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Quotes
from the Foreword Authors
“We have learned a lot of lessons since Natural
Capitalism came out in 1999, that I think will make
the next explications of this subject even more powerful
and effective, so working with our Natural Project
Edge collaborators I think shows great promise, these
are very diligent and well informed people that I
think are doing valuable work and we are looking forward
to cooperating with them in ways that will help us
all to learn faster and get more done better.”
Amory Lovins, Co-Author of ‘Natural Capitalism:
Creating the Next Industrial Revolution’
CEO Rocky Mountain Institute
“The continuing explosion of creative and determined
efforts to build a world that is environmentally,
economically, socially and humanly healthy is hope-giving…If
this book’s “to-do list for a sustainable
civilization” is not worth the dedication of
a life’s work, what is?”
Alan AtKisson, Author of ‘Believing Cassandra:
An Optimist Looks at a Pessimist’s World’
CEO, AtKisson Group
“The Natural Advantage of Nations… shows
that what many people saw as impossible just 15 years
ago is now already happening. Within these pages you
will see that there is reason for robust hope, and
as you read, we hope you will be inspired to contribute
to this magnificent re-evolution of human enterprise,
a moment in our history when the things we make and
build and grow can become a truly regenerative force”
William McDonough, Co-author ‘Cradle to
Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things’
Partner, William McDonough & Partners
“Young people often ask me what gives me hope.
Many things make me hopeful, but the best answer,
just now, is this book… The numerous examples
given here of profitable ways to improve the environment,
human well-being and the bottom line. proves a belief
that has grown in me for several years that while
the tipping point of environmental devastation may
be frighteningly close, the people with the commitment
to implement the solutions we already know can solve
the problems that are at hand.”
Hunter Lovins, Co-Author of ‘Natural Capitalism:
Creating the Next Industrial Revolution’
President, Natural Capitalism Inc.
‘The authors of this book [have] the energy,
insight and commitment to begin the discussion of
what I call ‘the ultimate integration’;
that is, integration of the concepts of competitiveness
and Natural Capitalism.’
Michael Fairbanks, Co-author ‘Plowing the
Sea: Nurturing the Hidden Sources of Growth in the
Developing World’ Chair, On the Frontiers Group
Quotes
from Australian Leaders
"I
have been to a presentation given by some of the contributors
to this book and found it inspiring as the editors
were young professionals who got together to talk
about sustainability issues and found that they were
frustrated at not ‘doing’. So they did
by contacting key people in the field of sustainability
and this book is the result."
M/s Leonie Newnham, MBA, DipEd,
BA, Strategic Policies and Projects, Department of
Sustainability & Environment, Victoria, Australia
(International
Federation of Surveyors Newsletter 3/05)
“The
pivotal element of this process (sustainable development)
is education, and I find it really heartening that
so many people are thirsty for knowledge and wanting
to implement the 'new' principals and methodologies
that you (TNEP) have developed and promoted. The really
exciting aspect is that this drive for a sustainable
future is being led by an inspirational team of Australian
young engineers, in a year when we are celebrating
their wider role and contributions.”
Professor Andrew Downing, President Engineers
Australia 2004/05
"The
editors of the Natural Advantage of Nations have put
together an excellent compilation - not just of their
own ideas on sustainability - but one that incorporates
the ideas, attitudes and experiences of the world's
leading authorities on sustainability. A book that
is rich in anecdotal experience embracing all cultures
and technologies. A book that is responsive to the
urgent need for the education of engineers as well
non technical leaders of all disciplines, who must
understand and embrace the principles of sustainability
to carry their businesses forward in the most competitive
way, while preserving the environment for all current
and future generations to enjoy. The Natural Advantage
of Nations undoubtedly provides the urgently needed
foundation for the new paradigm of sustainability
- to promote its assimilation into every development
in every sphere of industry and business around the
world. I strongly endorse this book and its teachings."
Doug Jones, President Engineers Australia 2003/04
“Among the stewards of our country’s future,
our young leaders are setting the pace to achieve
a sustainable future. The Natural Edge Project reflects
much of the Institutions thinking on sustainability
and with their enthusiasm it’s bound to succeed.
They’ve assembled an incredible network which
will definitely ensure a positive triple bottom line
and multi-sectoral involvement.”
Dr Peter Greenwood, President Engineers Australia
2001/03
“I am delighted at the achievements of two years
of TNEP. The Sustainable Industries Division of the
Queensland EPA is proud to have supported to project
and we look forward to using the book and related
educational modules. The TNEP book, The Natural Advantage
of Nations, will be a very useful educational tool
for government and industry in showing how to make
the right steps toward a sustainable economy. The
Natural Advantage of Nations will provide a graphic
and compelling view of the kind of future we all might
have if we truly commit to achieving sustainable development.
