Beyond Growth: The Economics of Sustainable Development

Author(s): Herman E. Daly

Publisher: Beacon Press

ISBN: 0807047082

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Named one of a hundred “visionaries who could change your life” by the Utne Reader, Herman Daly has probably been the most prominent advocate of the need for a change in economic thinking in response to environmental crisis. An iconoclast economis t who has worked as a renegade insider at the World Bank in recent years, Daly has argued for overturning some basic economic assumptions. He has won a wide and growing reputation among a wide array of environmentalists, inside and outside the academy.

In a book that will generate controversy, Daly turns his attention to the major environmental debate surrounding “sustainable development.” Daly argues that the idea of sustainable development–which has become a catchword of environmentalism and international finance–is being used in ways that are vacuous, certainly wrong, and probably dangerous. The necessary solutions turn out to be muc h more radical than people suppose.

This is a crucial updating of a major economist’s work, and mandatory reading for people engaged in the debates about the environment.

Reviews

Daly is turning economics inside out by putting the earth and its diminishing natural resources at the center of the field . . . a kind of reverse Copernican revolution in economics. –Utne Reader

“Considered by most to be the dean of ecological economics, Herman E. Daly elegantly topples many shibboleths in Beyond Growth. Daly challenges the conventional notion that growth is always good, and he bucks environmentalist orthodoxy, arguing that the current focus on ‘sustainable development’ is misguided and that the phrase itself has become meaningless.” –Mother Jones

“In Beyond Growth, . . . [Daly] derides the concept of ‘sustainable growth’ as an oxymoron. . . . Calling Mr. Daly ‘an unsung hero,’ Robert Goodland, the World Bank’s top environmental adviser, says, ‘He has been a voice crying in the wilderness.'” –G. Pascal Zachary, The Wall Street Journal

“A new book by that most far-seeing and heretical of economists, Herman Daly. For 25 years now, Daly has been thinking through a new economics that accounts for the wealth of nature, the value of community and the necessity for morality.” –Donella H. Meadows, Los Angeles Times

“For clarity of vision and ecological wisdom Herman Daly has no peer among contemporary economists. . . . Beyond Growth is essential reading.” –David W. Orr, Oberlin College

“There is no more basic ethical question than the one Herman Daly is asking.” –Hal Kahn, The San Jose Mercury News

“Daly’s critiques of economic orthodoxy . . . deliver a powerful and much-needed jolt to conventional thinking.” –Karen Pennar, Business Week

About the Author

Named one of a hundred “visionaries who could change your life” by the Utne Reader, Herman Daly is the recipient of many awards, including a Grawemeyer Award, the Heineken Prize for environmental science, and the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” the Right Livelihood Award. He is professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Affairs, and coauthor with John Cobb, Jr., of For the Common Good.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Shape of Current Thought on Sustainable Development
Ch. 1. Moving to a Steady-State Economy
Ch. 2. Elements of Environmental Macroeconomics
Ch. 3. Consumption: Value Added, Physical Transformation,and Welfare
Ch. 4. Operationalizing Sustainable Development by Investing in Natural Capital
Ch. 5. Fostering Environmentally Sustainable Development: Four Parting Suggestions for the World Bank
Ch. 6. Toward a Measure of Sustainable Net National Product
Ch. 7. On Sustainable Development and National Accounts
Ch. 8. Carrying Capacity as a Tool of Development Policy: The Ecuadoran Amazon and the Paraguayan Chaco
Ch. 9. Marx and Malthus in Northeast Brazil: A Note on the World’s Largest Class Difference in Fertility and Its Recent Trends
Ch. 10. Free Trade and Globalization vs. Environment andCommunity
Ch. 11. From Adjustment to Sustainable Development: The Obstacle of Free Trade
Ch. 12. The Economic Thought of Frederick Soddy
Ch. 13. On Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen’s Contributions to Economics: An Obituary Essay
Ch. 14. A Biblical Economic Principle and the Sustainable Economy
Ch. 15. Sustainable Development: From Religious Insight to Ethical Principle to Public Policy
Notes
References Cited in Text
Index

For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy Toward Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future

