Enviu - Classics & Inspiration March List

What inspires Enviu? – version 1.1 – March 2009

Enviu’s Sustainability & Entrepreneurship Classics – top 10 In partial answer to the question what Enviu considers „sustainable‟ it is interesting to know what Enviu considers to be books, articles, reports, documentaries, movies etc that everyone should read if they take sustainability & entrepreneurship seriously. Therefore Enviu proudly presents the 1.0 version of the Classics top 10. All items, in no particular order, contain a brief explanation why it is included, and a link to a web-version or review. We are open for suggestions and after due consideration may update this top 10. In the mean time, especially for newcomers in the field, it will be helpful to read/ view these items.

Enviu inspiration Top-21 list This Classic Top 10 is linked to a second list, the Inspiration top 21.. Its scope is broader referring to sustainability, entrepreneurship, innovation, communities, etc etc. These are the books, articles, movies etc that make us say “Wow, you must really read/see that as well”. For that list, we actually actively encourage that people suggest new items to us and don‟t be shy in doing so! Of course we will have to read or view the items, but in the end we decide which ones will be included in an updated version, and which ones will be removed from the list! This may happen a few times a year. This is called the Innovation Mall concept (Enviu puts the question out there, anyone who wants to can participate, and Enviu in the end decide which suggestions to use). Suggestions that did not make it for now will be placed in the „Waiting room‟. We do like to receive your suggestions how we can actively involve the Enviu Community in this process in the best way. We use the Scribed platform, including discussion forum for this purpose.

What inspires Enviu? – version 1.1 – March 2009

Enviu Sustainability & Entrepreneurship Classics top 10 Title (type) Our common future

What is it

Why in top 10?

First universally acknowledged report on what sustainable development is about.

Still valid and often referred to. Not surpassed by reality yet.

Tragedy of the commons (Thomas Hardin, Book , 1968)

Description of „commons‟problems: if a group causes a problem acting alone only jeopardizes own revenues

40 years old, and still very relevant in understanding today‟s issues. See climate change…

Green and Competitive: Ending the Stalemate.

Groundbreaking article on the business case of sustainable business.

Seminal article on the false dichotomy between environmental responsibility and competitiveness.

Very good article on the need to concretely link business strategy to sustainability, instead of a response strategy and (wellintended) semi-philanthropic efforts .

Essence of sustainable business development, very much in line with Enviu‟s vision.

Landmark book on detrimental effects of pesticides on the environment, and the purposeful disinformation spread by companies

Arguably this was the birth of the environmental movement. Book is consistently named in best non-fiction th and scientific rankings of the 20 century.

“The best way to predict the future is to create it."

First book to present innovation and entrepreneurship as purposeful and systematic discipline Interesting discussion material.

(Al Gore, Book and documentary, 2006)

Climate change: why are we not doing anything? Somewhat controversial, but has without doubt made people worldwide aware of the issue.

Who killed the electric car? (Chris Paine, Documentary, 2006)

The story of the presence of electric cars in the 1990‟s and their early demise.

Technology development is subordinate to political and other interests. In other words: you need the support of the right people as well.

Cannibals with forks ( Elkington, Article, 1997)

First mention of the People, Planet, Profit (triple bottom line) paradigm

Birth of a paradigm and terminology shift

Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy

Pioneering work on entrepreneurship & innovation.

Maybe first scholar to comprehensively write about these topics.

(Brundtland report 1987)

(Porter, M. E., and Claas van der Linde. Harvard Business Review 73, September-October 1995) Strategy and society, the link between competitive advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility ( Porter, M.E., M.R. Kramer, Article HBR, December 2006) Silent Spring (Book, Rachel Carson, 1962)

Innovation and entrepreneurship. Practice and principles. (Drucker, P.F. 1985) Inconvenient truth

(Schumpeter, Book, 1942)

Modern classic

What inspires Enviu? – version 1.1 – March 2009

Enviu inspiration Top-21 list Title (type)

What is it

Why in list?

