What a surprising book. Written by three economists, it reads as one would expect: lots of repetition and economic data encoded in a cascade of prose. However, it is clever, insightful, humorous (at key points), and optimistic in outlining how we can adjust our industrial capitalistic worldview to a more natural capitalistic worldview. The natural capital - the planet and all its resources: air, land, soil, water, coral, ice etc - that we have for the most part not taken into consideration when we make decisions about how to live our lives is something that must be added into our daily to generations-long calculus about how humanity will exist and possibly continue to exist on this planet.

This worldview does not mean we should shutter factories, stop using coal entirely, stop flying in planes, and wear homegrown cotton clothing; on the contrary, they make the sturdy case that business and our way of life should be adapted to understand the true "cost" of our activities (rather than the current "price" of them). We would then make the smart and enlightened changes to make the cycle of resource extraction and usage less damaging and more, well, natural.

It is striking to me - just finishing Tribe, by Sebastian Junger and having read The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and other books about our human needs, human society, and our satisfaction and harmony within it - that this book also references the idea that people don't really just want to be told what to do and feel the expectation of keeping their head down while doing it; we need to feel accomplished and authentic while doing it. We want to feel connected, valued, and important within our communities, and it is important to remember that we are all in a community on this planet. As members of a community we are held to a social contract simply by being born within it; shouldn't we be held to a natural contract with our planet and one another? It is a larger - and smaller, more vulnerable when considered in context of our solar system or interstellar space - community than our visible human one, and arguable as important.

There is too much in this book for me to spill out here, and I most definitely skimmed many of the more boring (to me) chapters that detailed in-depth examples, but I would highly recommend several chapters - the "Reinventing the Wheels", "Waste Not", "Making the World", "Capital Gains", and "Climate" chapters were fascinating - the "Making Markets Work" chapter was also great up to the point where economic theory was broken down into several additional sub-headings.

In general, the authors convinced me that there are alternatives to our market-driven, heedless focus on our human societies as if they were in a vacuum. They are not. We are part of the world, part of a community, and (hilariously, yet seriously) we need to follow the user manual for our planet as outlined in one of the later chapters (p 313).

This book was published the year I graduated high school, so it certainly dated in much of its data and the examples chosen. That said, even with skimming the book provided much food for thought, and I very much recommend it to anyone who wants to take glimpse a vision for how we can adopt a more green/renewable/sustainable economic system that is fair and just for ourselves and our planet. Some of my favorite tidbits are below, but the larger, charismatic (to me) ideas (such as making drivers pay the true cost of driving, rather than simply the prices of driving as we currently do; or even the examination the authors make into the journey a simple can for soda or beer makes - which is staggering), are probably for you - the future reader - to uncover on your own:

- "...the present industrial system is, practically speaking, a couch potato: it eats too much junk food and gets insufficient exercise.... industrial 'empty calories' end up as pollution, acid raid, and greenhouse gasses, harming environmental, social, and financial systems." (14)

- "In nature, nothing edible accumulates; all materials flow in loops that turn waste into food, and the loops are kept short enough so the waste can actually reach the mouth. Technologists should aim to do the same." (71)

- "On the environmental side, scientists are frustrated that many businesspeople do not yet understand the basic dynamics involved in the degradation of biological systems. For business, it seems unthinkable if not ludicrous that you shouldn't be able to create the future by using the same methods that have been successful in the present and past." (159)

- Related to the previous quote: "...the ability to accelerate a car that is low on gasoline does not prove the tank is full." (310) Just because it has been working doesn't mean it will always work.

- "People now know the price of everything, but the true cost of nothing. Price is what the person pays. Cost is what society pays, here, now, elsewhere, and into the future." (168)

- Wendell Berry is quoted at the beginning of the chapter on food production: "When we came across the continent cutting the forests and plowing the prairies, we have never known what we were doing because we have never known what we were undoing." (190)

- "The environmental debate is conducted in a predictable cycle: Science discovers another negative human impact on the environment. Trade groups and businesses counter, the media reports both sides, and the issue eventually gets consigned to a growing list of unresolvable problems. The point is not that one side is right and the other wrong but that the episodic nature of the news, and the compartmentalization of each successive issue, inhibit devising solutions. Environmentalists appear like Cassandra, business looks like Pandora, apologists sound like Dr. Pangloss, and the public feels paralyzed." (309)

I join former President Clinton in calling Natural Capitalism "One of the 10 most important books in the world". In 100 years students could very well study 3 seminal texts in economic thought: The Wealth of Nations, Das Kapital, and Natural Capitalism. Rather than emphasizing environmental problems, Natural Capitalism is a book of solutions. Do everyone a favor: read this book.