Author(s): Herman E. Daly, John B., Jr. Cobb

Publisher: Beacon Press

Paperback: 534 pages

ISBN: 0807047058

ISBN-13: 978-0807047057

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2nd Edition
Publication date: April 1994

Booknews, Inc. , 04/01/90: Daly (economist, the World Bank) and Cobb (philosophy, Claremont Graduate School) expose the outmoded abstractions of mainstream economic theory. They conclude, in particular, that economic growth–the prevailing yardstick for measuring economic success–is no longer an appropriate goal as energy consumption, overpopulation, and pollution increase. Instead, they propose a new measure for the economy–the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Table of Contents
Pt. 1. Economics as an Academic Discipline
1. The Fallacy of Misplaced Concreteness in Economics and Other Disciplines
2. Misplaced Concreteness: The Market
3. Misplaced Concreteness: Measuring Economic Success
4. Misplaced Concreteness: Homo economicus
5. Misplaced Concreteness: Land
Pt. 2. New Beginnings
6. From Academic Discipline to Thought in Service of Community
7. From Chrematistics to Oikonomia
8. From Individualism to Person-in-Community
9. From Cosmopolitanism to Communities of Communities
10. From Matter and Rent to Energy and Biosphere
Pt. 3. Policies for Community in the United States
11. Free Trade versus Community
12. Population
13. Land Use
14. Agriculture
15. Industry
16. Labor
17. Income Policies and Taxes
18. From World Domination to National Security
Pt. 4. Getting There
19. Possible Steps
20. The Religious Vision
Afterword: Money, Debt, and Wealth
Appendix: The Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare
References
Index

Mortgage-Free: Off-The-$$$-Grid

Author(s): Rob Roy, Malcolm Wells

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Company

Paperback: 225 pages

ISBN: 0930031989

ISBN-13: 978-0930031985

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June 1998

This is a banker’s worst nightmarea book that tells you how to live without being enslaved to financial institutions.Chelsea Green has produced a formidable series of books on innovative shelter. But every alternative building strategy, no matter how low-cost or environmentally benign, requires a complementary financial strategy. the accepted path is to go hat-in-hand to a big financial institution, such as a bank, to borrow a lump sum that is repaid over many years. By the time the loan is repaid, the homeowner will have paid several times the original amount in interest.The literal meaning of “mortgage” is “death pledge.” Author Rob Roy is offering an escape route from a lifetime of indentured servitude. “Mortgage-Free! Radical Strategies for Home Ownership” is a complete guide to strategies that allow you to own your land and home, free and clear, without the bank. Included is detailed advice about: Clarifying and simplifying your notions of what’s necessaryFinding land that you love and can affordTaking control of the house-building process, for the sake of sanity and pleasureLearning to take a long-term perspective on your family’s crucial economic decisions, avoiding debt and modern-day serfdom.

MJ Epko:
A helluva good’n, mostly applicable to a rural-U.S. scenario, but full of usable info and musings about lifestyle and living.

Amazon.com Review

The origins of the word “mortgage” are Old French and translate roughly to “death pledge.” Rob Roy takes a radical approach here to help the reader understand how mortgages work; explains clearly how, if you have a mortgage already, you can maximize your equity sooner and save tons of money; and how, if just starting the process of acquiring a home for yourself, there are clear alternatives to a standard bank mortgage that will save you massive amounts of money, time, and financial headaches.Roy covers the following subjects in detail: the grubstake–the essential financial asset that will stay with you for life; how to find land that you love and can afford; how to seize control of the house-building process; how to clarify and simplify your ideas of what you really need; and how to construct a low-cost home. Included in the book is Roy’s own personal story of mortgage-free living, as well as those of others. His wry humor makes for an entertaining read, and his ideas, examples, and advice are clear-headed, logical, and hopeful. His financial calculations and charts are clear and imminently sensible while being real eye-openers. Your banker may not want you to read this radical book, but it amounts to a guided, rational plan for home ownership and financial liberation, and will no doubt soon be considered a classic. –Mark A. Hetts