I have ordered 100 copies of The Natural Advantage
of Nations to help the sustainability leaders we have
identified in Queensland industry and government.
Relevant information about best practice and the lessons
from industry innovators helps us build the momentum
toward a Smart State economy, internationally competitive
because of its sustainable industries.”
Dr John Cole, Executive Director, Sustainable
Industries Division,
Environmental Protection Agency Queensland
"I strongly support the concept, outlined in
this project, of a "natural capitalism"-style
publication. In particular, I feel the use of such
a book as a resource text in the secondary and tertiary
education arenas would be extremely valuable. In fact
it stands to make a very significant contribution
to National awareness of the major local issues in
sustainable development, both in the national context
and in the context of how we see our potential contribution
to unraveling the global puzzle; and in developing
a sense of actual empowerment to act locally with
confidence. I also strongly support the additional
concept of providing, through an associated web site,
electronic entry to the book materials and, for those
who have read it, follow-up information, networking
and discussion possibilities to maintain and build
on positive motivation."
Elizabeth Heij, Facilitator, CSIRO Sustainability
Network
“It is time that we made a stand and started
spreading the message of how important Sustainable
Development is. We see that if our clients don't adopt
sustainable principles then they will go out of business.
If they go then we go to, enlightened self interest
really. I am in wholehearted support of your book
and see it as timely in its content and message.”
Steve Gale, Australasian Sustainable Development
Leader, Hatch Engineering
“Arup’s
interest in The Natural Edge Project arises from wanting
to be a part of an initiative that showcases sustainability
success stories in the Asia Pacific Region, raises
awareness of the sustainability imperative, and that
encourages collaboration between industry, academia,
private and public organisations. We see this project
as an opportunity to further network with other like-minded
individuals and organisations.”
David Singleton, Chair, Global Infrastructure
Business, Arup.
Past CEO Arup Australasia
Charlie
and Cheryl with David Singleton, Arup, at the 2005
Australian
Business
Leaders Forum for Sustainable Development.
Quotes
from International Leaders
“I
am particularly pleased with the new book, The Natural
Advantage of Nations, which will, in effect, follow
on from Natural Capitalism, and bring in newer evidence
from around the world”
Amory Lovins, Co-Author of ‘Natural Capitalism:
Creating the Next Industrial Revolution’
CEO Rocky Mountain Institute
"Thank you very much to Earthscan
for being so considerate to send me a copy of Karlson
"Charlie" Hargroves' and Michael Smith's
The Natural Advantage of Nations. It is a great book
following up on findings we published in Factor Four
and linking it all to the business community. I also
liked the emphasis on urban planning, and that in
a highly unconventional manner. I shall quote Hargroves
and Smith."
Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, co-author of
'Factor
Four' and the recently published 'Limits
To Privatization'.
"I
found NAON to be a encyclopedia on Sustainability
and ideal for manufacturers that can not afford a
Sustainability Expert... the book is a great way to
learn and/or review all the key concepts and programs
that are moving the world of Sustainability. It is
a guide on how to position your company to profit
or at least not lose out in this new world of manufacturing."
Marvin Klein, PortionPac Chemical Corporation
International
and Australian Reviews
Australian
Conservation Foundation - Habitat Magazine Aug 2005
Sustainability
has natural advantages: if you've ever read Jared
Diamond's 'Collapse' or Clive Hamilton's
'Growth Fetish', you may have wondered just
what you can do to address the issue of sustainability.
'The Natural Advantage of Nations' has the
answers, showing how people from all walks of life
across the world can find sustainable solutions in
the workplace.
Australian
Institute of Company Directors - Ian Dunlop
Despite
the enthusiasm generated in the 1990’s for the
principles of sustainability, debate on implementing
the sustainability agenda in recent time has been
depressingly pedestrian. Too many senior figures in
business and politics unthinkingly condemn any initiative
that might endanger the holy grail of conventional
economic growth. In truth, this condemnation has more
to do with vested interests defending the status quo,
and their aversion to innovation, than genuine concern
for the longer-term national interest. In so doing,
they risk directing the Australian community and business
up a blind alley, which may provide some short-term
benefit, but which will guarantee our long-term decline
as a nation as population and resource pressures intensify.
