The Ecology of Commerce Revised Edition: A Declaration of Sustainability (Collins Business Essentials)

I don't even know how to begin describing how great this book is. It should be required reading for EVERYBODY on the planet. I learned about this book while watching the documentary, "The Corporation," and I'll have to admit, I wasn't expecting anything revolutionary in this book. I thought I'd be getting some interesting pictures and statistics relating to consumption, recycling, landfills, global warming...pretty much your standard environmental rhetoric (of which I'm a subscriber) to complement what I already know. What I got, however, was so much more. This book is not only about the environment, but about how the environment integrates with global business and economics. For some reason, the 'developed' world has created a disconnect between the environment and business. Hawken shows how the two are inextricably connected, and in order to guarantee a successful future for us, our children and all life on earth, business and the environment must work harmoniously and each stop being the bane of the other. His metaphor for business IS the environment: everything in nature is cyclical, which brings maximum efficiency. Nothing is more efficient than the natural world: one organism's waste is another organism's life source. If business would approach operations and resources from this perspective, waste would not be 'waste' and the benefits of increased efficiency would permeate throughout all life and systems. His metaphor is very simple but exceedingly beautiful, and only becomes more so as Hawken goes in-depth with concrete examples and further exploration of all issues from both sides. Throughout reading this book, I was continuously floored by his analysis, his insight and his prescription for the future. And a note about his prose: every sentence reflects structurally the economies and efficiencies it conveys ideologically. This man is concise and his style is powerful - every word packs a punch. He says so much with so little, maximizing the time spent in our reading investment. Clearly, I have nothing but the highest praise for Hawken and this book - it is truly visionary.

I read "The Ecology of Commerce Revised Edition: A Declaration of Sustainability" because it offers a compelling vision for integrating business practices with environmental responsibility. Hawken's insights challenge conventional thinking, advocating for sustainable economic practices that benefit both business and the planet. It's a thought-provoking read that inspires individuals and organizations to reconsider their roles in creating a more sustainable future.

This required textbook addresses why we need to merge business with serious concerns about preserving the earth environment. Learn the real meaning of sustainability and how we can contribute to this vital and ongoing issue.

This book did help me understand some key principles for confronting the challenges ahead. But, I couldn't help but think: "What will move us from these concepts to action?" There is hope in Mr. Hawken's case studies of heroic companies and in new technologies but something is missing. Maybe the same dynamics confronted George Washington and the Continental Congress as they were debating and trying to determine the next best course of action in confronting a formidable foe like Great Britain and a similar "clear and present" threat to freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Our founding fathers similarly articulated very clearly the concepts of risk and opportunity in that century. Then they pursued a path of unknown destiny to address it one engagement at a time on the foundation of some polarizing events (no pun intended). Maybe that is what we lack . . . a clear beginning point and a clear commitment. Let's hope and pray that this declaration of dependence on a new and improved commerce and an emphasis on heroic individual choice is the solution to global climate change and the erosion of our quality of life. Maybe what we really need is to create a "green" tea party and to see 9-11 and the BP oil spill as our modern day Boston Massacre and Bunker Hill. What will wake us up Mr. Hawken? May we all choose to say "give me liberty" from oil and coal because without that liberty, all life will be given certain "death".

As we all know, everyone crows on the "failure" of communism, but no one crows about the REAL failure of capitalism. It is a more slow dying weed than the "socialism" of communism, but it is a dying weed as well. When the vast majority of the population is dying a slow death from failing lungs in the form of asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema, when all the ills of our "capitalistic" economy are enumerated including increasing failure of our children to have IQ above retardation level, i.e. "Survivor", etc. and most of them have failing immune systems, how can capitalism have survived? Paul Hawkens, I believe, is the first real thinker to address the issue. He gets rid of those self-assured Americans who name themselves environmentalists because they put out their trash at the recycling curb while proceeding as usual otherwise. The other frivolous reviews you have at the first is further evidence of the old business ethic that is afraid to rethink or,indeed, to even think! Put my review at the first where it belongs, corporate giant, soon to be owned by Wal-Mart, the corporate giant that dots the American landscape with even more junk and cuts every tree in its path!

Having read the 1993 version dozens of times I can only be profusely grateful for an updated version from which to teach collge students. The revised version is like visiting a great city after a twenty year absence. The bones are there but there are new buildings that have evolved to reflect the times. Thank you Paul. You have given another generation another chance to wake up a world asleep at the wheel of a car headed for a cliff. It still reads like a collection of keynote speeches where every sentence is designed to pack a punch. It doesn't take a lot of words to be honest and direct. Ecology of commerce is not a spectator sport; if really read it is a call to action.

The beauty of this book is that I'm reading it towards the close of 2012 -- two decades after its original publishing -- and it's still relevant. That's also the sadness: the issues that Hawken describes are still issues today. In twenty years, our society still has not brought into symbiosis the divergent needs of ecology and commerce. Hawken's proposed solutions, along the lines of replacing negative economic incentives (taxes on income, profit, savings) with Pigouvian taxes and other sustainability fees, seem both mathematically and politically plausible. That is, of course, if you ignore the popular mores of our society; it's much easier to capture the average American's attention with an NFL game or an episode of Jersey Shore than with the idealized concept of an America with high petrol costs but no income tax. I only give it 3/5 because, as a contemporary read, I think readers can do better. If this were 1995, it would get a 5! Check out Charles Eisenstein's "Sacred Economics" -- the prose and proposed solutions are better, if it's overall a bit New Age-y. For those more interested in the econ side, read Daly & Cobb's "For the Common Good".

Many books on the ecology of our planet tell what's wrong for most of the book then have a chapter in the end on what we can do. What I liked about Hawken's book, which many consider to be the classic on growing our economy and sustainably in terms of our environment, is that it is chock full of great examples of how companies have successfully altered their practices in light of ecological concerns. And the counter-intuitive thing is that, with creative problem solving, it can actually be more profitable to be an environmentally friendly company or society. A little dated at this point, this is still a great place to start if you're getting into books about sustainable living.

This book is fantastic. Read it! Paul Hawken has created a masterpiece and will probably change your worldview. You won't be disappointed

Amazing

Lucid, devastating, empowering, inspiring. A lot to claim of a small book but I will absolutely be recommending it to those around me and have already lent my copy to a colleague. I'm not sure I entirely agree with Hawken's proposals for green taxation as I tend to look for feedback in such systems and taxation on products that are not supposed to do us good (cigarettes, alcohol, aviation fuel...) don't seem to have had much impact on the population and in fact make the government the beneficiary of such activities reducing their desire to curb them long-term. But apart from that his call to business to look for cyclic, restorative models and stop externalising the costs of the environmental damage they do makes good business sense to me and that gives it some chance of actually permeating into culture. Hence, many years after its first publication, a growing number of companies are directly or indirectly responding to his call. Marvellous.

Ce livre est un formidable outil pour se lancer dans l'ère suivante qui espérons-le sera moins destructrice que les deux précédentes. Autrement, l'auteur fournit un style assez dynamique couronné de très belles statistiques ! Merci pour cette lecture.

One of the most impactful books I've ever read. Starts out with what seems like a little bit of "pie in the sky" wishful thinking, but then it quickly delves more deeply into a very well-detailed exploration of the issues and proposed solutions. HIGHLY recommended!