“The Ecology of Commerce”
by Paul Hawken
Reviewed By Mitchell MacKay
For many, the word “sustainability” means little or nothing. To Ray C. Anderson, a sixtyish, conservative company president, it didn’t mean much till he read a book called “The Ecology of Commerce” by Paul Hawken. Anderson credits the book for changing his life and instilling a powerful sense of urgency to do something about the environment. Anderson now campaigns as “America’s Greenest CEO” preaching the message: Corporations can be part of the solution to the looming environmental crisis.
“The Ecology of Commerce” is an inspirational book that’s converting CEOs and corporate presidents, MBAs and accountants, into thoughtful environmentalists. Hawken proves that we do not need to tear down current business structures to become environmentally sustainable. In fact, we can use existing business practices to restore our environment and communities. He suggests that it is possible to create companies that are highly profitable but do not contribute to decay.
According to Hawken, the global ecological crisis is triggered by the uncontrollable expansion of business. Moving out of the linear thinking behind the industrial revolution is essential. He envisions a new business revolution that replicates the cyclical systems of the natural world.
“To create an enduring society, we will need a system of commerce and production where each and every act is inherently sustainable and restorative... we must design a system where doing good is like falling off a log, where the natural, everyday acts of work and life accumulate into a better world as a matter of course, not as a matter of conscious altruism.” Hawken’s idea of a restorative economy “is so intelligently designed and constructed that it mimics nature at every step, a symbiosis of company, customer and ecology.”
The author lists three fundamentals to creating this symbiosis:
1) End waste
2) Shift to renewable power
3) Create accountability and feedback
Corporate goals shift from “production-for-money” to increasing the well-being of humankind through service, creative invention and ethical philosophies.
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