Fortunately, leading companies are demonstrating that
these attitudes are irrelevant as it becomes increasingly
obvious that implementing sustainability brings enormous
business opportunities along with community and economic
benefits. This is highlighted in a new book “The
Natural Advantage of Nations – Business Opportunities,
Innovation and Governance in the 21st Century”,
edited by Karlson Hargroves and Michael H. Smith.
Together with Cheryl Paten and Nick Palousis, the
editors make up a team of young Australian scientists
and engineers known as The Natural Edge Project, hosted
by Engineers Australia.The team was formed to respond
to the need for professional development in the area
of sustainability.
The book builds on “Natural Capitalism –
the Next Industrial Revolution”, the seminal
1999 work by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and Hunter
Lovins. It provides an
overview of the 21st century business case for sustainable
development, incorporating key work from more than
30 of the world’s leading sustainability practitioners
in business, government and civil society. Its starting
point is Professor Michael Porter’s competitive
advantage theory and practice which, combined with
sustainability, demonstrates how the well-being of
society and the environment can be improved while
driving innovation in an increasingly competitive
world.
Emphasis is placed on the need to develop new concepts
of “well-being” and “competitiveness”
along with dramatic increases in resource productivity,
built around inter-disciplinary, whole systems solutions.
Valuable international examples are provided, for
example, from the Netherlands and China, as well as
Australia. The
governance component contains thought-provoking debate
on the need to address “shorttermism”
and reform the fiduciary responsibilities of pension
and superannuation fund trustees.
This is a dense read, but it is a powerful and important
book which sets out key elements of our future prosperity
in a rapidly changing world. It has great relevance
for Australia as a resource-rich country with unusual
sustainability challenges. It is an essential guide
for all forward-thinking directors, for as Dr. Paul
Weaver, one of the authors of the Dutch Sustainable
Technology Programme puts it: Economic leadership
in the 21st Century will lie with those nations that
seize the opportunity of responding to the sustainability
challenge.
The authors must be congratulated on a mammoth effort
in integrating conventional economics with sustainability
to form a new framework for innovation and competitiveness
They also demonstrate how these issues have seized
the attention of younger Australians, a good omen
for our future.
Guest Reviewer Ian Dunlop, Published in DirectorBooks
Catalog 2005.
Ian Dunlop, formerly a senior energy executive and
CEO of AICD, currently advises
internationally on governance and sustainability issues.
Chicago
Manufacturing Centre - Karen Wan
A must read for anyone serious about
understanding the global phenomenon and trend of sustainable
development. This comprehensive and well-documented
book shows specific examples of how sustainable innovation
can and needs to transform our globally linked society
and economy. While it's a dense read, it's an important
book.
We're using
this book at the Chicago Manufacturing Center to generate
ideas for our GreenPlants program that helps manufacturers
change to sustain in an incredibly competitive global
economy. Contrary to the popular idea that business
and environmental and societal stewardship are at
odds, the Natural Advantage demonstrates that the
time for new multi-stakeholder collaborations between
industry, government, and the global community is
here.
Karen
Wan, GreenPlants Program Director Chicago Manufacturing
Center
CSIRO
Environment and Natural Resources
CSIRO is
pleased to be a sponsor of The Natural Edge Project,
and of the book resulting from the efforts of its
two prime movers, Charlie Hargroves and Michael Smith.
"The Natural Advantage of Nations" promises
to be a work of inspiring impact, bringing together
as it does leading thinkers from business, economics,
technology, innovation and the environment to tackle
the major challenge of the 21st Century - sustainability.
The book
is built upon the premise that achievement of sustainability
rests upon cooperation across business, government
and civil society. It is widely understood that we
must shift towards a sustainable future, and increasingly
it is agreed that in order to do so we must move beyond
rhetoric and into hard-edged, pragmatic forward steps.
This book
is a vital contribution to that forward movement,
and I commend it to you.
Dr Steve
Morton Group Chair, Environment and Natural Resources
CSIRO
CSIRO
ECOS Magazine - James Porteous
Nick,
Charlie and Cheryl with James Porteous at the 2005
Australian
Business
Leaders Forum for Sustainable Development.
After three
years of dedication under the tutelage of international
sustainability luminaries, and in conjunction with
expert co-authors, editors Karlson Hargroves and Michael
Smith, and colleagues Cheryl Paten and Nick Palousis,
have assembled a new authoritative guide to sustainable
development for the whole of society. Backed by high
caliber support and affiliations, The Natural Advantage
of Nations is being seen as the latest key publication
on innovation, solutions, competitiveness and profitability.
The book,
from Australian young engineering think tank, The
Natural Edge Project (TNEP), is a response to such
bestsellers as Natural Capitalism and Factor Four,
which made the case for an evolved, sustainable, and
profitable, global economy. This is an updated, comprehensive
account that draws on a huge amount of literature,
providing an overview of many of the most important
innovations from around the world in how to achieve
sustainable development cost effectively.
