Web site review by Mac Hickley (EVDS - Planning)- Natural Capitalism

PREAMBLE

The website www.naturalcapital.org is actually based on the book of almost the same name ("Natural Capitalism") by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and Hunter Lovins. The website was set up and is administered by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), a global energy and resource research institute established by the Lovins' in 1982 (see www.rmi.org). Simply put, the book is a visionary look at how the world could function if corporations took the triple-bottom-line concept seriously. It is basically a compendium of real-life examples of companies that have adopted environmental approaches to business and accounting, thereby benefiting not only the living conditions of people and organisms around the world, but also improving their economic efficiency. The title refers to the Earth's natural resources and ecosystem services, which form the foundation for all human life (esp, local and global economies). "Current business practices typically fail to take into account the value of these assets - which is rising with their scarcity. As a result, natural capital is being degraded and liquidated by the wasteful use of such resources as energy, materials, water, fibre, and topsoil."

For the purposes of this review, I will refer mainly to the website, since the entire book is available there in chapter-by-chapter (PDF) downloads; however I will also necessarily refer to ideas from the book.

WEBSITE STRENGTHS

• Makes the book easily accessible and free of charge to all (only requirements: a computer with internet connection, patience).
• Includes independent reviews of the book and website.
• Provides a forum for interactive discussion groups among interested viewers/readers.
• Collects stimulating examples of viewers' comments and correspondence.
• Provides additional information that was edited from the book due to space limitations.
• Allows for confidential consultation services (by the authors) on environmental concerns.

BOOK STRENGTHS

• Accessible, clear and succinct in the presentation of ideas and their potential benefits.
• Cites innumerable examples and applications of progressive, innovative, environmentally sensitive and economically advantageous business initiatives from around the world.
• Concentrates on four economically attractive principles:
• Increased resource productivity
• The redesign of industry on biological models, with closed loops and zero waste
• A conceptual shift from the sale of goods (e.g., light bulbs) to the provision of services (e.g., illumination)
• Reinvestment in natural capital for future prosperity
• Includes chapters focusing on several relevant industries (automobiles, construction and real estate, forestry, agriculture, water) and principles (see i-iv above).
• Written by three recognized world leaders in sustainable business practices, corporate and energy sector reform, and resource policy analysis.

WEAKNESSES

• Website run by authors: appears self-serving, lacks objectivity and external verification.
• Not a completely comprehensive analysis of global circumstances - political realities are sometimes ignored or minimized (eg, power structures, entrenched corruption, privileged classes, cultural values, etc).
• The book's central message could have been more central.
• Attempts to cover too much territory - topics are wide-ranging but shallow.
• The tone is excessively rhetorical and reads like propaganda.
• Perhaps overly optimistic about potential for success - particularly in the near future.

• Does not state the frequency of substantive website article updates.
• Although reader correspondences appear to be updated fairly often (most recent entry: 29 October 2000), letters are obviously severely truncated.
• Links only to the Rocky Mountain Institute, a non-profit, natural resource think-tank, also run by the Lovins'. This site also contains no external links.

CONCLUSIONS

As an awareness-raising, cause-trumpeting manifesto for a new age of environmental entrepreneurs, "Natural Capitalism" works very well. Indeed, for many forward-looking industries and businesses around the world, the book offers invaluable (if general) examples of processes and principles that can make real differences to increase the sustainability of their economic futures. Unfortunately, however, the vast majority of these examples are merely descriptive and only hint at potential solutions. They fall short of delivering on the (implicit) promise to show readers how to fix the problems surrounding them. My worry is that the authors have tried to illustrate as wide a range as possible of economic/environmental issues, so as to maximize their audience. The suspicion then, is that they are trying to (a) sell more books (it is currently in its fifth hardcover printing) and (b) entice more people to contact them for private consulting services (there is a specific link on the site designated for this purpose).

The authors also pepper their diatribe with social justifications for rising up against the world's present obsession with profits and growth. For instance, "…three crises threaten to cripple civilization in the twenty-first century: the deterioration of the natural environment; the ongoing dissolution of civil societies into lawlessness, despair, and apathy; and the lack of public will needed to address human suffering and social welfare." A stronger concentration on the book's central message and basic premises, however, might have given it more force, concealed as they are behind so many anecdotal diversions and examples. The power of the message tends to become buried under a landslide of lessons learned and best practices.

A notable exception to this apparent lack of transparency is their institute's (RMI) design of the ultra-light "hypercar". This is an electric-hybrid, highly efficient concept vehicle, developed by RMI and then released into the public domain, thereby making it unpatentable and a spur to competition in the industry. This has since led (suggest the authors) several major car manufacturers to unveil their own hybrid designs, against the economic influence of OPEC, et al. Finally then, I would recommend interested parties to visit the website first, in order to peruse the handy excerpts and other resources available there, then download the chapters rather than buy the book itself. Accessible and fascinating though it may be, its value is probably restricted to a rallying cry for the millennium, or an anthem for Generations Y and Z.

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