Rating: 
Summary: A Real New World Order...
Review: "It doesn't have to be this way..."For too long, our western industrial culture has equated sheer numbers, whether dollars, cans of soda or tons of trash, with growth. The concept of growth based only on labor productivity and dollars moved has lead us to our current degraded environmental and social conditions. The perverse accounting behind this scheme allows the government to actually subsidize wasteful practices and encourages industries to turn their backs on innovation and improvement. The authors offer here an alternative that is at once eminently practical and thoroughly visionary. However, this work does not make the liberal's usual cry for increased command and control regulation by government. Rather, it argues for decreased regulation, the elimination of the above-mentioned subsidies and an honest accounting of the true costs of production that include the value of degraded natural and social systems. Such new practices, which are oriented toward a truly free market, would force producers to increase resource, rather than labor, efficiency, which would, in turn, result in increased employment, greater innovation and healthier ecosystems. Should the reader be overly skeptical, the authors share many examples of companies who are "doing well by doing good," that is, being commercially successful while at the same time improving the quality of life for all natural systems, both human and non-human. This, along with Hawken's earlier The Ecology of Commerce, as well as Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth by Lester R. Brown are highly recommended as primers on a new vision for the future.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond Darwin
Review: As this new century begins, if there is only one book which everyone on the planet should read, it would be Natural Capitalism. Why is it so important? In my opinion, because it provides the most convincing, the most compelling argument in support of Wendell Berry's assertion that "what is good for the world will be good for us." Darwin's concept of natural selection becomes irrelevant if there is no environment in which such selection can occur. The authors introduce us to "The Next Industrial Revolution" with all oif its emerging possibilities. In subsequent chapters, they continue to examine natural capitalism in terms of "four central strategies": radical resource productivity, biomimicry, service and flow economy, and investment in it. According to the authors, natural capitalism "is about choices we can make that can start to tip economic and social outcomes in positive directions. And it is already occurring -- because it is necessary, possible, and practrical." For me, the information provided in Chapter 3 was almost incomprehensible in terms of the nature and extent of waste. Of the $9 trillion spent every year in the United States, at least $2 trillion is wasted annually. How? For example: Highway accidents ($150 billion), highway congestion ($100 billion in lost productivity), total hidden costs of driving (nearly $1 trillion), nonessential/fraudulent healthcare ($65 billion), inflated and unnecessary medical overhead ($250 billion), and crime ($450 billion). All of this waste can and should be reduced, if not eliminated. What the authors present, in effect, is a blueprint for the survival of the planet. All manner of statistical evidence supports their specific recommendations. Unless "The Next Industrial Revolution" succeeds in implementing those recommendations, natural capitalism will eventually be depleted ...and no one left to regret its loss.
Rating: 
Summary: US needs to realize one thing
Review: Natural Capitalism was about how buisneses and individuals can live more sustainably. The book was writeen around four central stratagies; radical resource productivity, biomomicry, serice and flow economy, and investing in natural capital. The second chapter gave an example of a radical resource productivity by using hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen fuel cells reverse electrolysis combining Hydrogen abd Oxegyn thus saving the oil supple. One of the strong emphasis of this book was biomicry, which is when industrial processes mimic those found in nature. Photovoltaic cells are an example that was brought up in this book Service and flow economy was mentioned as being the shift from providing goods for sale to leasing services taht manufacturers would be responsiblw throughout its liftime. Investing in natural capital would be used to rebuild the resources weve degraded.
One of the best aspects of this book was that it gave practical suggestions for how people can help renew and conserve the envrironment. It not onle pointe out the environental benifits, but also the financial and practical benifits such as lower electricity costs, cleaner air, higher productivity rates, and more money being used for education instead of companies who pollute the air and earth. A disavadtage of this book is that it was a bit redundent. It emphasized the same points over and over again in similar ways.
Rating:
Summary: This book is plain common sense...
