000, with a workforce of 90 employees, New Belgium officially transitioned to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), a type of retirement plan that awards employees stock in the company to be distributed upon their exit. The new ESOP purchased Callahan's 10% slice, as well as a portion of Jordan's and Lebesch's shares, bringing employee-ownership to 32%.

A year later, Lebesch left New Belgium to pursue other interests, but it wasn't until 2009 when the couple divorced that New Belgium's board of directors urged Jordan to keep control of the company in the hands of those directly involved with it. New Belgium purchased Lebesch's remaining shares and retired them, bringing the ESOP total to 41%.

The employee-ownership saga culminated in late 2012, when Jordan and the board of directors decided the best next step for the company would be to place it fully in the hands of employees.

Jordan sold the remaining 59% of the company— her shares, her two sons' shares, and the management's shares — to the ESOP, making New Belgium officially 100% employee-owned.

She announced the sale to more than 450 "thrilled" employees at New Belgium's annual company retreat in January 2013.

Though the sale signified a huge shift on paper, Jordan said, "nothing changed, because we had this culture that we call 'high-involvement culture' deeply embedded within the organization for a very, very long time."

That sets New Belgium apart from other iconic craft breweries, such as Dogfish Head and Lagunitas, which have sold stakes to outside investors. Jordan's sale to the ESOP represents a conscious effort to fight the wealth gap, avoid cuts and layoffs a buyer might have demanded, and keep her employees involved in the future of the company.

"We still expect our coworkers to give us input, rather than feedback, on where the company should be going, both annually and in a longer term," Jordan said. "I think we display a lot of trust by being very open about what we're up to strategically."

B Corporation status

It's typical to associate mass production with unsustainable practices, but the opposite is true at New Belgium. The craft brewery is one of the largest in America and is widelyconsidered the leader in sustainability.

While hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park shortly after founding the brewery, Jordan and Lebesch determined New Belgium's four core values and beliefs (the company now has 10). One value that persists today, Jordan said, is environmental stewardship.

"I love beer, I love drinking beer, I love the beer industry and the people in it, but I wanted our business to be about more than just that," she said.

In 2013, New Belgium codified its commitment to act sustainably when it became a certified B Corporation, a legal status that pushes the company to meet rigorous environmental and social standards. Whether it's the equipment Lebesch engineered to recover reusable heat from the brewing process, a recent investment of $12 million in a water-treatment plant, or installing solar panels at the brewery, every decision New Belgium makes takes into account its mission to conserve resources.

But as hard as Jordan and her coworkers work to make environmental sustainability an integral part of the business, there's another aspect of sustainability that's incredibly important, Jordan said, and that's earning profits.

"We can all be as groovy as we want to be, but the ultimate form of sustainability is being able to keep the doors open," Jordan said. "Having that vision that has a deeply embedded purpose to it helps to ground you, and having that commitment to making sure that the literal sustainability of the company goes forward — you need that combination."

Change is vital to success

In the past 25 years, Jordan has learned a number of important lessons — some of them difficult — about sustaining a business. Chief among them is the willingness to evolve.

"One of the things that vibrant organizations have to do is change," she said.

In October 2015, Jordan stepped down as CEO and New Belgium president and COO Christine Perich, who's been at the company since 2000, took over.

Jordan is now executive chair and is focusing on New Belgium's brand and portfolio, as well as strategy.

"The pace of change in the world — more specifically, in craft brewing — has been at a pretty steady clip," she said. "You have to figure out where the right places to make change are, and what are the big bets to put your energy behind. And that's an art form."

National expansion

In May, New Belgium opened its highly anticipated second production location and "Liquid Center" tasting room in Asheville, North Carolina, the heart of the craft-beer movement in the South. The new location significantly increases distribution opportunity on the East Coast, and last week New Belgium rolled out in New York.

"We definitely have our eye on becoming a national brewery — a national craft brewery — and building out our whole US footprint and then building a long-term strategy for international growth," Jordan said. "I'm excited for New Belgium. I can't wait to see what happens next."

Read more stories about the 100 business visionaries who are creating value for the world.

