This book is more than just a 'palliative care' guide for the planet - it is about innovation, solutions, competitiveness and profitability. At work, at home and as members of society, our generation has an opportunity - to be part of the obligation - and an exciting solution in restoring the balance. The authors present a bold vision for the future and demonstrate how we can get there, drawing on lessons of competitive advantage theory and the latest in sustainability, economics, innovation, business and governance theory and practice. The result is nothing less than the most authoritative and comprehensive guide to date, to building the new ecologically sustainable economy. For further information about The Natural Edge Project and to view the book's online companion, visit www.naturaledgeproject.net.
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'I think it's a great project and I wish it every success.' David Suzuki, award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster 'This is world-leading work - the team deserves the loudest acclamation possible.' Barry J Grear, AO President 2006, World Federation of Engineering Organizations 'Anyone interested in the practical details of building a bright green future needs to read this book. It's an absolutely critical overview of our progress towards sustainability thus far, 500+ information-packed pages on what's working best... This is a book I'll be coming back to again and again.' Alex Steffen, WorldChanging.com 'This volume pulls together thirty of the top thinkers in sustainability for a provocative and stimulating journey that happens to be easy to read. The industrialized world... needs to focus not just on sustainable development but also on 'sustainable re-development', which would shift the focus from solving environmental problems to eliminating them.' Cynthia D Churchwell, Harvard Business School 'A must-read for anyone serious about understanding the global phenomenon and trend of sustainable development. This comprehensive and well-documented book shows specific examples of how sustainable innovation can and needs to transform our globally linked society and economy.' Karen Wan, GreenPlants Program Director, Chicago Manufacturing Center 'What I found in reading the book was how the pursuit of sustainable development, whether on a small scale in domestic organizations or on a national or international scale, is no walk into the unknown. In a host of areas solutions already exist and are being implemented around the world by companies, governments and by social groupings. All this the book provides through relevant and successful solutions.' Sir Ninian Stephen, Former Governor General of Australia 'It is a great book following up on findings we published in Factor Four and linking it all to the business community... I shall quote Hargroves and Smith.' Prof. Dr. Ernst Von Weizsacker, author of Limits to Privatization and Factor Four 'It is widely understood that we must shift towards a sustainable future, and increasingly it is agreed that in order to do so we must move beyond rhetoric and into hard-edged, pragmatic forward steps. This book is a vital contribution to that forward movement, and I commend it to you.' Steve Morton, Group Chair, Environment and Natural Resources, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO)
From the Publisher
* Picked by Amory Lovins as a successor to his paradigm-shattering bestsellers Natural Capitalism and Factor Four * Endorsed by governments, engineering and business associations, companies and scientists from around the world * The essential guide for policy-makers, business people, engineers and others seeking competitive advantage in the new "sustainable economy"
"The Natural Advantage of Nations" is the undisputed successor to Natural Capitalism and Factor Four, the paradigm-shattering bestsellers that made the case for a profitable new sustainable global economy. The book takes natural capitalism to the next level by outlining the business case for nations to make the jump to sustainable economies through technical innovation. Employing competitive advantage theory and a wealth of case studies the authors and editors provide a clear blueprint for nations and business to make the switch to fully sustainable economies, and to do it profitably. This book is powerful and essential reading for leaders in government, business, science and engineering, and academia seeking a competitive advantage in the new "sustainability economy" as they build wealth and save the earth. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Australian Institute for Company Directors - Ian Dunlop,
By Karlson Hargroves "Charlie" (Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Natural Advantage of Nations: Business Opportunities, Innovations and Governance in the 21st Century (Hardcover)
Despite the enthusiasm generated in the 1990's for the principles of sustainability, debate on implementing the sustainability agenda in recent time has been depressingly pedestrian. Too many senior figures in business and politics unthinkingly condemn any initiative that might endanger the holy grail of conventional economic growth. In truth, this condemnation has more to do with vested interests defending the status quo, and their aversion to innovation, than genuine concern for the longer-term national interest. In so doing, they risk directing the Australian community and business up a blind alley, which may provide some short-term benefit, but which will guarantee our long-term decline as a nation as population and resource pressures intensify.
