8 books to (re) read in 2008

As Sustainable Industries prepares to mark its five-year anniversary in 2008, we thought we’d use the annual TrendWatch issue to give a shout-out to the writers and thinkers who came before us. We sought the advice of key professors at some of the nation’s leading programs in sustainable business education: What are the classics, the crème de la crème, the“must read” books for sustainable business leaders?

Ultimately, we selected Paul Hawken’s classic text “The Ecology of Commerce” as the No. 1 in sustainability. The pick may not surprise many of our readers—the book has recently seen a renaissance of interest: HarperCollins, the books’ publisher, is reprinting it as a Classic, and Hawken says he’s working a revised edition. In 2007, Hawken told Sustainable Industries, “‘The Ecology of Commerce,’ when published, was a pariah book. Writers at Forbes, BusinessWeek and other publications reviewed it, but editors killed the reviews. Although the business press reviewed my previous books...‘The Ecology of Commerce’ was shunned.”

The book became a best seller, despite indifference from the business press, but Sustainable Industries asked reviewer Aaron Berg to take a closer read of this landmark text.

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"Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability"
By Paul Hawken
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To say Paul Hawken is a visionary and that he was ahead of his time in 1993 might be an understatement. Even with “green” being the zeitgeist of 2007, as a society we are nowhere near the type of sustainable economy envisioned by Hawken. But now, nearly 15 years down the road, I think we want to be. And that’s the point of any good economics theory, really: We don’t have to accept the economy as it is. Our economy should be dictated by our values as a society now, rather than what our values were in the past.

The rules of modern business were established hundreds of years ago, when natural resources were seemingly limitless. Today, we find ourselves faced with challenges that are most likely a direct result of our business practices. The traditional belief has been that business and the environment are innately at odds with each other. Hawken doesn’t seem to believe this. In fact, he argues just the opposite: that business can be the solution to our environmental problems. His philosophy is that we must rewrite the rules of business to create an economy that places value on restoration, rather than degradation, of the natural world.

Throughout his writings, Hawken lauds market-based commerce as the most positive and effective force for change known to man. It has effectively supplanted communism and socialism across the globe, and its fundamentals are well–understood. On the opening page of “Ecology of Commerce,” Hawken writes: “The promise of business is to increase the general well-being of humankind through service, a creative invention and ethical philosophy. Making money is, on its own terms, totally meaningless, an insufficient pursuit for the complex and decaying world we live in.”

Just as in 1993, much of the business world was unprepared to embrace Hawken’s “declaration of sustainability,” “The Ecology of Commerce” might still be very challenging for someone new to the concept of sustainability, even in today’s more sustainability-savvy environment.

Hawken’s ideas of how we might reshape and redefine economic value will not fit “inside the box” of traditional education on either business or economics. However, if a reader is patient and open-minded, Hawken is a master at establishing his ideas and concepts. For the more seasoned sustainability wonk, Hawken’s depth and brilliance is sure to be rewarding, whether reading for the first time or the fifth time. As I made my way through “The Ecology of Commerce,” I often had to stop and wonder weather this book would someday be viewed in a similar manner to Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations.” While I haven’t read “Wealth of Nations” (I scanned it in college once ‘cause I had to), it is constantly referred to by economists as almost gospel in terms of modern–day economics and commerce.

With the times being as they are—Al Gore movies, hybrid SUVs, “green” issues on every newsstand, oil approaching $100 a barrel and on and on and on—“The Ecology of Commerce” might have a place in the world as it never has before. The relevance, brilliance and simplicity of Hawken’s ideas can be seen taking shape if one looks closely enough.

Any business leader who thinks he or she cares about the environment and hopes to manifest change through business practices must read “The Ecology of Commerce.”

Hawken delivers his optimism with a few dashes of maverick sarcasm mixed in. At times, he can seem long-winded (I’ve noticed this in “Natural Capitalism” and his latest book, “Blessed Unrest,” but I think it’s because his brain is operating on a higher plane than most of ours) but hang in there; I promise he will always deliver at the end of each chapter. In fact, if anyone gets frustrated while reading any of his books, read the first and last one to three pages of each chapter and you’ll usually be able to get his point. Paul Hawken is an individual who has discovered his ideas through his experiences. He has founded many successful businesses and written many books. He doesn’t subscribe to environmental activism or academia. His writing is highly intelligent yet never condescending. I can tell he’s a rebel at heart, but obviously not one without a cause.

If you think you know sustainability, you'd better know Paul Hawken.