SEE ALSO: Meet the top 100 business visionaries creating value for the world

DON'T MISS: Activist Marc Benioff on Salesforce's radical 1-1-1 pledge

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NOW WATCH: Sal Khan: Educating the world — for free

Sometimes your day is so busy, you just don't have time to cook. But if you're planning on stopping somewhere for a quick snack or meal, you might want to put some thought into it.

Not all fast foods are the same, and there are really some huge differences in the number of calories in similar foods at Starbucks, McDonald's, and Chick-fil-A. You'll probably be pretty surprised by some of the results.

Take this quiz to find out what the best fast food place is to grab a low-calorie snack. You won't regret the time, or the extra inches you'll save on your waistline.

MORE: More sleep may not be making you as productive as you think

UP NEXT: Turns out eating fat isn’t as bad for you as previously thought

1) Feeling like a little something sweet on the way to the office? Stop for a fruity treat...

Smoothies and milkshakes are a yummy addition to any breakfast. And, since they have fruit in them, they sound healthy. But depending on where you order from, it's easy to forget that these fruity drinks can basically be glorified morning sundaes. So, which one should you choose?

A) Starbucks: Orange Mango Banana Smoothie

B) McDonald's: Strawberry Banana Smoothie 

C) Chick-fil-A: Strawberry Milkshake 

Answer: Stop at McDonald's

The Golden Arches win here. A strawberry banana smoothie at the fast food joint will only run you 210 calories. Not bad for a tasty addition to your morning routine.

The others:

(Starbucks) Orange Mango Banana Smoothie: 260 calories

(Chick-fil-A) Strawberry Milkshake: 570 calories 

2) Mmmm...nothing like a breakfast sandwich to warm you up in the morning. But which one?

A smoothie isn't enough to sustain you through the agonizing hours until your lunch break so you might need a breakfast sandwich. But where should you pick one up?

A) Starbucks: Bacon and Gouda Breakfast Sandwich

B) McDonald's: Sausage McMuffin with Egg

C) Chick-fil-A: Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit 

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NOW WATCH: The most important question you should ask before hiring a financial adviser

Growing up, I was pretty stubborn.

It might have had something to do with being the oldest, or with having a protective dad who sometimes set rules that the younger me found completely unreasonable.

I was so hardheaded that I remember debating more of his wisdom than I actually listened to.

But as an adult, I've come to appreciate many of his lessons.

In honor of Father's Day, here are five lessons that resonate with me to this day:

SEE ALSO: When I was 6, my dad taught me a critical money lesson that forever changed the way I spend

DON'T MISS: I found the perfect last-minute gift to give Dad this Father's Day

1. Avoid consumer debt as much as possible

My dad instilled in us early on the idea that you should always live within your means.

Today, I use my credit card sparingly, and I'll never purchase something when I don't have the money to pay it off right then and there, unless it's truly a necessity.

I've also never bought anything on an installment plan — dad taught me that many of them are designed in a way that makes it easy to fall behind and not meet your payment obligations.

2. You can never invest too much in education

While my dad discourages racking up debt through unnecessary purchases, as an entrepreneur he understands that there are certain times when debt is necessary.

Examples include mortgages, business debts, and education. While we were growing up, he never hesitated to spend money not only on our schooling, but also on language lessons, books, computer programs, tutors, or anything that promoted learning.

I was fortunate to grow up in New Zealand, a country where the cost of education is relatively low compared to the US. My undergraduate fees, for example, only amounted to about $4,300 a year.

Sometimes, the cost of higher education in the US makes me think twice about how much I'm willing to shell out for learning purposes. But the mindset that education is a continual journey has stayed with me, and I am always looking for opportunities to improve my knowledge and gain additional skills.

3. Hard work trumps talent and intelligence every time

My dad was not a great student in high school. He routinely got into trouble, and his teachers told him that he was stupid.

When he couldn't get into a good college in Indonesia, his father shipped him off to the US. He loved telling my brother and me the story of how he successfully begged the dean of a community college, in broken English, to let him in.

He says that before he went to college, he didn't understand the concept of hard work. So to catch up with his peers, he put his head down, studied, and didn't watch TV or socialize until he worked up a GPA high enough to transfer to Boston University.

