Natural Capitalism [Paperback]

Paul Hawken (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2000

'This book is awash with ideas and is meant for a wide readership...Ultimately, this is a universal call to action so that it is really meant for everyone' - "Progress in Development Studies". The first Industrial Revolution inaugurated 200 years of unparalleled material development for humankind. But the costs and the consequences are now everywhere evermore apparent: the living systems on which we depend are in retreat. Forests, topsoil, grasslands, wetlands, oceans, coral reefs, the atmosphere, aquifers, tundra and biodiversity are limiting factors - the natural capital on which all economic activity depends. And they are all in decline. Add to that a doubling of the world's population and a halving of available per capita resources in the first 50 years of the 21st century and the inevitability of change is clear. This work offers forms of industry and commerce that can not only enhance enormously the wellbeing of the world's growing population, but will reverse the destruction and pollution of nature and restore the natural processes so vital to the future. The book introduces four central and inter-related strategies necessary to perpetuate abundance, avert scarcity and deliver a solid basis for social development. The first of these is: Radical Resource Productivity - getting two, four, or even ten times as much from the same quantities of materials and energy. A revolution in efficiency that provides the most immediate opportunities for businesses to grow and prosper. The second strategy is: Ecological Redesign - eliminating the very idea of waste by designing industrial systems on the model of ecological ones. Instead, for example, of digging metals out of the ground only to return them to landfill at the end of the product cycle, industrial processes will be designed to reuse materials constantly, in closed circles. The third strategy involves creating: A Service and Flow Economy - shifting from an economy of goods and purchases to one of service and flow, and redefining the relationship between producer and consumer. Affluence will no longer be measured by acquisition and quantity, but by the continuous receipt of quality, utility and performance. The final strategy is: Investing in Natural capital - reversing the worldwide ecosystem destruction to restore and expand the stocks of natural capital. If industrial systems are to supply an increasing flow of services in the future, the vital flow of services from living systems will have to be maintained or increased as well.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'There's a new book out I commend to you called Natural Capitalism... This is a huge deal' President Clinton; 'An analysis of how capitalism would work if the world's "natural capital" were properly valued, resulting in a drastic reduction in resource use by industrialised countries' The Financial Times; 'A powerful, visionary statement by three of the world's leading consultants on the greening of business' The Times Higher Education Supplement; 'If any book can be said to usher in a hopeful new age, it's this' Jonathon Porritt, Director, Forum for the Future; 'Leaves every reader with the hope that the old battle between business and the environment can reach a peaceful and constructive conclusion' Frances Cairncross, The Economist; 'The whole concept of natural capital manages to be both pragmatic and idealistic which, in my book, adds up to inspirational' Anita Roddick, The Body Shop International; 'This is smart, strategic thinking' The Independent; 'Includes a wealth of real examples... The authors provide a boldly practical way forward' The Times; 'Points the way to a world where the profit motive and social responsibility march hand in hand' John Quelch, Dean, London Business School"

About the Author

Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, educator and best-selling author. He is known worldwide as on of the leading architects and proponents of corporate reform with respect to ecological practices. He is founder of several companies and author of numerous articles and scientific papers and of six books (published in over 50 countries, in 27 languages) including The Next Economy, Growing a Business and The Ecology of Commerce (voted in 1998 the number one college text on business and the environment by professors in 67 American business schools). He has served on the board of numerous organizations including Conservation International, Friends of the Earth and the National Audubon Society. He is the recipient of several honorary doctorates and the 1999 Green Cross Millennium Award for International Environmental Leadership from President Mikhail Gorbachev. Amory B Lovins and L Hunter Lovins are co-Chief Executive Officers of Rocky Mountain Institute which they co-founded in 182 in Colorado, USA. Physicist Amory Lovins is a MacArthur Fellow and the recipient of the Onassis Prize, the Heinz Award and six honorary doctorates, having been perhaps the youngest Oxford don in recent centuries. Hunter Lovins is a sociologist, political scientitst and barrister. The Lovinses have held visiting academic chairs and have been joint recipients of the Mitchell Prize, the Right Livelihood Award (the 'alternative Nobel Prize'), the Lindbergh Award and the Nissan Prize. Their pioneering technical, economic and policy work has been enormously influential in the energy, construction and car manufacturing industries. Consultants to scores of companies worldwide, they are co-authors of the best-selling Factor Four: Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use (with Ernst von Weizsacker) and of 25 previous books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Earthscan (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853837636
• ISBN-13: 978-1853837630
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,629,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, journalist, and bestselling author of six previous books. He is the architect and leading proponent of reform with respect to ecological practices.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars As clear as green gets, June 3, 2009

By 

Veronnica K. Towne "vtowne01" (South Bend, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Natural Capitalism (Paperback)

This book was amazing and clearly communicates in intricate balance of business and the environment in a way that anyone can relate to. Many concpets presented in this book have stayed with me for a long time, and I find them easy to apply to my business communications in a reasonable way. I recommend this book for every business person ir student, the sustainable attitude is what is going to be influencing the next generation of business people, and this book provides a solid cornerstone of knowledge that anyone can use.