GREEN RANKING FOR 2009
Ranking: 42=
Worth: £800m
Green investment: Renewable energy

It was a blow to Peter Sperling in November when California’s voters rejected proposition 7 mandating greater use of renewable-energy sources. Sperling spent $5.5m backing the proposition, which would have required public and privately owned utilities in the state to get at least half their electricity from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal power by 2025. Arizona-based Sperling could afford it. He chairs CallWave, a Californian software group, and his father founded the privately-funded University of Phoenix, which enrols 300,000 students. Sperling also contributed $5m to protect the Ellwood Mesa coastline of California. Forbes puts his fortune at £1.1 billion. In the present climate we have cut that back to £800m.