After graduating from college, he moved back to Indonesia and worked in banking for several years. Since then, he’s built several businesses in Indonesia and New Zealand, mainly in commercial property development.

He always told me not to be intimidated by people with titles or talent and to never discount the possibility of achieving something big.

Join the conversation about this story »

Many of the men's style tips we talk about are relatively minor things that can add up to something greater: tie length, suit fit, or wearing moisturizer, for example.

Wearing socks with sandals is not one of those things.

There are few things in the art we call style that are unequivocal. All of the rules we foster and advocate can be broken once you know what you're doing and can get away with it.

Wearing socks with sandals is not one of those things.

It's such an obvious error, that even women in the r/AskWomen subreddit have voted it the worst thing a man can wear on their feet. Redditors on this subreddit can use gender symbols to signify that they are either a man or woman. For footwear, the worst-voted item was loud and clear with 118 points for this dreaded combo.

Many men choose to wear sandals with socks because they view wearing sandals on their own as unsanitary — and guess what — they are unsanitary! Sandals usually expose your feet, which is an issue for men since they rarely take care of their feet properly to be showing them off in public. Socks with sandals remedy this problem in a terrible way that no one really asked for. There is no circumstance in which it is acceptable. 

What can you wear instead? Literally anything else. Sandals without socks is the obvious option, but that look should be reserved for seaside towns and going to the beach in our humble opinion.

Instead, take advantage of the numerous different options that are available to men in summer-footwear options, including sneakers, loafers, boat shoes, casual dress shoes, espadrilles, and more.

SEE ALSO: These are the shorts to avoid if you don’t want to look like everyone else this summer

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's lifestyle page on Facebook!

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 5 classic men's shoes for work and play

Ten years ago, a young entrepreneur named Blake Mycoskie launched TOMS Shoes.

The business model was unorthodox but simple: For every pair of shoes a customer bought, TOMS would donate a pair to a child in need. At the time, the company was one of the first to employ the one-for-one system.

Today, dozens of other companies have followed in TOMS' footsteps with one-for-one models. TOMS has given away over 60 million pairs of shoes, and they've expanded into bags, eyewear, and coffee.

Business Insider recently caught up with Mycoskie to ask him about the future of TOMS and to get his thoughts on the way social entrepreneurship is evolving.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Shana Lebowitz: How do you describe TOMS and what exactly do you sell? Is it a shoe company or something else? 

Blake Mycoskie: It's something that we've thought a lot about. It's our 10-year anniversary this year. One thing that I think has become really clear is we didn't start a company with a mission, but we had a mission that turned into a company.

And I think that's a really important distinction because I started TOMS basically to fund the giving that I wanted to do to the children I met in South America. I didn't want to start a charity to be dependent on donations.

A lot of people now call it social enterprise, conscious capitalism, and there's a lot of labels for what we are. But I think the phrase that “we are a mission with a company” is probably the best way to describe it as opposed to a company that has a mission. 

Lebowitz: Why did you step down from the position of CEO and what's your current role at the company?

Mycoskie: I was CEO by default, but I never was a CEO. I mean I'm a founder, I love the beginning of things. I love working with the creative team, but running a business, dealing a lot with HR, dealing a lot with processes, that's never really been my strength. Once I was in a position where I could bring on and attract world-class CEO talent, like Jim, our CEO, I was super excited to do so.

Success in business is about playing to your strengths as a company and as individuals. And my strengths are definitely in telling our stories, getting people excited about our mission, working with the marketing and creative teams to create the product and the messages we want to share, and now I can focus all of my time on that because now I don't have the responsibilities of being a CEO. So it's a really great partnership with Jim, business has never been stronger, and our employees are a lot happier, too because they have someone day-to-day that they can go to.

Lebowitz: What about the decision to sell half the company to Bain?

Mycoskie: That decision was always kind of a necessary one in order to attract a great CEO. When the company is 100% owned by the founder — no investors, no board — it's very hard to attract amazing executive talent because the founder could wake up one day and be like, "I don't like your shirt color; I want you to change." And that's a real risk to an executive. By having a 50/50 partner I was able to create that security and stability that would attract world-class talent.