Review: I have recently read "Cradle to Cradle" which is a book quite similar to the writing of Paul Hawken in "Natural Capitalism" except Hawken's book focuses on the specifics. Everyone agrees living in a clean and safe environment is ideal, however, the economical ramifications for doing so have always been the "crutch" excuse. Investing in new technology and restructering the way we produce and sell goods and services are too difficult and pricey to do and maintain a healthy and robust economy. Paul Hawken dismisses that notion through facts, theories and real numbers.
Business executives speak in one way: money. What will make us more money? What will make us appear better to the consumer to make us more money? What will keep us making money? Hawken's ideas are reassurance to the business executive that if they decide to pursue a sustainable industry, they will actually benefit greater financially than before by simplifying production, reusing "natural capital" and reducing energy costs.
The only negative thing about this book is that its taking too long for it to catch on... however, as more and more jobs are shipped overseas and America is faced with the challenge of reinventing itself as the true global economic leader, natural capitalism should be the obvious answer to create new jobs and new sustainable industries for a well conceived future.
Rating:
Summary: Natural Capitalism theory is flawed by assumptions
Review: I really like this book, Natural Capitalism, and the energy of the authors is really enjoyable and positive. Many ideas, information and parts of the book are very useful to the survival of humanity and the planet. However, the book's main idea behind Natural Capital is flawed by assumptions. The theory's flaw is given away in the title, Natural Capital. In this use, Natural means, Nature and all its facets and sentient and non-sentient beings. While Capital refers to the modern economic term representing wealth. Because of the underlying flaw of the book's theory, these two terms are incompatible in the same phrase. In other words, there is no such thing as natural and capital. Now, the flaw in the theory is that the book assumes that the Earth and its "resources" can be given an economic value, measured and quantified. In the chapter,Capital Gains,(page 155), the authors illustrate this theory with references to studies that tried to place a monetary value on Nature's resources, like the atmosphere, the forests, grasslands, wetlands, and ecosystems, etc. The study the authors site purportedly believes that Nature is worth $500 trillion dollars, which the authors believe is well undervalued. The authors state that, which is the basis of Natural Capitalism, that, " Establishing values for natural capital stocks and flows, as rough as they may be, or-- as natural capitalism does-behaving as if we were doing so, is a first step toward incorporating the value of ecosystem services into planning, policy, and public behavior." As I read this, I thought how great it would be to make an amalgam of business and Nature. I thought, Yes! it is possible to live in harmony with the Earth, while still manipulating Nature for the benefit of human desires. There must be some way, or what else are we to do. Yet, in light of reality, this kind of valuing of the Earth's resources are simply excuses from not following the real value of the Earth. When reading this book, I keep remembering of how many cultures, many indigenous peoples, who have lived very simply and sustainably in Nature for a long time believe. These peoples believe that the Earth, the forests, the oceans, the animals, even the shells they trade, are priceless. They are not measured in ecomonic terms, but is seen as their Mother. Everthing good that they have comes from her. They see themselves as the children of the forests, of the Earth, and their purpose is to learn how to live in harmony with Nature and the other living things. So the flaw of this book assumes that Nature can be valued in economic terms, or ones that are useful for the benefit of human desires, which is what business is about. The theory of Natural Capitalism really isn't a new thing. What a real theory would believe is that for humans to survive what modern economic activity has wrought, then we should go back to the womb of the earth and see the true value of the Earth as our own mother. For our mother is priceless, as she has given birth to us, and we would never place an economic value on our mother, now would we?