An interesting book I was required to read in a sociology class. It's about how environmentalism and capitalism can work together for good, if we can rethink our concepts of capital to include "natural capital".

Interesting points. Dense and hard to read. Not a leisure book, more like something that would be provided as course material to study.
Some of my favorite excerpts from the book below:
-"A successful business in the new era of natural capitalism will respect and understand all four views. It will realize that solutions lie in understanding the interconnectedness of problems not in confronting them in isolation."
-"Today the central issues for thoughtful and successful industries--the two being increasingly identical--relate not to how best to produce the goods and services needed for a satisfying life--that's pretty well worked out--but rather to what is worth producing, what will make us better human beings, how we can stop trying to meet nonmaterial needs by material means, and how much is enough."

This book lays out an economic program with a great deal of vision. Even though the ideas elaborated upon here seem in most cases like the best courses for economic action, it is doubtful for a number of reasons whether American society will be willing to accept these remedies for what ails us all.

I read this maybe ten years ago, so I am only able to present the ideas that made a vivid impression to me.

Pipes. Taking it as a given that we need to dispense with carbon fuels, the idea of hooking up all of America with pipes is touted as the way to go. We would first transition to natural gas, which is cleaner than oil and coal, but still a non-renewable carbon fuel. We would power our houses and cars with natural gas until it is gone, and then we would use these already established pipes to deliver hydrogen in order to recharge fuel cells for our cars and houses. Not counting the fact that the energy establishment would balk at this big time, I am not sure it makes good economic sense to take the leap of faith that hydrogen cell technology will be there once we are ready for it.

Ecological Industrial Complex. One of the most compelling arguments of this book relates to the amount of GDP tied to the defense industry. Defense, or war really, is seen as the primary engine of our economy. But it could just as easily be seen as waste. War is inherently destructive and shows no potential for driving economic sectors outside of itself. And it is incredibly expensive. As an antidote, green technologies could be seen as a peace subsidy paying massive dividends to the health of our planet and ultimately to the sustainability of our economies. Were we to divert our capital to sustainable energy and the elimination of waste, we would see many clear benefits for all, including a healthier planet and greater quality of life around the globe. We have been immensely successful in developing technologies geared to war. The can-do, get-it-done attitude has yielded fantastic results from our engineering sectors. If we were able to apply that same energy and optimism to developing sustainable and renewable energy, well, the sky's the limit. It is unfortunate that typical Americans are so thoroughly convinced that the elimination of waste is itself a primary source of economic inefficiency.

Consumer ethics. The tragedy of the commons idea states that if something is everybody's problem it becomes nobody's problem and the problem just gets worse. Our fabulously free market creates a tragedy of the commons in this sense. It will take a great deal of consumer responsibility to make our ecological footprint more like humble Bangladesh and less like a commercial dinosaur. But we can all do our part, and every little bit helps, even if it doesn't seem like it. Fair trade, for example, enables consumers in the first world to pay for a higher standard of living to third world producers, partially out of guilt but mostly as a vote of no confidence in our currently highly alienated and alienating economic structures. More significantly, consumer ethics entails buying local to save transport energy costs, buying organic to reduce the amount of crap dumped on our land and in our waterways, or simply doing without things not necessary, thereby saving energy and materials in countless ways.

Carbon credits. I have no idea how this would work. Essentially a tax on polluters and a credit for the good guys, I see no way this is going to take off. It will probably go the way of the bit coin.

Massive transit. The idea of elaborate mass transit systems moving people continuously and efficiently has had a great deal of success in the third world. Energy is saved and the cost to the consumer is consolidated. But people of the third world do this out of necessity. They would much rather take our cars any day. And it is a human pipeline pipe dream to expect Americans to give up their cars without a fight. A move to get rid of the car here would be like a total gun ban in Texas. It simply ain't gonna happen.

There are many more ecological tidbits and conceptual treasures in Natural Capitalism, but the overarching theme seems to be that living right collectively and ecologically doesn't need to be painful and does not necessarily entail a loss of economic growth. It is clear we must have the foresight to engage in sustainable practices, and we must provide the requisite incentives to get these eco-friendly industries off the ground (as we did with the defense industry). It is unfortunately not an open question as to whether these actions will actually come about. The powers that be in our country, from energy to defense to transportation to international commerce to finance to agribusiness, are all likely to send a resounding “no!” to any attempt to mess with the status quo, even if action is direly needed. We are not doomed yet. But without a raising of consciousness and a clear and focused campaign geared toward consumer education, the thoughts in this book might not actually lead anywhere. Yet books such as this one are necessary and in a sense golden in their effort to delay if not prevent the perhaps inevitable ecological collapse of our gluttonous economic engines and unsustainable lifestyles.