The other thing is our business is growing a lot, in different new ways. The global expansion is one of our biggest focus areas. We're getting into all different types of shoes, not just the main shoe that we originally started with. There's a lot of complexities around supply chain, retail growth. We were entering a phase where there were a lot of new challenges that frankly, I never dealt with.

So I wanted to have a partner who had helped other consumer-products businesses grow during that time of change and find ways to create the right systems and stuff that would help them.

Lebowitz: How sustainable do you think a buy-one-give-one company really is?

Mycoskie: I think it's incredibly sustainable. Built into our cost structure is the intention to provide great benefit to our customers because they feel like they're getting to be part of something more than just a transaction. 

More and more understand what the impact of their purchases are on the rest of the world. By doing that, we're able to form more loyal customers; we're attracting new customers. While we spend a ton of money on giving, we also feel that there's a real return on that investment. 

Lebowitz: Do you think most customers are aware of and motivated by the giving element when they buy TOMS shoes?  

We did some research with the Boston Consulting Group last year and we actually found that only 50% are. That was really surprising to us.

But then when you ask those people, when you tell them about the mission, you say, “Are you more likely to buy more products?” The answer is resoundingly yes. So one of our big challenges as a business is how do we share our story, how do we share our mission in more ways?

We're really investing a lot in telling that story more in store displays. We’ve installed virtual reality headsets in all of our stores so people can go on a virtual giving trip and see the children that they're helping in countries like Peru, in Colombia. That's one of our big areas of focus right now, is telling our story more, not taking it for granted that people already know it.

Lebowitz: How do you feel about other companies employing a similar buy-one-give-one model, since TOMS was one of the first to do it? 

Mycoskie: I love it. I think it's a testimony to the influence that we're having on business. My goal is very simple for TOMS. I want to build the most inspirational and influential company in the world.

We want our business model to influence how other people are doing business. Because if we can influence other businesses to incorporate giving or one-for-one into their business it will help far more people than whatever we do on our own.

Lebowitz: In what ways do you think social entrepreneurship has changed since you founded TOMS? 

Mycoskie: If you look at the majority of entrepreneurship, it's really happening for people in their 20s, before they have families and all different types of responsibilities. They're able to take more risks in their 20s. 

That is also the demographic that wants to make purchases that count more, wants to make purchases that are conscious. So it's not surprising that the same patterns and changes in consumer behavior is being seen in the types of companies that these entrepreneurs are creating. 

That's also one of the reasons why I'm investing heavily into social entrepreneurs of the future, because I want to make sure that the movement that we have helped has long-term sustainability. And that more and more companies are getting funded and getting an opportunity to become the next TOMS.

Lebowitz: How do you decide which funds to invest in? What makes you feel like it will be sustainable, and how do you balance their purpose with their ability to earn a profit?

Mycoskie: We always look first at: Is the company's purpose and mission in the DNA of the product or service or company? It can't be something that they're adding on. It has to be the reason they exist. 

If it is at the core, then we just look at them like any other business. Is this profitable? Does this have a good business plan? Is the management team experienced? Do they have a special niche in the market? 

But first we want to make sure that the purpose is really sound.

Lebowitz: Do you think TOMS could do what it does if it were a publicly traded company? 

Mycoskie: I do. Bain did not invest in us because they thought it was charity. They invested in us out of a fund, and they expect to get the same returns that they promised their partners. They see our giving and our purpose as a competitive advantage. 

Lebowitz: Why did you get into social entrepreneurship as opposed to a nonprofit?

Mycoskie: I'm an entrepreneur. I started my first company at 19; I started five companies before TOMS. I love using business as a way to solve problems.

I think that there's a lot of important need for charity and nonprofit work in the world, but I felt like if I could use business — something I was really good at — to solve problems like kids needing shoes or people needing eye care surgeries or prescription glasses, that was a better match.

Lebowitz: So you feel like you can make a bigger impact on the problems that you're trying to solve as a business?

Mycoskie: For sure, I think that's a lot more sustainable than asking people for money. Because you can ask people for money, say once or twice, and they’ll support you because they believe in your mission and what you're doing, but ultimately they might feel a need to give their charity dollars to someone else.

Whereas if you create a long-term customer of your brand and every time they're buying something they're getting something that they want and they need, then that’s a much longer-term revenue style than just asking for money or donations.

