Introductory Readings on Sustainability & Business
A client recently asked for a collection of "short" readings" as prep for an innovation/strategy retreat we led for their 60 top managers. Here's what we suggested. (It's not comprehensive, in that it's focused somewhat on their particular concerns, but hopefully worthwhile for you too.)
Short readings:
Gil Friend, CEO Natural Logic Inc
Making the Business Case for Sustainability
Gil Friend, New Bottom Line (short articles):
A Sustainability Cookbook
Product Regulation and Future Markets
Risk, CFOs, and the Sustainability Business Case
Sustainability - At the tipping point?
Short videos:
Ray Anderson, CEO Interface Global
The Business Logic of Sustainability
(Video on TED.com)
Longer readings:
Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, Hunter Lovins
Natural Capitalism, Chapter 1
(21 pg PDF; big picture overview)
Donella Meadows
Places to Intervene in a System
(21 page PDF, or this shorter summary)
Gil Friend, CEO Natural Logic Inc
The Truth About Green Business
Longer videos:
Gil Friend
The Truth About Green Business, and the Three Barriers to Building a Sustainable Economy (YouTube, 8/18/09)
This client is in agribusiness, so we also included this short article:
Nicolette Hahn Niman (Livestock Rancher, Lawyer, and Author, Righteous Porkchop: Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms)
Avoiding Factory Farm Foods: An Eater's Guide
and this short video:
Fred Kirschenmann, Leopold Center
The Future of Agriculture - An Introduction (video)
PS: Here are a couple of other "best sustainability book" lists -- one from Cambridge University, and one fromTriplePundit.com's readers.
Enjoy! And let me know what your favorites are!
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