Heat (George Monbiot, Book, 2006)

Analysis what we can do about climate change, with currently available or known technologies

Hopeful, yet not unrealistic

Wikinomics (Tapscott & Williams Book, 2006)

Cooperation between everybody changes everything

21 century innovation

The Google story (Vise & Malseed, Book, 2005)

How did a firm name get to be a verb, the story about the most well known company in the world

Great entrepreneurship

Smartest Guys in the room (Docu-movie, 2005)

Documentary on the rise and fall of Enron

Shows what can happen if innovation and entrepreneurship are not balanced by a sense of what is right and stakeholder interests

Art of Innovation

Crash course on how to innovate. Slides and presentation next to each other.

Must-see stuff: a demonstration of a funny, smart and well presented story

When does crowd sourcing make sense and why

Innovation and People

Here comes the sun (Documentary, Netherlands, 2008)

Potential of solar cells, and policy approaches in different countries

Potential unleashed

How to change the world, a practical blog for impractical people (Web-blog)

Blog of Guy Kawasaki, not specifically on sustainability.

Interesting, on top of the latest, great reference to other sites as well.

Better than free

When to „give away‟ products, and why and how to still make money if „everything is free‟

Dot.com, but now how to make it work

Save the economy by taking care of the environment

Once again: economy and ecology are no enemies.

Interesting series on all aspects concerning food, where it comes from, and where it goes to

Everything you (didn‟t ) want to know about food.

The book that introduced the Bottom of the Pyramid concept, the first article appeared in 1998

Combines innovative product and business development to benefit the worst off, but not for charity

FutureLab – Marketing & Strategy Innovation Blog

Blog on many aspects of Innovation, very practically oriented

Inspiring, insightful, with links to a whole new world

Praktisch idealisme

How to engage in „practical

Ahead of the pack. In 2003,

(Guy Kawasaki, webpresentation) Wisdom of Crowds (James Surowiecki, Book, 2004)

(Kevin Kelly, Web-article, 2008) + Free

st

(Chris Anderson, 2008) Green Collar Economy (Van Jones, 2008, Book) The truth about food (BBC series, book) The Fortune at the bottom of the Pyramid (Prahalad, Book, 2004)

What inspires Enviu? – version 1.1 – March 2009

(vd Berg & Koers, Boek, 2003)

idealism‟ in every day life

sustainability & lifestyle were not often mentioned in one sentence yet

Small Giants

Describes real life examples of companies that have grown „big‟ by staying small, on purpose

Big and lasting impact is possible without being a large organisation

(David Bornstein, Book, 2007)

Examples of social entrepreneurs world wide

Could very well inspire others not to give up easily

Eckart‟s Notes (Eckart Wintzen, Booklet, 2007)

Notes on sustainable entrepreneurship

Interesting person, interesting legacy

Factor 4; Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use. (U. von Weizsäcker, Amory & Hunter Lovins, Book, 1995)

How to really make a difference

Taking the debate (and action) beyond marginal improvements

Open innovation (Chesborough, Book, 2003)

Introduction of a new innovation paradigm

In a flatter world, cooperating starts making more and more sense

Waste = food (Documentary, 2006)

Inspiring documentary on an interesting paradigm for product development

Has led to a wave of attention. Should not be watched without remaining critical but shows the potential to mobilize people „for the good‟.

Business-Society Management (Van Tulder & van der Zwart, Book, 2006)

The place for business in society in the 21st century

B-SM is basically the cradle of Enviu, and its influence cannot be ignored

(Book, Bo Burlingham, 2006) How to change the world

What inspires Enviu? – version 1.1 – March 2009

Waiting room These titles have been suggested but there is not enough support yet, or we haven‟t read/ viewed them to form an opinion.

Should they be included, and which item should then be removed? Which other items deserve our consideration and why? Clean Tech Revolution

Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder, Book

2008

The necessary revolution

Peter Senge

2008

Ecodesign Handbook; a comprehensive guide to ecodesigned products, techniques, and directory The Deep Blue (Documentary)

About innovation at IDEO)

Plug & Play (DVD) Origins (Documentary)

24-minute documentary on the start of HP, including a true care for people, ideas, innovation etc

2008

Biomimicry - Discipline that studies nature‟s best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems.

Janine Benyus

2007?

Blessed Unrest

Paul Hawken

2007