Lebowitz: Can you speak to some of the criticisms that TOMS has received — that TOMS doesn't alleviate poverty for more than say a few months, or that the buy-one-give-one model can hurt local people who are trying to sell their shoes and their products? 

Mycoskie: To alleviate poverty you need education, jobs, and basic health needs. We use our shoes to protect children’s feet from foot disease; we use our shoes to help complete the school uniform where some families can't afford the shoes for the uniform. So that’s the education piece.

And then the job creation we’re trying to do more and more. Since some of that early criticism, we have responded and we moved 40% of our supply chain for giving shoes to countries that we give in. Today we make shoes in Kenya, we make shoes in India, Ethiopia, Haiti, and all of this is a way to create more jobs.

But even with all those things that we're doing, by no means is TOMS a single-stop solution to alleviation of poverty. It's a very complex thing to take someone who is living in poverty and help them progress their life to a different economic status.

In terms of the criticism towards disrupting local markets, that's one where we 100% agree. We are incredibly diligent to make sure that our shoes are being given in very, very rural areas where families are having to choose between shoes for the uniform or food on the table, and they’re choosing food on the table. By no means do we ever want to disrupt a local market.

TOMS itself does not put the shoes on people's feet. We work with charities and nonprofits. Our giving partners, they're all leaders of nonprofits and charities and they're really focused on improving the quality of life in the people that they serve. So they have the utmost interest in making sure that we're not disrupting anyone in the market.

Lebowitz: How are those shoe plants in Haiti, Kenya, India, and Ethiopia doing? 

Mycoskie: Each of them has their own challenges, but we're making millions of shoes in these countries now. We went from 0% in 2013 to now 40% of our new shoes are being made in these given countries. And we're finding that from a business perspective, it actually financially is beneficial because we're saving money on the cost of shipping the shoes all over the world when we can make them and give them in the same country.

Lebowitz: You’ve mentioned that you took a sabbatical a few years ago because the company at that point was more focused on process than purpose. Could you could elaborate on that?

Mycoskie: As soon as you're growing so fast, you're having to think about hiring people who have the right résumé and right technical experience. And I think we hired a lot of great people during that time frame that had the technical experience that helped us and allowed us to scale and grow. But a lot of the people who were making big decisions for the company and technically running the business I don't think were as aligned to our original purpose as I would have liked them to be.

I just had a moment where I really needed to question like, is this the right way for me personally, and for the business? Do we have the right people on the bus?

After taking almost a year off, I recognized I was as passionate about TOMS as I was in the early days, but we needed to make some changes, we needed to get everyone refocused back on our mission and purpose, which would also require making some executive changes as well. That's a big part of why I partnered with Bain.

Lebowitz: Since then you’ve expanded into the coffee business. Why?

Mycoskie: That connects to this goal and desire to create more jobs in the countries that we serve. I wanted to continue to create more jobs and I also wanted to find a way to enter a business that would be very disruptive and different than our shoe business.

Coffee I felt would be a great one to do it in, because the coffee industry is going through kind of a radical transformation with all these new-wave coffee shops like Stumptown, Intelligentsia, Blue Bottle. I think we can source coffee of the same quality as them, and at the same time use coffee as a way to create more of a community in our stores, and allow TOMS to be experienced in people's homes in a different way and our giving model to be experienced in a different way. 

Lebowitz: If you fell on very hard times, would you give up the buy-one-give-one model or is it core to the business?

Mycoskie: It's not only core to the business or brand, but now we have protected it forever. Part of the transaction with Bain was that even if it’s Bain or another potential partner down the road, that model will always be done. Good times or bad times, one-for-one will always be a part of Toms.

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My day doesn't start until I get my cup of coffee. So I was pretty pleased with some news out this morning from the World Health Organization that downgraded its warning on a potential link between my favorite morning beverage and — yep, you guessed it — cancer.

Back in the early '90s, coffee was classified as a possible cancer-causing agent, but a new study from the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer helps clear its reputation. Sort of.

There's another aspect of the report that's not so positive: Instead of a link between coffee and cancer, researchers think they may have found a connection between hot beverages and the disease.