Rating:
Summary: A new lease on life
Review: Paul Hawken and the Lovins have teamed up to provide one of the best overall books on "Natural Capitalism" which offers a whole new approach to the way in which we do business. For too long we have taken natural capital for granted, squandering our natural resources and unleashing an unhealthy array of by-products which have further contaminated our world. It is time to add natural capital to the ledger sheets, properly balancing our record books. But, far from being a screed the book is meticulously researched with extensive notes and references to help guide your own research into the subject. Everything from the Toyota Production System, which offered a leaner, much less wasteful approach to auto manufacturing, to the Hypercar which offers a hybrid-electric propulsion engine which would result in much greater fuel effeciency are illustrated. It is this lean thinking which the authors think will revolutionize the industrial sector, making for the greatest breakthroughs since the microchip revolution. What is most heartening is that major companies such as Ford Motor Company and Carrier Air Conditioning are adopting these practices and making them work. They are doing so because it saves money and provides them with endless growth possibilities. The authors support the lease-use system which puts the onus on the manufacturer to produce better products and maintain them throughout their service to the user, the so called "cradle to cradle" concept. New materials are resulting in much lighter and more efficient components that would reduce our dependency on foreign oil, and in time phase out petroleum products all together. Too good to be true you might say, but this is the shape of things to come once we get past the tired old dogmas that have greatly limited our economic potential. The authors show how regressive tax policies and federal subsidies have greatly handicapped our productivity and they encourage political leaders to rethink the way we hand out incentives for better business practice. This book will give you a whole new lease on life, and encourage you to rethink the way you live.
Rating:
Summary: Save the Earth and Make Money Doing It!
Review: Natural Capitalism is the next big thing...or should be at least. Authors Paul Hawken and the Lovins make a very practical argument for the new order of capitalism across the globe. This is not just another "either/or" book which tells of our current capitalistic debacle in the world and how dismantling big business is the only way to save it, it is exactly as the title describes: the best of both capitalistic and environmental worlds. The authors give very practical ideas, and more importantly, actual practices in what has been coined Natural Capitalism: the very real idea that one can, not only recover our failing ecology, but actually make a profit doing it. This should be mandatory reading for any CEO as the book suggests, but it is equally important for the "average" citizen of the world. It provides a fresh new outlook on what really can take place, and what really must. This book is not another doomsday book, it is practicality at its finest combined with realistic ideas that have incubated over the past 30 years since the concept of environmentalism emerged. So, don't be fooled by those who just want to save trees or recycle tin cans. This is a proposal for a complete system overhaul; one where everybody wins! Air gets cleaner, the economy goes up, and poverty is diminished. It doesn't get any better than that! (and to those of you thinking this is just another socialist utopia, think again. It is just the opposite; a capitalist's dream).
Rating:
Summary: An important work of our times. Soft Green / Hard Green
Review: Given the degree to which the reciprocal conflict between economy and ecology is couched in our lives by now, it is surprising how little of a concerted effort exists in terms of a framework to understand the ecological crisis and the fundamental transformation for industrial capitalism, i.e., new business concepts and technological processes that can save the earth. This book offers an important, bold, optimistic framework. It sets off quickly by challenging the glaring fallacy of orthodox economics that natural capital is an infinite resource to be used as input for manufacturing and other human activities because nature is "free" except for costs of extracting, transporting, altering it and is also a bottomless pit where the wasted materials can be conveniently dumped. Nowhere in the accounting books of our current businesses do we see any entry for the finite elements of the earth itself: land, air, water, the multitudes of self-sustaining biosystems. This becomes quite startling a discussion when the authors reveal an estimate that in the vast flows of natural materials devoured by the global economy every year, only 3 percent actually end up in products. Optimistically (as this whole book is), Hawkens et al then demonstrate with their plethora of real-world case studies and anecdotes that eco-friendly processes are already in place, not just as wishful theory but as a set of successful and even spreading practices. One noteworthy example of Natural Capitalism in the book is about the "ecological city" Curitiba, which is located in the Southeastern Brazilian state of Parana and has a population of about 4 million people--the size of Houston or Philadelphia. There, "responsible government in partnership with vital entrepenurship has succeeded better than most cities in the U.S." They have implemented "hundreds of multipurpose, cheap, fast, simple homegrown, people-centered initiatives...treating all its citizens--most of all its children--not as burden but as most precious resource". This is a good testimony to how these new approaches to production and consumption can in fact be used to redefine socio-economic life, not out of noblesse