It seems that for businesses whose sole goal is to turn a profit, it is very difficult to green up because many of the social and environmental costs are externalized, that is, they are not held accountable for. Truly sustainable businesses use triple-bottom-line accounting, where they see positive social and environmental effects as important as earning a profit. In fact, all three must exist to make the business truly sustainable. This idea is graphically represented in the diagram below.
The triple bottom line
This diagram is very similar to a graphical representation of the ethics of Permaculture. In the diagram below, the green represents the ethic “Care of Earth” which correlates to “Environmental Stewardship” in the previous diagram. The red is “Care of People” which correlates to “Social Progress.” The blue is the ethic of “Fair Share” or “Return Excess to the System” which correlates to “Economic Growth.”
Permaculture Ethics
Some people took this idea one step further. If one who starts a businesses solely for profit is an entrepreneur, someone who starts a business to benefit the environment is an eco-preneur, one who starts a business to benefit humanity is a social entrepreneur, then one who seeks to do all three is a sustainopreneur. I can’t say I really like the word, but I really like the concept that you need to have a balance of all three for it to be sustainable.
But why stop there? A business that is sustainable is one that is neutral on the earth. However, a regenerative business finds ways to renew, restore, and revitalize natural earth systems, thereby increasing its ability to provide for human needs. It is truly about care of the earth and care of people, as a means of making a profit.
So, who is an entrepreneur? An entrepreneur is “someone who creates value by offering a product or service, by carving out a niche in a market that does not currently exist.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainopreneurship ) Sounds like a Permaculturist observing the nature of a forest garden and choosing a species that offers the exact product or service that will balance the system. The article also states that entrepreneurs view problems as possibilities, obstacles as opportunities, and resistance as a resource. So entrepreneurs are seeking to solve the same challenges in business as Permaculturists are solving in natural systems or communities.
As I seek to grow and develop my new business, I don’t want to be called green. I’m going to set my sights higher than that. You call call me a “regenerative entrepreneur, and if you can call yourself that as well, I’d love to hear from you!