It supplies
engaging international and local case-studies, and
contributions from over 30 authorities such as Hunter
Lovins, Bill McDonough, Amory Lovins, Dr Paul Weaver
and Alan AtKisson, together with Australian leaders
such as Professor Alan Pears, Dr Chris Ryan, Dr Steve
Dovers, Professor Peter Newman, Emeritus Professor
Val Brown, Dr Jeff Kenworthy, Dr Roger Burritt and
Mark Diesendorf.
In particular,
The Natural Advantage of Nations presents a
development framework, a clear blueprint for nations
and business to make the switch to fully sustainable
economies, and to do it profitably. It’s a framework
that engages mainstream business and government through
discussion of innovation, competitive advantage, business
theory, strategy development, and industry policy.
It does
this without losing sight of the environmental purpose,
and illustrating that the drive for an ecologically
sustainable world does not have to be in conflict
with economics and business practices. The purpose
is to inspire and demonstrate how business, government
and civil society, as well as other peak bodies can
take integrated approaches to make genuine progress;
to show how through such integrated approaches much
of Agenda 21 could be put into practice; and to move
hearts and minds across all sectors to elicit progress.
The book
is powerful and enjoyable reading for anyone, but
particularly for those leaders in government,
business, science and engineering, and academia now
exploring the cutting edge in the new ‘sustainability
economy’.
James
Porteous, Editor of the CSIRO ECOS Magazine, Australia's
most authoritative magazine on sustainability in the
environment, industry and community. (View
Article)
Design
Council, UK - Beatrice K Otto
This book
is described as a natural follow-on to Natural Capitalism,
but it's perhaps aimed at a different audience, and
does not supersede Natural Capitalism as the first
port of call for anyone interested in sustainability.
It covers a wider range of topics, and has a wealth
of information, but is probably best suited to those
who work in sustainability, in whatever capacity,
due to the amount of detail and breadth, the sheer
heftiness and the altogether dryer style (not helped
by a cramped font).
It does
bring in new examples, including putting some Australian
initiatives on the map which don't show up as much
as they should in European and American literature.
Very worthwhile, but not a joy to read in the way
that Natural Capitalism is. For many readers, it is
a book to dip into and select a few chapters that
relate specifically to their interests, rather than
one to work through from cover to cover.
By Beatrice
Otto, consultant on sustainable design and business.
(See
Website)
Environmental
Engineering Society - Terence Jeyaretnam
According to Hunter Lovins, co-author of Natural Capitalism,
who recently toured Australia as part of a seminar
and conference series organised by The Natural Edge
Project (TNEP), Australia indeed has the potential
to become a sustainability superpower. Coming from
a leading advocate and writer in the sustainability
arena, I must admit it sounded convincing, initially,
and after some more thought, I was starting to believe
in the claim. However, without going in to arguments
and counter-arguments as to whether Australia is a
sustainability super power, I will simply say that
no nation can arguably lay claim to such a title,
yet. I do admit that we, along with other nations
have generated some demonstrable level of momentum
towards the sustainability journey, but there is much
yet to do. That said, let’s digress to some
pertinent reading materials in the field, namely two
separate publications by Hunter and TNEP.
Natural Capitalism, published four years ago, has
been described by Bill Clinton as “a huge deal”.
It has sold over 100,000 copies in 12 languages. The
principles of Natural Capitalism provide the basis
for a complete rethinking of business. They show how,
contrary to conventional wisdom, far greater profits
are achieved through protecting and enhancing nature,
culture, and community than by harming them. The goal
is no net loss of natural or social capital. No current
balance sheet accurately captures the real economic
value of natural or social capital. But no human system
that systematically degrades either one can long endure.
To achieve genuine prosperity and an economy worth
sustaining, it is essential to ensure that neither
form of capital is diminished. A highly recommended
piece of reading if you were interested in the universal
concept of sustainability. Paul Hawkin, Amory Lovins
(CEO of Rocky Mountain Institute) and Hunter Lovins
(President of Natural Capitalism Inc) were the authors
of this remarkably insightful work.
Engineers Australia and the Environmental Engineering
Society are Foundation Partners of TNEP, and have
contributed to TNEP’s major piece of work –
The Natural Advantage of Nations, a book recently
launched by Hunter Lovins at Enviro 04. Hunter Lovins
is also one of the key contributors to the publication,
developed by TNEP. The purpose of the book is to present
a well grounded and peer reviewed blueprint for a
nation to move towards a sustainable economy and to
move hearts and minds, to inspire and enable students,
practitioners, public servants, managers, and professionals
to help them make substantial progress toward sustainability.