From Library Journal

In this updated version of Money-Saving Strategies for the Owner/Builder (1981), Roy offers his personal experiences and those of others who have successfully achieved the status of living mortgage-free. It is obvious that he has been greatly influenced by Henry David Thoreau, whom he refers to as “the father of the owner/builder movement in America.” Roy stresses that to become an owner/ builder requires a high energy level, good health, and the motivation to educate oneself about home building. In addition, he instructs readers in acquiring a “grubstake” (his term for accumulating enough savings to purchase land and build on it), constructing a temporary shelter near the site of the permanent home, becoming one’s own contractor, using alternative building materials, and building small. Roy’s ideas are radical but worth investigating if your desire is to live mortgage-free. His book is clearly written and offers an extensive annotated bibliography of numerous resources and amortization tables.ABellinda Wise, Nassau Community Coll. Lib., Garden City, NY

The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability

Author(s): Paul Hawken

Publisher: HarperBusiness

Paperback: 272 pages

ISBN: 0887307043

ISBN-13: 978-0887307041

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August 1994

Nature and Ecology Editor’s Recommended Book
Paul Hawken, the entrepreneur behind the Smith & Hawken gardening supplies empire, is no ordinary capitalist. Drawing as much on Baba Ram Dass and Vaclav Havel as he does on Peter Drucker and WalMart for his case studies, Hawken is on a one-man crusade to reform our economic system by demanding that First World businesses reduce their consumption of energy and resources by 80 percent in the next 50 years. As if that weren’t enough, Hawken argues that business goals should be redefined to embrace such fuzzy categories as whether the work is aesthetically pleasing and the employees are having fun; this applies to corporate giants and mom-and-pop operations alike. He proposes a culture of business in which the real world, the natural world, is allowed to flourish as well, and in which the planet’s needs are addressed. Wall Street may not be ready for Hawken’s provocative brand of environmental awareness, but this fine book is full of captivating ideas.

From Kirkus Reviews , October 15, 1993
It’s not easy being green but, here, Hawken (Growing a Business, 1987, etc.) proposes a utopian scheme that, for all its good intentions, could make the process even harder. Proceeding from the assumption that the environmental depredations of profit-making enterprises “are destroying life on earth,” the author offers grim warnings on the status quo’s presumptive perils. Among other vague and unsourced claims, he asserts: “Given current corporate practices, not one wildlife reserve, wilderness or indigenous culture will survive the global economy.” Bolstering his worst-case scenario with evidence that’s longer on anecdotal vignettes than scientific data, Hawken goes on to present a three-point program in aid of what he calls a “restorative” economy. Among other recommendations, he calls for eliminating waste by recycling all resources; mandating the use of solar energy over fossil fuels; and encouraging diversity. Informed by an apparent antipathy toward big business, conspicuous consumption, mass production, and other of capitalism’s hallmarks, the Hawken agenda envisions some decidedly radical solutions to the problems of an advanced industrial society. Cases in point range from cutting Fortune 500 companies down to size through imposing controls on markets (which, though effective at setting prices, fail in Hawken’s view to reckon costs like pollution); nurturing smaller firms with government-supplied incentives; and levying penalty taxes on, say, farmers who use chemical (as opposed to organic) means of cultivation. Nor does Hawken much care for competition (“expensive and degrading for all involved”), advocating instead an interdependent private sector “that co- evolves with the natural and human communities it serves.” High-minded–if sometimes highhanded–prescriptions that will appeal to Hawken’s large readership–as well as to, no doubt, Chicken Littles everywhere. — Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Financing Change: The Financial Community, Eco-efficiency, and Sustainable Development

Author(s): Stephen Schmidheiny, Federico J.L. Zorraquin, World Business council

Publisher: MIT Press

Paperback: 240 pages

ISBN: 0262692074

ISBN-13: 978-0262692076

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April 1998

Midwest Book Review
There is reason to believe that financial markets, in pursuit of short-term goals, undervalue environmental resources, discount the future, and favor accounting and reporting systems that do not reflect environmental risks and opportunities. Companies outside the financial sector that use natural resources and cause pollution have had to grapple with environment and sustainability issues longer than those companies in the financial community. It may now be the financial sector’s turn to face the threat of various types of environment-related liabilities. Largely descriptive rather than prescriptive, Financing Change: The Financial Community, Eco-Effici-ency, And Sustainable Development is the first study to examine questions that will become increasingly important as populations burgeon and the developing countries enter financial markets. It examines these issues in separate chapters covering viewpoints of the financial market participants, company directors, investors and analysts, bankers, insurers, accountants, and raters. The Financial Community is an important contribution to economic studies programs and is a highly recommended addition for all financial management and economics reading lists

Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution

Author(s): Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, L. Hunter Lovins

Publisher: Back Bay Books; 1st edition (October 12, 2000)

ISBN: 0316353000

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From Amazon.com: In Natural Capitalism, three top strategists show how leading-edge companies are practicing “a new type of industrialism” that is more efficient and profitable while saving the environment and creating jobs. Paul Hawken and Amory and Hunter Lovins write that in the next century, cars will get 200 miles per gallon without compromising safety and power, manufacturers will relentlessly recycle their products, and the world’s standard of living will jump without further damaging natural resources. “Is this the vision of a utopia? In fact, the changes described here could come about in the decades to come as the result of economic and technological trends already in place,” the authors write. They call their approach natural capitalism because it’s based on the principle that business can be good for the environment. For instance, Interface of Atlanta doubled revenues and employment and tripled profits by creating an environmentally friendly system of recycling floor coverings for businesses. The authors also describe how the next generation of cars is closer than we might think. Manufacturers are already perfecting vehicles that are ultralight, aerodynamic, and fueled by hybrid gas-electric systems. If natural capitalism continues to blossom, so much money and resources will be saved that societies will be able to focus on issues such as housing, contend Hawken, author of a book and PBS series called Growing a Business, and the Lovinses, who cofounded and directed the Rocky Mountain Institute, an environmental think tank. The book is a fascinating and provocative read for public-policy makers, as well as environmentalists and capitalists alike. –Dan Ring

Turning Away from Technology: A New Vision for the 21st Century

Author(s): Stephanie Mills (Editor), Theodore Roszak

Publisher: Sierra Club Books

Paperback: 320 pages

ISBN: 0871569531

ISBN-13: 978-0871569530

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What is the real impact of technology on our cultural and political lives? Are the proponents of megatechnology and the global economy correct to assume that there will always be newer be newer technological solutions to all the world’s problems? Fifty visionary environmentalists, scientists, scholars, and social critics grapple with these questions and expose the links between the character of megatechnology and the social and ecological crises of our time.

Stephanie Mills presents the ideas and opinions of many of the world’s most important critics of biotechnology, free trade, corporate colonialism, the proliferation of military technologies, and technological means of social control in a fascinating and lively survey of the proceedings of two historic conferences. Refusing to offer superficial solutions to our current environmental and social problems, participants from Europe, North America, and Asia maintain that technology is never neutral, but that the totality of a given technology’s effects, not just its intended benefits must be taken into account. Turning Away From Technology is an invaluable conceptual tool because it offers a probing analysis of the big technological picture and describes a realistic, humane, and sustainable future.

Contributors: Frederique Apffel-Marglin, Wendell Berry, Paul Blau, Chet, Bowers, Beth Burrows, Fritjof, Capra, Clifford Cobb, Martha Crouch, John Davis, Richard Douthwaite, Gustavo Esteva, Per Gahrton, Chellis Glendinming, Edward Goldsmith, Susan Griffin, Elisabet Hermodsson, Sandy Irvine, Martin Khor, Andrew Kimbrell, David Korten, Satish Kumar, Sigmund Kvaloy, John Lane, Jerry Mander, Andrew McLaughlin, Ralph Metzner, Maria Mies, Stephanie Mills, John Mohawk, Ashis Nandy, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Godfrey Reggio, Jeremy Rifkin, Kirkpatrick Sale, Michiel Schwarz, Richard Sclove, George Sessions, Vandana Shiva, Sulak Sivaraksa, Charlene Spretnak, David Suzuki, Doug Tompkins, and Lamgdon Winner.

Stephanie Mills is the author of In Praise of Nature, In Service of the Wild and Whatever Happened to Ecology? Her articles have appeared in the Utne Reader, E Magazine, Whole Earth Review, and Raise the Stakes. She lives near Maple City, Michigan.