The study found evidence that drinking anything very hot — we're talking about beverages sipped at roughly 149 degrees Fahrenheit or higher — is "probably carcinogenic to humans." It found the strongest links between drinking hot beverages and esophageal cancer, or cancer of the food pipe.

While all of this sounds scary, two things about the findings are important to keep in mind:

1. Esophageal cancer is not very common in the first place.

In fact, it makes up just about 1% of all cancers diagnosed in the US. The disease is much more common in Iran, northern China, India, and southern Africa. If you're an American woman, your risk of developing this type of cancer in your lifetime is about 1 in 435. If you're an American man, it's significantly higher — but still fairly low — at about 1 in 125.

Several things can raise or lower your risk of developing esophageal cancer, like gender, diet, genetics, and behavior. The American Cancer Society includes frequently drinking very hot liquids on its list of risk factors for the squamous cell type of esophageal cancer, one of the most common types of the disease, which starts in the flat cells that line the food pipe. "This might be the result of long-term damage the liquids do to the cells lining the esophagus," the ACS says.

2. The evidence of the link between this cancer and hot drinks is still very limited.

To get their results, the researchers pooled together studies looking at cancer of the esophagus in South America. The researchers concluded that the risk of developing esophageal cancer rose with how frequently people drank a popular type of hot tea, called mate. Only one study looked at consumption of cold mate, and it found no cancer link.

To make sure the links weren't just mate-specific, the researchers looked at some other studies examining the link between esophageal cancer and other hot beverages, like water, coffee, and tea. On the basis of these considerations and on the totality of the evidence, they concluded that drinking very hot beverages, at above 65 degrees Celsius (149 degrees Fahrenheit), was “probably carcinogenic to humans.”

“There is limited evidence in human studies, and limited evidence in animal studies, for the carcinogenicity of very hot drinks,” IARC's Dr. Dana Loomis told The Guardian.

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This weekend, Adland once again descends on the south of France for the annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity: A week-long event that brings together the industry's movers and shakers and hands out awards for creative excellence.

The usual advertising celebrities, like WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell and Publicis boss Maurice Lévy, will be joined on the main stages by real celebrities: Usher, Gwyneth Paltrow, Channing Tatum, and even Iggy Pop.

We asked a number of seasoned Cannes veterans to give their tips about what goes on away from the main stages, the obvious parties, and the famous Carlton Hotel.

We've compiled suggestions given to us last year with some new hangouts and bashes for 2016.

Thomas Crampton, Social@Ogilvy global managing director: "While the short, drunk, and dangerous stumble between the Carlton Terrace, and The Gutter Bar may have a reputation for being an insider’s zone, the real deals take place in more sober, stunning, and exclusive circumstances, such as yachts in the harbor or over lunch at Eden-Roc restaurant in Antibes.|"

Chris Dobson, CEO at The Exchange Lab: "For a break from the hustle of the festival, take a trip to the small, leafy island of Ile Saint-Honorat. Lying around a mile off shore, the island is home to 30 wine and honey making Cistercian monks, along with their beautiful church and monastery, Lérins Abbey. Get there in style by private yacht or catch a local ferry service from Cannes. You won’t regret it.”

Alex Rahaman, VP of programmatic at Sizmek: "If the nonstop networking and free flowing rosé get too much, escape the Croisette madness for a few hours at L’Ecrin Plage, a beautiful beach, bar and restaurant just past Baoli, but less flashy with a chilled vibe. For early drinks explore the medieval, cobbled streets of ‘Le Suquet’ or ‘Vieil Antibes’, where you’ll find plenty of pretty bars to sit and watch the sunset. And if you’re lucky enough to board a friendly yacht, ask them to head to the charming Ile Sainte-Marguerite - stop for lunch at rustic al fresco restaurant La Guerite, and let its talented Greek chef wow you with his sumptuous Mediterranean cuisine."

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I hate hotels.

It's one thing to stay at the Ritz, or a vacation resort with a pool and spa and multiple bars. But the mid-range hotels used for most business travel depress me.

The rooms are usually small, generic, and impersonal. There's often fluorescent lighting that makes everything look weird. The air conditioner is always too loud. And other travelers are stumbling in and out of the elevators at all hours. I never get a good night's sleep, and end up going into work bleary-eyed.