I invite you to add both these publications to your
bookshelf.
Terence Jeyaretnam is a Principal at URS Corporation
in Melbourne, Chair of the Society
of Sustainability and Environmental Engineering
and the Editor of The Environmental Engineer, the
Journal of the Society.
Greenleep
Network Coordinator - Phillip Sutton
Dear Greenleapers,
Every now and then I like to give a personal plug
for a book that I think is going to make a really
big difference to our ability to create an environmentally
sustainable economy. These books don't come along
all that often, eg. Natural Capitalism: Creating the
Next Industrial Revolution (Hawken, Lovins & Lovins)
1999; Sustainable Technology Development (Weaver,
Jansen et al.) 2000.
Now I'd like to add another: The Natural Advantage
of Nations: Business opportunities, innovation and
governance in the 21st Century. (2005) Earthscan.
This book places the 'next industrial revolution'
of Natural Capitalism and the transformative innovation
method of Sustainable Technology Development into
a broader societal context so that professionals,
policy makers, business strategists, educators can
see how their skills can be applied to the creation
of a sustainable society.
The book is the culmination of a mammoth collaborative
effort with over 30 contributors and co-authors and
project sponsors, resulting in an essential resource
book. A nice aspect of this book is that, even though
it is international in scope, it is a Australian initiative,
led by Charlie Hargroves and Mike Smith, drawing on
many of our most creative local sustainability practitioners
eg. Alan Pears, Janis Birkeland, Peter Newman, just
to name a few. And there are important overseas contributions
too. I was particularly pleased that Paul Weaver wrote
a chapter on the Netherlands Sustainable Development
Technology work which I have heavily promoted through
the Greenleap network.
The book does more than bring together case studies
and essential initiatives for creating an ecologically-sustainable
economy. It also creates a development framework that
makes sense of the particulars. The framework is one
that mainstream business and government can relate
to: innovation, competitive advantage, business strategy
development, industry policy etc. but it does this
without watering down the environmental purpose. For
a lot of people, what the book will do is make it
possible for them to articulate to the mainstream
how, in practical terms, to transform the economy
so that sustainability can be achieved.
It will be interesting to see which countries are
able to build on the book's insights most rapidly
and gain the most benefit. Will it be the already
relatively-aware rich countries - or the up-and-coming
Asian high-growth economies where there is no choice
but to achieve truly environmentally sustainable economic
development?
I think The Natural Advantage of Nations will prompt
very necessary developments in both mainstream economics
and also in the strongly environmentally minded ecological
economics community. Mainstream economics has mostly
not been able to deal with environmental sustainability
as a core economic issue. On the other hand, the overtly
environmentally-orientated ecological economics in
Australia has tended to focus heavily on natural resource
management, pollution control and material resource
management. These issues of course are critical. But
comparatively little attention has been paid to changes
in the heart of the manufacturing and service sectors,
the macroeconomy and on the whole issue of economy-wide
transformation. I think that the Natural Advantage
of Nations presents and supports a sufficiently strong
thesis that it will stimulate reconsideration of all
these issues. There's also a very good chance the
book will stimulate debate and ideas-development internationally
too.
The book sets out its core ideas clearly in the first
section and then backs them up with a wealth of additional
material. Whilst written for the intelligent layperson
the book is academically rigorous with over 600 references.
I don't think this book is not going to be a one minute
wonder. I think it's contents will be driving economic
change over the next decade.
Something I've failed to mention so far is that I
have been heavily involved in the development of the
book, acting as an advisor from the start and contributing
quite a bit of material. It has been exciting for
me to see the book come together and to be able to
contribute to the creation of a very solid input to
the new industrial revolution.
One extra thing. There may be a way to help get the
book out to a wider audience. If you have any contacts
in the media, know anyone who works in newspapers
or magazines in Australia or around the world, the
team at The Natural Edge Project who have been driving
the book, would be grateful if you could pass on the
attachment to this email and/or if you could put them
in contact with your media contacts. Contact details
for the book's editors and the TNEP Secretariat are
at the bottom of this message,
Philip Sutton, Manager of the Greenleap info list,
Director of Strategy for Green Innovations Inc. and
President of the Sustainable Living Foundation.