Fortunately, leading companies are demonstrating that these attitudes are irrelevant as it becomes increasingly obvious that implementing sustainability brings enormous business opportunities along with community and economic benefits. This is highlighted in a new book "The Natural Advantage of Nations - Business Opportunities, Innovation and Governance in the 21st Century", edited by Karlson Hargroves and Michael H. Smith. Together with Cheryl Paten and Nick Palousis, the editors make up a team of young Australian scientists and engineers known as The Natural Edge Project, hosted by Engineers Australia.The team was formed to respond to the need for professional development in the area of sustainability. The book builds on "Natural Capitalism - the Next Industrial Revolution", the seminal 1999 work by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and Hunter Lovins. It provides an overview of the 21st century business case for sustainable development, incorporating key work from more than 30 of the world's leading sustainability practitioners in business, government and civil society. Its starting point is Professor Michael Porter's competitive advantage theory and practice which, combined with sustainability, demonstrates how the well-being of society and the environment can be improved while driving innovation in an increasingly competitive world. Emphasis is placed on the need to develop new concepts of "well-being" and "competitiveness" along with dramatic increases in resource productivity, built around inter-disciplinary, whole systems solutions. Valuable international examples are provided, for example, from the Netherlands and China, as well as Australia. The governance component contains thought-provoking debate on the need to address "shorttermism" and reform the fiduciary responsibilities of pension and superannuation fund trustees. This is a dense read, but it is a powerful and important book which sets out key elements of our future prosperity in a rapidly changing world. It has great relevance for Australia as a resource-rich country with unusual sustainability challenges. It is an essential guide for all forward-thinking directors, for as Dr. Paul Weaver, one of the authors of the Dutch Sustainable Technology Programme puts it: Economic leadership in the 21st Century will lie with those nations that seize the opportunity of responding to the sustainability challenge. The authors must be congratulated on a mammoth effort in integrating conventional economics with sustainability to form a new framework for innovation and competitiveness They also demonstrate how these issues have seized the attention of younger Australians, a good omen for our future. Reviewer Ian Dunlop, Published in DirectorBooks Catalog 2005. Ian Dunlop, formerly a senior energy executive and CEO of AICD, currently advises internationally on governance and sustainability issues. See more reviews on http://www.naturaledgeproject.net/NAON_Reviews.aspx
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tremendous Breadth and Depth in This Book,
By
This review is from: The Natural Advantage of Nations: Business Opportunities, Innovations and Governance in the 21st Century (Hardcover)
I teach hundreds of American business school students every year. For many students this course is their first academic exposure to how business can, in the words of Interface Inc's Chairman Ray Anderson, "take nothing, waste nothing, do no harm, and do very, very well by doing good" - good for the planet, for people and for profits.
I find that The Natural Advantage of Nations is the perfect text for getting across this message of hope in a very practical way. That's not to say it's short on theory. By no means-we are introduced to Porter's Competitive Advantage of Nations, Robert's Natural Step, the Lovins's Natural Capitalism, Stakeholder Theory and much more. For American students who tend to be assigned mostly American texts, The Natural Advantage of Nations is an eye-opener to the innovative initiatives happening in other nations. It serves as a powerful wake-up call to start engaging in tri-sector dialogue and international collaboration. The authors and their numerous heavyweight contributors make a compelling business case for the Triple Bottom Line, showing in multiple ways how enterprises benefit from paying attention to economic, social and ecological factors. Through theory and case studies, they show how companies can "pick off the low hanging fruit" of easy cost savings to invest in adaptations and innovations for the long term. The book has contributions from many leaders in the sustainability field and is a wealth of practical and theoretical advice. A must buy. None of my students were willing to part with their books for future classes even though I offered to pay them for their copies!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Online Companion to this Book,
This review is from: The Natural Advantage of Nations: Business Opportunities, Innovations and Governance in the 21st Century (Hardcover)
Greetings,
Michael and I (Editors of The Natural Advantage of Nations) would like to refer you to the online companion that we have built for this book. It contains many supporting resources including links to the source documents that we have researched and also contains a number of reviews and endorsements. www.thenaturaladvantage.info We hope you will find this book interesting and of use and are happy to respond to any questions you may have, see our site for contact details. Regards Charlie and Michael
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