oblige but because they deliver dramatic cost-saving efficiencies to the bottom line, that is, higher rates of return for capital. However, Hawkens et al take what is perhaps a "Soft Green" approach compared to Peter Huber's "Hard Green" (ISBN: 0465031137), who defines Soft proponents as supporters of micro-management and future forecasting by computer-based models. Hard resources, such as coal and oil, represent cheap but nonrenewable energy sources, while "Soft" refers to such expensive, alternative, and renewable energy sources as wind and solar power. Natural Capitalism endorses the outcome of market processes and credit the Industrial Revolution with increasing real wages, raising standards of living, and expanding the productivity of labor 200 fold! Ultimately, dematerialization and prosperity have prevailed over the early negative effects of industrialization. In wealthy, highly modernized nations, pollution and waste have been significantly decreased, with some types even eliminated. The criticism of Hawken et al. concerning the market process (one that free-market environmentalists are willing to concede) is that for-profit ventures only account for what is on the ledger, with the end result being a loss of capital. Thus, Natural Capitalism offers strategies and examples of success that empower people to behave "as if all forms of capital were valued". Huber on the other hand clearly prefers solutions from technology and market processes. "To Hard Green minds...ecological objectives are effectively advanced only by dispersed control, free markets, and traditional ethics". Above all, he promotes wealth as the cure of environmental insensitivity and physical damage grounded in his belief that technology and market coordination will foster prosperity, dematerialization, and enhanced environmental awareness, but he dismisses alternative approaches as wasteful. Despite many differences, Natural Capitalism and Hard Green share an adulation of innovative economic solutions and implicitly acknowledge environmental quality to be a superior good. New approaches are bound to exasperate some and excite others but both these books pose an intelligent challenge to lazy assumptions on both sides of the political divide and ought to jump-start a reinvigorated environmental debate. Either way, this is a valuable purchase for just about anyone involved in business or policy making. But a sincere reader would consider tempering this book with Peter Huber's work as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the environmental economics bible people seem to think
Review: Natural Capitalism suffers some fatal flaws, while not a complete waste of time, not a book to read if you want great ideas that can make it out of the ivory tower. While claiming to provide a path for evnvironmental and social justice, this book blithely ignores the actual impacts of its ideas on the lower classes as well as the prevalence and tenacity of international monetary and banking organizations. While touting that having people pay for rental on material goods, or pay for the service they supply, rather than purchasing the item(such as washing machines) will reduce the number of them in landfills each year, he is ignoring that ultimately someone is going to be owning the machines and therefore holding the capital investment. Those who pay for the service(sound a lot like going to the laundrymat?) will simply be throwing their money into the maintenance of the company's capital investment. The authors further ignore that most countries outside the first world have their economics and politics dictated by international monetary regulations. While this book does present some instances of environmentally friendly ideas and archtecture, such as a banking building in Amsterdam, they do not provide the scripture that most people seem to feel they do. Further, they are basing environmental sustainability off technology such as photovoltaic cells, which do provide cleaner energy by process than oil or coal, but contain heavy metals that are put back into the environment as toxins and require large scale mining and smelting technology to produce. Ultimately, I thought this book was geared more toward engineering social response through the pocketbook, which the U.S. government already does, than a study in environmental econimics within the capitalist framework.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing new Here
Review: I find that this book fails to live up to expectations as
the authors are treading old water. Their idea of
Radical Resource Productivity, is already happening and
is a natural progression, sometimes taking longer than
we would hope, but nonetheless inevitable. They seem more
interested in Social Engineering than Economics, and simply
make observations about things already taking place, while
sprinkling in some projections for good measure. If you're looking for ideas read Fuller's Critical Path, written
in 1981. His ideas are original and groundbreaking for the
time. Reading Natural Capitalism, I honestly felt like I was
attending a lecture given by people lauding mother nature. I agree with their ideals and think that by and large many of the
methods can be implemented, over time, but the book isn't ground
breaking, and it fails to truly discuss economic factors, which
are so crucial to the success or failure of these methods. The
bottom line is there isn't enough practical discussion of the
factors holding these methods back. If there were it might be
possible for the authors to cut through them. Too often there are
economic factors holding companies back from making improvements
they may be fully aware would help them. That is one reason these
changes take time, lack of capital (not natural). I think the authors are dreaming of a future that could
not possibly unfold as easily and seamlessly as they entail.
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