Green Building Council
Australia
The book is a collection of articles about sustainability
written by leaders in each of the fields. It's a useful
source book for anyone interested in sustainability
issues in all fields and is well indexed with an excellent
range of references. The book is edited by Charlie
Hargroves and Michael Smith. They are part of a team
of young Australians known as The Natural Edge Project
(TNEP) hosted by Engineers Australia. TNEP is a not-for-profit
partnership that focuses on assisting nations to achieve
a natural advantage through a whole-of-society approach
to sustainability. The book contains a huge range
of theoretical models and practical examples of sustainable
principles in action. It would be of particular use
for anyone requiring objective evidence of the impact
of sustainable practices.
Report on the 6th National Business Leaders Forum
on Sustainable Development
Innovation and Sustainable Development, April 4-5,
Melbourne. (View
Full Report)
Harvard
Business School: Working Knowledge - Cynthia D. Churchwell
This
volume pulls together thirty of the top thinkers in
sustainability for a provocative and stimulating journey
that happens to be easy to read. Its title echoes
two famous works: Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations
and Michael Porter’s The Competitive Advantage
of Nations, and it also gives a nod to an influential
publication down under called Natural Advantage: Blueprint
for a Sustainable Australia...
...The industrialized
world, the essays contend, needs to focus not just
on sustainable development but also on “sustainable
re-development,” which would shift the focus
from solving environmental problems to eliminating
them. In the book’s view, businesses have the
resources, management, leadership, and skills necessary
to solve these problems; they just need to commit.
And they should, because shareholder value is enhanced
by a firm’s ability to nurture talent and new
ideas, as well as its reputation and brand identity...
...impressive examples used throughout the book to
drive home the point that innovation and sustainability
go hand in hand...
Cynthia
D. Churchwell, a business information librarian at
Baker Library, Harvard Business School, with a specialty
in the international economy. (View
Full Report)
LEEDS
School of Business, University of Colorado - Janet
Graaff
I teach
hundreds of business school students every year. For
many, my course is their first academic exposure to
how business can, in the words of Interface Inc’s
Chairman Ray Anderson, “take nothing, waste
nothing, do no harm, and do very, very well by doing
good”—good for the planet, for people
and for profits. I am finding that The Natural Advantage
of Nations is the perfect text for getting this message
of hope across in a very practical way. That’s
not to say it’s short on theory. By no means!
The reader is introduced to Porter’s Competitive
Advantage of Nations, Robert’s Natural Step,
the Lovins’s Natural Capitalism, Stakeholder
Theory and much more.
For American students, who tend to be assigned rather
parochial texts for the most part, The Natural Advantage
of Nations is an eye-opener to the innovative initiatives
occurring around the world. It can serve as a wake-up
call for them to waste no time engaging in the tri-sector
generation of solutions! I particularly like the way
this book crosses traditional boundaries and bring
insight into how students of business, engineering,
and public policy, can and should all work together
to build a powerful and positive future for all of
us.
Hargroves and Smith make a clear business case for
the Triple Bottom Line--optimizing economic, social
and ecological value for the enterprise. Through theory
and case studies, they show that any size company
in any industry can “pick off the low hanging
fruit” of easy cost savings to invest in adaptations
and innovations for the long term. With contributions
from 30 leaders in the sustainability field, this
book contains a wealth of practical, as well as theoretical,
frameworks.
By Janet Graaff, Instructor, University of Colorado
Leeds School of Business
Manufacturing
Society of Australia - R H Brown
This is a scholarly book providing policies, strategies
and methodologies aimed at achieving global sustainability
in human activities. While noting that many current
policies are unsustainable the book takes a positive
approach, unlike many previous commentaries on the
environment and the future of the planet.
An essential message throughout the book is that competitive
advantage and sustainability of companies and/or nations
are not mutually exclusive; there are many examples
of companies increasing profitability because they
change practices so that sustainability is improved.
Michael Porter from Harvard Business School is quoted,
"The notion of inevitable struggle between ecology
and the economy grows out of a static view of environmental
regulation, in which technology, products, processes
and customer needs are all fixed." He goes on
to say that in the real changing world, "managers
must start to recognise environmental improvement
as an economic and competitive opportunity, not as
an annoying cost or inevitable threat."
The book has been put together from contributions
by many authors who have been brought together by
a group called The Natural Edge Project (TNEP); this
group has a great many members and cooperating partner
and supporting organisations. The majority of members
in TNEP are Australian with a small sprinkling of
international supporters. The group includes a very
broad range of specialisations so that they can comment
authoritatively on economics, business practices,
energy technologies, production technologies, city
planning, transport, building design, education, ecological
and social imperatives and government policies.
The book commences with Forewords by five eminent
international environmentalists and business people.
