No subject
Tue Mar 4 16:45:48 EST 2008
here,
Hawken
(Growing a Business, 1987, etc.) proposes a utopian scheme that, for
all its
good
intentions, could make the process even harder. Proceeding from the
assumption
that
the environmental depredations of profit-making enterprises ``are
destroying
life on
earth,'' the author offers grim warnings on the status quo's
presumptive perils.
Among other vague and unsourced claims, he asserts: ``Given current
corporate
practices, not one wildlife reserve, wilderness or indigenous culture
will
survive
the global economy.'' Bolstering his worst-case scenario with evidence
that's
longer
on anecdotal vignettes than scientific data, Hawken goes on to present
a
three-point
program in aid of what he calls a ``restorative'' economy. Among other
recommendations, he calls for eliminating waste by recycling all
resources;
mandating the use of solar energy over fossil fuels; and encouraging
diversity.
Informed by an apparent antipathy toward big business, conspicuous
consumption,
mass
production, and other of capitalism's hallmarks, the Hawken agenda
envisions
some
decidedly radical solutions to the problems of an advanced industrial
society.
Cases
in point range from cutting Fortune 500 companies down to size through
imposing
controls on markets (which, though effective at setting prices, fail
in Hawken's
view to reckon costs like pollution); nurturing smaller firms with
government-supplied incentives; and levying penalty taxes on, say,
farmers who
use
chemical (as opposed to organic) means of cultivation. Nor does Hawken
much care
for
competition (``expensive and degrading for all involved''), advocating
instead
an
interdependent private sector ``that co- evolves with the natural and
human
communities it serves.'' High-minded--if sometimes
highhanded--prescriptions
that
will appeal to Hawken's large readership--as well as to, no doubt,
Chicken
Littles
everywhere. -- Copyright 1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights
reserved.
--This
text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Synopsis : Provides a visionary blueprint for a marketplace where
businesses and
environmentalists work together, showing companies how to redesign and
manufacture
products in innovative ways, reeducate customers, and work closely
with
government
toward a profitable, productive, and ecologically sound future.
Reprint.
Synopsis : A revolutionary program of restorative economics explains
how
businesses
can change their methods and use their power and social responsibility
to
reconstruct and repair Earth's social, environmental, and commercial
problems.
100,000 first printing. $100,000 ad/promo. --This text refers to an
out of print
or
unavailable edition of this title.
Synopsis : The bestselling author of Growing a Business presents a
visionary new
program which businesses can follow to help restore the planet. "A
daring,
urgent
vision of a kind of 21st century Canaan that Hawken yet believes we
can
reach."--San
Francisco Chronicle.
Customer Comments : A reader from Pacfic Northwest... , November 1,
1998
Thoughtful and optimistic, but it won't happen... Mr. Hawken is
absolutely
correct
that the GDP must account for the true costs to the environment.
Unfortunately,
he
presents a hopelessly unworkable solution from a political and
economic
perspective.
There are myriad reasons why Mr. Hawken's suggestions will not work.
However, I
offer my appreciation for his attempts to redefine the debate and
offer
unconventional solutions to what are certainly difficult challenges.
jason.hyman at ey.com from Atlanta, GA , October 23, 1998 Optimistic,
realistic
analysis/guide for business & ecology. An in-your-face analysis of
the current
business/environmental landscape coupled with an optimistic blue print
for the
future. Perhaps the most sobering AND uplifting book I've read
regarding either
business or the environment. A must read for any influential business
person,
environmentalist, or concerned citizen. Paula James
(pjames at prismnet.com
from
Austin, Texas , July 16, 1998 thorough, well-written, convincing,
well-documented.
This is a compelling, well-documented, and riveting account of the
take-over of
national economies by corporations whose only guideline is profit. The
result is
environmental devastation, rampant disease, and spiritual bankruptcy.
Hawkens,
himself a successful entrepreneur, is not anti-capitalism; rather, he
insists
that
corporations bear the true cost of creating and disposing of their
products so
that
society can make informed choices and prices are rationally related to
their
long-term effects. The market cannot work properly if price is
artificially low
due
to society's picking up the tab for a product's environmental impact.
jwbecker at aol.com from Austin, Texas , May 29, 1998 Superb,
thought-provoking
and
long overdue. Hawken comes at the environmental crises not from the
perspective
of
someone worried about saving animals and beautiful spaces (although he
clearly
loves
those things), but as an economist who sees our system as inherently
unsustainable.
The resources for our lifestyle are quickly running out, and the
result will be
global catastrophe. He bravely points the finger at the root cause of
it all,
laissez-faire capitalism, our culture's sacred cow. Though this is not
a new
suggestion, Hawken goes further than anyone I've ever read to describe
realistic
ways of fixing the problems. The key to accomplishing this is to get
as many
young
people as possible aware of the truth (minus corporate propaganda), so
that the
next
generation might work toward some of the changes Hawken proposes.
Another good
writer on this subject is Daniel Quinn, whose book "Ishmael" is
excellent.
Stefan.M.Haney at ac.com from Chicago, Illinois , January 27, 1998
Please
incorporate
in MBA curriculums The author questions the fundamental principles
that
managers
use to make decisions. In a day where corporations are too large for
any one
individual to be aware of ALL corporate actions, this self examination
is key.
Hawken offers another voice upon which corporate processes can be
redefined. A
reader , June 28, 1996 Essential Reading for anyone who hopes for a
future on
earth. The Ecology of Commerce is not easy reading, not because
Hawken's prose
or
style is difficult, but because it is difficult to remain optimistic
or hopeful
in
the face of the overwhelming case made by him about the certainty with
which our
current system of business is doomed to destroy us. The changes he
proposes are
both
incredibly simple, yet incredibly unlikely to be implemented or even
paid
attention
to in the next twenty to thirty years. It will take virtual
eco-collapse in the
Industrialized nations before the wise words of Hawken and his
colleagues will
be
heeded. And of course it will be much, much too late. Should you have
the
stomach
for it however, you will find the Ecology of Commerce an extremely
well crafted
argument for some simple logical principles that could save the life
that we
love
and actually improve business and our standard of living in the
process.
Lawrence F. London, Jr. Venaura Farm
intergarden.com InterGarden
metalab.unc.edu/intergarden InterGarden
metalab.unc.edu/permaculture PermaSphere
metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm AGINFO
lflondon at mindspring.com london at metalab.unc.edu
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