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

Author(s): William McDonough, Michael Braungart

Publisher: North Point Press; 1st edition (April 22, 2002)

Paperback: 208 pages

ISBN: 0865475873

ISBN-13: 978-0865475878

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From Amazon.com: Paper or plastic? Neither, say William McDonough and Michael Braungart. Why settle for the least harmful alternative when we could have something that is better–say, edible grocery bags! In Cradle to Cradle, the authors present a manifesto calling for a new industrial revolution, one that would render both traditional manufacturing and traditional environmentalism obsolete. Recycling, for instance, is actually “downcycling,” creating hybrids of biological and technical “nutrients” which are then unrecoverable and unusable. The authors, an architect and a chemist, want to eliminate the concept of waste altogether, while preserving commerce and allowing for human nature. They offer several compelling examples of corporations that are not just doing less harm–they’re actually doing some good for the environment and their neighborhoods, and making more money in the process. Cradle to Cradle is a refreshing change from the intractable environmental conflicts that dominate headlines. It’s a handbook for 21st-century innovation and should be required reading for business hotshots and environmental activists. –Therese Littleton 208 pages

Beyond Recycling: A Re-user’s Guide: 336 Practical Tips to Save Money and Protect the Environment

Author(s): Kathy Stein

Publisher: Clear Light Pub

Paperback: 164 pages

ISBN: 0940666928

ISBN-13: 978-0940666924

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“Kathy Stein’s ideas and suggestions are not just good for the environment, they’re great for your wallet, too. That’s a win-win combination anybody can live with. By highlighting the need to re-use, Ms. Stein is one of the first authors to confront the real environmental issue facing our society — the need to consume less, not just recycle more”. (Bob Lilienfeld, Editor, The Use Less Stuff Report)

“This volume is information rich, thoughtfully organized and highly useful”. (Melissa Everett, Global Action Plan)

Kathy Stein’s convenient guide describes 336 simple, practical ways to re-use 70 types of common products — most of them not recyclable and currently adding to our already overflowing landfills. This book also helps readers locate businesses and non-profit organizations that re-use a wide range of products, as well as outlets for re-usable products. Beyond Recycling offers specifics on dozens of ways for consumers to save money, including new uses for old products, low-cost alternatives to disposables, and tips on maintaining appliances, vehicles, computers, and furnishings. A guide for the nineties, Beyond Recycling shows how to save money through common-sense choices that contribute to a sustainable lifestyle.

Planning for Biodiversity: Issues and Examples

Author(s): Sheila Peck

Publisher: Island Press

Paperback: 232 pages

ISBN: 1559634014

ISBN-13: 978-1559634014

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A significant consequence of the development of natural landscapes is habitat loss and fragmentation that results in widespread loss of biological diversity. While scientists have made great strides in determining principles and concepts fundamental to preserving biodiversity, their work will have little impact unless it is understood and implemented by those who are making on-the-ground decisions about land use.”Planning for Biodiversity” provides an accessible introduction to ecological concepts for planning professionals and students. Sheila Peck explains why planners should be concerned with habitat preservation and presents practical approaches to incorporating conservation principles into planning efforts. The book.introduces a clear framework for understanding biodiversity explains concepts related to ecosystem structure and function discusses the effects of size and connectivity on habitat quality and species movement suggests conservation priorities at different scales presents elements of reserve design examines types and sources of information considers the causes of uncertainty in biodiversity planning and the need for monitoring and adaptive management.In each chapter, Peck presents case studies that explore the practical implications of the concepts examined, and provides contact information for each group involved in the case. Case studies include the Beaverhead/Deerlodge National Forest, Montana; Pinhook Swamp Linkage, northeastern Florida; National Gap Analysis Program; CALFED Bay-Delta Program, California; and numerous others. In addition, she includes planning guidelines which summarize the main points of the chapters, and a useful glossary of ecologicalterms.”Planning for Biodiversity” synthesizes and explains important ecological concepts and represents the first guide for planners that clearly details how to incorporate conservation plans into their work. Planners, landscape architects and designers, planning and design students, developers, local officials, and anyone interested in designing and developing more ecologically sound land-use projects will find the book an invaluable resource.