This sets the scene for the overall thrust of the
topic, which includes consideration of the need for
a new approach to designing the future, incorporating
sustainability as an element that brings prosperity
and a better global society. There are specific sections
covering natural advantage as a business imperative;
policies to achieve a natural advantage of nations;
sustainable cities for the 21st century; and a national
collaborative approach for societies to work together.
It is a book of over 500 pages and at times somewhat
repetitive as different authors elaborate similar
points. The two editors have clearly worked hard to
achieve a consistent style throughout and to avoid
overlap of themes, but they have not always achieved
this.
I would recommend the book as an excellent text for
studies in economics and sustainability. It is also
an important source of ideas for business and industry
leaders, engineers, architects, government planners
and society generally.
R H Brown, April 2005 (Visit
Site)
Waste
Management and Environment (WME) - Richard Collins
Why
we need new development paradigms
If you only read one book on sustainable development
this year, make it The Natural Advantage of Nations,
writes Richard Collins
“Smart companies believe that sustainable development
makes them more competitive and more resilient to
shocks. It can also make them more at ease with employees,
regulators, governments and society”, says Bjorn
Stigson, head of the World Business Council for Sustainable
Development.
This argument is at the heart of a new Australian
book that draws together seminal texts such as Natural
Capitalism and Competitive Advantage of Nations to
build an overview of the 21st century business case
for sustainable development. A raft of books has attempted
this task, with varying degrees of success. The Natural
Advantage of Nations has pulled it off, thanks in
no small part to an impressive range of contributors,
a who’s who of sustainable development from
Amory and Hunter Lovins to Alan AtKisson on the international
stage, and Phillip Sutton to Peter Newman on the local
one. All up, the book incorporates the works of more
than 30 sustainability leaders and plenty of case
studies to illustrate key points along the way.
Extensively researched and referenced, it was pulled
together by a multi-disciplinary initiative call The
Natural Edge Project, a volunteer group of young professionals
and researchers working with mentors to “examine
the key issues of sustainable development and identify
ways forward from a business, innovation and governance
perspective”.
They argue there are opportunities in the sustainability
drive for countries and companies willing to embrace
it. Governments, they assert, should not be afraid
to set a high regulatory bar as it can push business
to become more competitive. The Montreal Protocol
on ozone-depleting substances was apparently driven
by former President Ronald Reagan at the urging of
American businesses. With tough domestic laws already
in place, they had developed new products and systems.
When the protocol went global, Dupont was well positioned
to achieve “a significant market share for its
alternative ozone-friendly chemicals”. Similarly,
Germany leads global sales of stationary air pollution
control systems due to tough domestic regulation.
This is the very argument that has swirled around
the debate over the Kyoto Protocol in this country:
would energy-intensive industries such as aluminium
relocate to cheaper regimes, so called “pollution-havens”,
or would we see a growth spurt in energy efficient
and low-carbon innovation?
Innovation Cycle: Environmental protection costs business.
So says the traditional framework, but 30 years of
cost-benefit analysis worldwide suggests that whole
system design and smart environmental management can
help make money. For example, Amory Lovins of the
Rocky Mountain Institute in the US calculates that
a one per cent reduction in the friction of pipes
leads to savings of 10 units of fuel.
Another key business response is embracing innovation
in both products and business strategies. With the
cycle of innovation far quicker today than ever before,
companies must continue to push the innovation boundaries
to maintain a competitive edge and maintain product
differentiation. Take 3M, a US $15 billion company
that spends US$1 billion a year on R&D and sees
30 per cent of its sales coming from products developed
within the past four years.
The book delves deeply into such thinking, providing
a blueprint for business, civil society and governments
in the age of sustainable development. Why is it needed?
The world economy could grow fourfold in the next
50 years, according World Bank projections, meaning
new development paradigms are needed to cope with
spiraling eco-system pressures and resource demands.
Richard Collins
Worldchanging.com
- Alex Steffen
“Anyone
interested in the practical details of building a
bright green future needs to read this book. It's
an absolutely critical overview of our progress towards
sustainability thus far, 500+ information-packed pages
on what's working best.
Intended
by folks at The Natural Edge Project to be a sequel
to Natural Capitalism [most of which you can read
online, by the way], Natural Advantage does the best
job I've yet seen of sweeping the vista of sustainability-related
issues, with pragmatic examinations of best-practices
in business and government; issue-wrangling essays
on profitable green house solutions, greening the
built environment and sustainable transportation;
probing inquiries into the nature of major planetary
problems -- the list goes on…
It has a
wonderful restorative effect to hold 500 pages of
working solutions in one's hand. It's also incredible
to have so many important ideas under one cover and
within easy reach. This is a book I'll be coming back
to again and again.”
