The Ecology of Commerce
Last year I watched a fascinating documentary, The Corporation, in which Ray Anderson, the Chairman of the international carpet company Interface Inc, bucked the trend of commerce solely for financial gain by adding environmentalism into the business mix.
Anderson credited Paul Hawken’s book, “The Ecology of Commerce“, as the catalyst for his moment of clarity and he has since gone on to reduce his company’s environmental footprint by a third, reduce waste, reduce harmful emmissions and use more renewal materials. Not bad for one little book 
So I felt compelled to grab a copy for myself to see what was inside.
The damage, he says, if it continues unabated, will continue to affect life in increasingly negative ways but the author then goes on to offer insightful thinking and some practical solutions.
The book, subtitled “A Declaration of Sustainability” highlights the notion that every act of commerce in modern day enterprise (and this book was published back in 1994) is degrading the environment, no matter what the intentions are. Hawken proposes & details that commercial practices be reviewed & revised in order to reverse the damage, sustain and even enrich & improve the environment.
Hawken, being an entrepreneur himself, entertains the idea that green fees, or green taxes if you will, can be levvied on industry to contribute to and encourage conservation. Afterall, in pressing times men are often at their most ingenious & innovative. It is entirely possible, he explains, that competition, profitabillity and sustainability can work hand-in-hand to reverse the worrying trends that are an increasing threat to many, if not all, eco-systems.
The most radical thought of Hawken’s book is not “How do we save the environment?” but “How do we save business?” Afterall, at the end of the day, when you sit and count your money is it really worth being the richest man at the cost of your very own neighbourhood?