Harmonizing the Rules of Business with the Laws of Nature

Environmental Debt: The Hidden Costs of a Changing Global Economy, written by Amy Larkin and researched by Johanna Goetzel, was released by Palgrave Macmillan June 25, 2013.

The book connects the financial and environmental crises – through both causes and solutions. The book introduces the “Nature Means Business Framework for the 21st Century,” which provides a road map for connecting the Return On Investment (ROI) of business with the survival of the natural world.

The three pillars of the The Nature Means Business Framework aim to empower profitable business that, by nature, coexist with the environment. They are as follows:

(1) Pollution can no longer be free and can no longer be subsidized

(2) The long view must guide all decision-making and accounting

(3) Government plays a vital role in catalyzing clean technology and growth while preventing environmental destruction.

Larkin’s “greatest hope is that Environmental Debt promulgates new ideas into the culture that in turn change our understanding of business.” The book reveals the common ground between business, civil society, science, religion, culture and  policy reformers. The ideas presented in the book take on extended life through an online forum called The Transition Agenda, hosted by RESOLVE, where individuals from a variety of sectors can discuss and engage with issues essential to our survival. No nature, no business.

Reviews of the book have been encouraging. Publishers Weekly writes: “For anyone interested in environmental and economic policy, this is a fascinating, provocative book. Brisk, bold, and blunt, Larkin is a devastating critic of current business practices, but she wants to inspire, not scold.”

A New York native, Larkin writes about local and global issues in a clear and direct way.  Her years of work with Greenpeace along with her entrepreneurial experience present the short and long term impacts of environmental debt. The tone is encouraging–action is possible, and the time is now!

Amy Larkin blogs for the Huffington Post about these and other issues.