This book was supposed to present the argument for a green economy, an argument that saving the environment is good business, and thereby inspire capitalists and captains of industry to make investments to reduce waste, re-purpose technology, and recycle materials for both corporate public accountability and high long-term financial payoffs.

In reality, although oddly prescient in 1999 for certain developments of the 21st Century, this work is grossly naive, making bold assertions laid on a soft, unexamined bed of assumptions.

The goal appears to be bold pronouncements about technological possibilities without digging deeper into their implications. It is a tour of what other people are doing without pointing an energized entrepreneur in any helpful direction to make an impact. There are no counter-arguments presented, let alone deconstructed to support any of the idealistic theses presented to the reader. In the final calculus, the premise is valiant, but the arguments are not persuasive in the least.

from the library, hardcover, c1999


TOC
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xv
The Next Industrial Revolution
Reinventing the Wheels: Hypercars and Neighborhoods
Waste Not
Making the World
Building Blocks
Tunneling Through the Cost Barrier
Muda, Service, and Flow
Capital Gains
Nature's Filaments
Food for Life
Aqueous Solutions
Climate: Making Sense and Making Money
Making Markets Work
Human Capitalism
Once Upon a Planet
Notes
References
Index

Booklist Reviews (from the library computer)

Hawken is the author of The Ecology of Commerce (1993) and is best known for his PBS series Growing a Business. Amory and Hunter Lovins founded the Rocky Mountain Institute, which promotes efficient resource use, and Amory has been called the "godfather" of alternative energy. The three have joined forces here to set a blueprint for sustainable development. The authors argue that it is possible for companies to reduce energy and materials consumption by up to 90 percent but still increase profits, production, and employment. They outline the four strategies that underlie "natural capitalism" and, using hypercars and neighborhood land use and superefficient buildings as examples, show how these strategies are being applied. They also identify ways resources are being wasted and explain the principles of "resource productivity." Throughout their book, the authors indicate new business opportunities that will be created by practicing "natural capitalism." Accompanying the book will be a CD composed of "KnowledgeMaps," which will be "visual, interactive conceptual models" that complement the material in each chapter and include hyperlinks to relevant sites on the Internet. ((Reviewed September 1, 1999)) Copyright 2000 Booklist Reviews

This book changed my life and set me on my current path, which I hope will be a career in corporate sustainability. Basically, this is a primer for the next industrial revolution which we are currently entering and seeks to change the paradigm which says sustainability and a good bottom line for countries/corporations are mutually exclusive. In fact, it is now emerging to be just the opposite. The Lovines and Hawkin were prophetic in their predictioins, as we are now seeing what they spelled out in their book.

A great book that forces you to re think common assumptions about industry and personal behavior. Yet it does it in a way that moves away from preachy to a practical guide in how to rethink our relationship to industry and environment. A must read for everyone!

I love this book because it says that business and environmentalism do not have to be enemies. Perhaps they can be more than the sum of their parts. Staggering statistics, well-documented, and compelling. Hawken is a visionary. His classic is _The Ecology of Commerce_.

Well written and researched, insightful, and easy to read.... But oh so very wrong.

I simply can't agree with the core proposition of the book - that private enterprise is the future of environmentalism. In our society and economy, I do believe that our companies absolutely have a moral obligation to be stewards of our future just as we all do, but the reality is that few corporations would agree unless 1. driven by responsible leadership / bylaws (ie. Patagonia, B corps), 2. focused on a customer base that cares (ie. Costco), or 3. required by regulation. The primary legal obligation of publicly traded companies in the US is to 'maximize shareholder value,' and 'value' is almost invariably interpreted as meaning 'profit' or 'growth.' Especially as companies become more and more short-sighted and focused on immediate returns, companies that take such a long view are fewer and further between.

This book lays out an idealistic, though impressive, plan that depends on motivations that simply don't exist in reality, and there are far, far too many examples to the contrary for their plan to be considered feasible. Still, there is value in this book and many of the examples and ideas given are excellent studies, and anyone looking to run a company responsibly should read this book.

The core precept, however, is demonstrably flawed. An overwhelming number of counter-examples exist.

While dated, Hawken introduces a concept that has yet to capture the attention of economists: the materialist perspective of Adam Smith and Karl Marx took ecosystem services for granted and should be amended.