So for my last trip to New York, I decided to stay in an Airbnb for the first time. I used Airbnb twice on the trip, once in a two-bedroom apartment with my family, the other time in a studio by myself.

I loved it. 

The two-bedroom wasn't in perfect shape, but it was comfortable and the location and view were amazing. It was also way cheaper than getting two hotel rooms in Manhattan. (In Manhattan, you can't quadruple up in a double-queen room like you can with young families in some hotels — there's no room for a rollaway bed, and the space is just too small for four people, even if two of them are little kids.)

The studio near Gramercy Park was beautiful, with leafy trees outside and great amenities — Perrier water in the fridge, free day passes to local museums (which, sadly, I couldn't use because I was on business), funky decorations, and one of those cool electric window shades. 

I slept fantastically at both places.

From Airbnb's end, the website worked great. I was able to communicate easily with the hosts through texts and the Airbnb email remailer, and the pictures and descriptions were accurate. 

Overall, a big win.

With one exception: check-in and checkout.

The first night we got in really late from the airport, so there was a $50 cash surcharge because the cleaning woman had to stay late to give us the keys and show us the place. It seems unfair to have to pay extra just because our plane got in late. With a hotel, we would've just had them hold the room.

For the second place, there was a miscommunication about where to send the keys, and I ended up having to wait at a FedEx for half an hour with my bags over my shoulder to grab the envelope with the keys.

Check-out was also a pain. At the first place, my family was going to wait in the lobby while I picked up a rental car to drive out of the city. But the woman checking us out told them they couldn't hang out in the lobby and sent my wife and two young children to stand on the curb with all their luggage instead. 

For my solo trip, the checkout itself was no problem. But one of my bags was heavy, and I needed to work part of the day before leaving for the airport. So I had to carry it a few blocks to the office. It gave me my workout for the day, but wasn't much fun.

I've never missed the bell service so much. 

If Airbnb can solve the problem of getting travelers easier access to places and giving them some kind of way to store heavy bags for a few hours, I think the mid-range hotels that cater to business travelers and inexpensive vacation trippers — think visits to family or to friends who don't have guest rooms — will be in real trouble in a few more years. 

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Air pollution has been a problem since the industrial revolution hit America in the 1800s. The BBC reports that more than 5.5 million people worldwide die prematurely each year due to air pollution, so this really is nothing to take lightly.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 80% of people living in urban areas are exposed to levels that exceed WHO limits. In the US, the American Lung Association believes that over 50% of US counties suffer from an unhealthy amount of particle pollution. That’s a whopping 166 million Americans at risk. 

These harmful air particles come from such things as coal-fired power plants, diesel emission, or wildfires. The particles are small enough to get stuck in our lungs and this can cause asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, and even death.

Here is the American Lung Association's 2016 State of the Air list showing the top 10 U.S. cities subjected to the worst year-round particle pollution. You may want to consider living elsewhere if you take your health seriously.

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Bakersfield, California

Bakersfield is home to a crude oil company, which is nothing but harmful to human health. Contaminants are released at all stages of production. Exhaust fumes discharge particulate matter, while the burning of diesel fuel and natural gas produces the nitrogen oxides that form ground level ozone. 

However, the Los Angeles Times reported last year that as fuel prices have dropped, drilling projects in Bakersfield have been delayed or canceled. This may be bad news for the employees being layed off, but residents worried about their lung health can rejoice. 

Hanford, California

According to the Hanford Sentinel, it's no surprise to residents that air quality in this city is worse than ever. To blame are the combustion engines that burn petroleum-based fuels, which release particulate matter, as well as the ever-warming temperatures trapping pollution in this city surrounded by mountains. Officials there know they are over the EPA's pollution standards, but don't know how to fix the problem without new technology while long-term drought conditions persist in the area. 

Fresno, California

The American Lung Association has been reporting Fresno to be a hotspot of pollution for many years. According to the Los Angeles Times, a 3,000-person-area on the west side of the city is drowning in diesel exhaust, unsafe water, and pesticides. This dirty city is also suffering from poverty, which has only increased since 2000 according to a study done last year by The Century Foundation.