The idea of a truly sustainable international business in every sense of the word is something I don't think we'll be seeing anytime soon, simply because it isn't profitable and makes no real sense (other than a PR scheme) for a large corporate business to be concerned with. That being said, this book is more important than ever before, and makes some very good points. The way I see it, there's no such thing as leaving no carbon footprint if you're a business or even a single consumer, but there are small things any business can do to make itself less of a ticking time bomb looming over the world around us.

Cody Ceotto

The Ecology of Commerce

A Failed Declaration?  The Problem of Civilisation , was written by   Derrick Jensen  , and came in two separate parts - the second I have not read yet - that essentially suggested a  "Post Civilisation"  world in which us miserable Sapiens will have to consider a complete revolutionary style takedown of our out-of-control system of rampant neoliberal capitalism, and bring about a complete reset on humanity.   I liked the book, but found Jensen rambled for far too long, and allowed his point to become diluted with over compensation into the realm of bitterness. I would still recommend this as a read though, as his extremities do bare a brutal hammer blow to the reader that should effectively shake the brains foundations.  The second book,  Beyond Civilisation , by an author named  Daniel Quinn , was a shorter read and suggested humanity simple move away from its current endeavours naturally. No need to make a fuss, just put down what we're doing and look for a better way of living. At least, that's what I gathered from the books slightly messy construction. My review speaks in more detail on the goodreads page that I wrote it on, but despite it's shorter length, I found  Beyond Civilisation  an even more confusing read than Jensens Endeavour.   What both books are missing - in my humble opinion - is a real clear look at our current system, and what detailed suggestions could be made to replace it. This is where   Paul Hawken   comes in.     The Ecology Of Commerce   differs from the above mentioned in one majorly fundamental way. It's premise is that we need to modify and amend our current capitalistic structure from within, and embrace a nature inspired system of restorative economics. One that mimics nature in lack of waste and constant renewal. Not only this, but business should be incentivised to work harder toward treating the environment more positively (you know, such as not killing hundreds / thousands of species a year through forest clearance and what not) through taxes on waste and pollution, rewards for cleaner energy application and working toward creating jobs through new eco-friendly industries.   There's a lot more to cover, and I have to admit, I lost Hawken at times in the more economic side of things (when he does decide to go down that route of explanation), but for the most part this text was very readable, and was the best attempt I've seen yet at a genuine effort to lay out a better way of humanity handling itself.   Now for the downside.   This books over twenty. years. old.   Has much changed? No, not much at all. We could talk about the many smaller details that have arisen in terms of the rise of Veganism, eco-friendly companies and environmental awareness...  ...or we could focus on the fact major corporations are more powerful than ever, and are still continuing to destroy our planet through war, resource consumption and greed.   SO many blaring alarm bells are laid out in this book that I had to remind myself that they were being delivered to the reader in 1993. A truly worrying analysis.   It would be best if you read this book. It's really quite important now more than ever. I'll leave you with a segment of the book that stood out to me:   "...Corporations are creating a second world, an environment of deadening commercial strip centers leading in and out of our towns and cities, garbage trains loaded with trash and toxins, and Bhopals where 200,000 people are sick or dead or dying. It is a world where fewer and fewer people benefit from the grosser and more swollen acts of commerce, a world in which the small things, the seemingly inconsequential forms of life, are extirpated with disdain, but to our ultimate peril..."

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