Alex Steffen World Changing: Another World is
Here (Full
Review and TNEP response)
Reader
Reviews
This book
is for everyone who is despondent about humanity's
chances of living past the next hundred years. Crucially,
this book is both for those who view saving the planet
and ourselves as a moral imperative and for those
who ask how, and when, and even can we afford it.
Lovins' "Natural Capitalism" sketched out
how businesses could enhance their profitability by
changing their paradigm towards something that thinks
beyond the next quarter.
This book differs from Natural Capitalism, another
brilliant read, in that it moves past the concepts
to look at the nuts and bolts of a movement that encourages
business to mesh the pursuit of profitability with
environmental security through innovation. This book
throws light on the structure behind the sketch of
Natural Capitalism.
Previous books such as Suzuki's `Good News for a Change',
Benyus' `Biomimetics' and even Lovins' Natural Capitalism
describe success stories without ever really detailing
what you need to do to make one of these success stories
yourself. You won't see much in the way of "this
requires...", "they should..." or "they
shouldn't.." in other texts; you will in this
one. In short, this book is also a "how-to"
manual written by people who have experience of `making
a difference'.
The section on how to use industry cluster development
to reorient firms, communities and government towards
long term profitability, or in many cases simple survival,
is a case in point. The guidelines on processes and
institutional frameworks mesh seamlessly with revolutionary
work done by organizations such as ZERI (Zero Emissions
Research and Initiatives) to provide a sustainable,
fruitful, profitable and socially just future for
all of us.
My recommendation is that if you're one of those people
who say "I'm concerned but what can I do?"
then start by buying this book for your political
representative, your boss and any concerned friends
you might have.
Lee
Sun Ju, Ian James Gordon
26
March 2007
The authors
of The Natural Advantage of Nations present an incredibly
compelling call to redesign our personal and collective
approaches to conducting business, governance and
the sacred cow, consumption.
Massive transforming power is delivered via the authors’
head-on analysis of challenges, theory and practised
solutions. This power is largely made evident in three
ways. A new dynamic emerges as the solutions unfold
and further, it becomes apparent that the dynamic
is common to all of the solutions. The dynamic embodies
whole-life and interdisciplinary design, plus genuine
collaboration across all stakeholder groups. Secondly,
the solutions are innumerable, synergistic and already
working. Thirdly, despite the book’s awesome
breadth and depth of critical evaluation, it remains
very readable throughout.
This work has flooded me with hope and energy to act
further. Go further. It is thrillingly vital and a
phenomenal light in the darkness. The paths of evolution
detailed here have, I believe, the power to inspire
and inform positive societal evolution of a magnitude
not yet witnessed. Buy this book!
Bryce New
23 August 2006
Non-renewable raw materials have been the engine and
catalyst of the 20th century industrial revolution.
A novel way of thinking is indispensable for the opening
of this new era which is fully elaborate and comprehensive
in "The natural advantage of nations" namely in the
midst of surging oil prices.
This chef d'oeuvre must be highly recommended to policy-makers,
architects,engineers,university faculty and students.
Nicolas Anuku
16 August 2006
Around the world businesses, governments and societies
are about to get serious about sustainability. This
is not just an optional choice, nor necessarily a
mandatory regulated change. Rather its good business
and required for a worldwide viable civil future.
For any group, or individual, wanting to create this
future The Natural Advantage of Nations is a must.
This book compiles the leading edge sustainable business
and society practitioners all in one place and leaves
you in no doubt that the future described above is
not just possible but indeed being realised by hundreds
around the world today. This is not to argue that
these changes are easy, especially on a worldwide
scale and at the speed we need to implement them,
but the book is an essential guide to make it possible.
Simon Divecha
8 August
2006
Emerging
from Australia, this (The Natural Advantage of Nations)
is a tightly textured textbook packed with detail
and coming from a multidisciplined source of experienced
voices, it is a treat to read, knowing that this is
youth at its most powerful - focused, aware and fully
integrated in their points of view. It is supported
by the CSIRO, which in my small opinion is, with the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), one of
two Australian organizational Jewels - both now part
of the public commons.
....I’m jumping out of my chair to tell you
more detail from this book because there is so much
excellent material in it for students of any subject.
A
reader, Web-of-UNME
I recommend
an Australian inspired book "The Natural Advantage
of Nations" to anyone who is seriously interested
in a sustainable form of capitalism to give all people
the chance to enjoy the quality of life of the West.
David
Sealey, Reader
7 March 2007
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