Eradicating the Entropic Economy

From Michael's keyboard:
Paul Hawken, in his 1994 book The Ecology of Commerce, lays out a pretty simple argument: any system that generates true waste is not (by definition) sustainable. Think of a closed system. All resources are finite, and waste does not "disappear." Space must be made for it. Eventually, all your space is dedicated to holding waste, because that is the only universal product of systemic activity. Admittedly, the Earth is a big place compared to our daily output of waste, but over enough time.....

Hawken believes our goal should be to work towards a sustainable economy.

Okay, not so shocking. There are a ton of writers out there screaming about how Earth's environment is being polluted into oblivion, and a large body of lobbyists trying to convince the consumers of the world that our grandchildren will figure out a solution to today's pollution problems, so we don't have to worry about it in the here and now.

Why, then, does this book deserve your attention? Because Hawken takes the idea one step further than the other ideologues whose work I've read. He provides thoughtful approaches to fixing the ecological disasters of modern development. Sure, his head is in the clouds on more than a few ideas, but there are a slew of solid suggestions in this 219-page book, and despite being over 10 years old, it still reads as a current take on things.

This book was introduced to me by my good friend Justin (formerly a member of D8 and now a member of DoS), who gave me a copy of the book on the condition that I promise to pass it along. And so I shall. The next recipient will be my friend Will, who I expect can give it another bit of blogging publicity.