32 Paul Hawken Quotes for You to Enjoy

Paul Hawken

American Environmentalist

Born: Feb 8, 1946

Business Change Natural Will World You

Related authors: Aldo Leopold Bill McKibben David R. Brower Garrett Hardin John Muir Joseph Wood Krutch Luther Burbank Roger Tory Peterson

We need to revise our economic thinking to give full value to our natural resources. This revised economics will stabilize both the theory and the practice of free-market capitalism. It will provide business and public policy with a powerful new tool for economic development, profitability, and the promotion of the public good. Paul Hawken

Good Capitalism Business Natural Economic Development Will Value Economics Practice Thinking Tool Our Resources Promotion Give Both Economic Development Powerful New Policy Provide Revise Revised Stabilize Public Natural Resources Public Good Full Theory Public Policy Profitability Need

The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them. Paul Hawken

Natural Try First Rule Align Defy Forces Least Sustainability Them

For the developed world, there is a choice to be made: to promote economic policies that despoil indigenous lands or to support cultures and the remaining biological sanctuaries. Paul Hawken

World Made Promote Indigenous Economic Remaining Economic Policies Developed Developed World Support Policies Cultures Choice Lands Biological

We have to ask ourselves, 'What kind of world is it where a baby-food executive substitutes artificial flavoring and sugar for apple juice? What kind of businesses have we created when we even lie to infants?' Paul Hawken

Lie World Sugar Ourselves Kind Executive Juice Infants Artificial Where Substitutes Ask Created Businesses Even Apple

Really, the proper study of economics is fulfilment, not consumption... It doesn't even matter if it's a green product or a green house... It's still consumption. What matters in this world is the fulfilment of people's needs and the fulfilment of their aspirations. Paul Hawken

Needs People World Matter Economics Matters Proper Proper Study Consumption Study House Still Green Really Product Fulfilment Aspirations Even

We have the capacity to create a remarkably different economy: one that can restore ecosystems and protect the environment while bringing forth innovation, prosperity, meaningful work, and true security. Paul Hawken

Work Innovation Prosperity Security Restore Remarkably Environment True Economy Ecosystems Protect Different While Capacity Forth Meaningful Create Bringing

If, as is natural, you focus on the corruption and on those threatened institutions that are trying to prevent change - even though they don't really know what they're trying to prevent - then you can get pessimistic. Paul Hawken

You Change Corruption Natural Focus Those Though Threatened Prevent Institutions Know Get Trying Then Really Pessimistic Even

Seeing the world around you clearly is a critical step in developing an idea for a business, carrying out that idea, and then thriving with an ongoing concern. Through choice, predilection, lack of education, impatience, or other causes, the entrepreneur lives, in a way, outside the mainstream. Paul Hawken

Education You Business World Entrepreneur Other Way Out Critical Carrying Seeing Ongoing Impatience Thriving Through Outside Step Developing Mainstream Idea Clearly Concern Around Causes Lack Then Choice Lives

When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on Earth and aren't pessimistic, you don't understand the data. Paul Hawken

Future You Science Earth About Data Look Understand Answer Always Am Optimistic Same Happening Asked Pessimistic

Class of 2009: you are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on Earth at a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Kind of a mind-boggling situation... but not one peer-reviewed paper published in the last thirty years can refute that statement. Paul Hawken

Time You Class Human Being Situation Living Every Thirty Mind-Boggling Earth Statement Paper System Out Kind Rate Accelerate Years Going Human Being Refute Decline Declining Means Figure Published Last

You can print money to bail out a bank, but you can't print life to bail out a planet. Paul Hawken

Life You Money Out Bail Print Print Money Bank Planet

Hindered by asthma since I was six weeks old, I had begun experimenting with my diet and discovered a disquieting correlation. When I stopped eating the normal American diet of sugar, fats, alcohol, chemicals, and additives, I felt better. I could breathe freely. When I tried to sneak in a hamburger and a Coke, my body rebelled. Paul Hawken

Better Old Sugar Alcohol Coke Asthma Fats Additives Correlation Tried Eating Could Weeks Had Since Freely Felt Chemicals Hamburger Discovered Normal Sneak Begun American Diet Six Stopped Experimenting Breathe Body Rebelled

I doubt very much that the chief executives of any of the Fortune 500 corporations can name five edible plants, five native grasses, or five migratory birds within walking distance of their homes, or name the soil series upon which their house sits. And I would contend that if you don't know where you are, you are in fact nowhere at all. Paul Hawken

You Plants Soil Doubt Birds Distance Corporations Would Fact Name Know House Contend Executives Edible Within Very Chief Five Walking Any Native Where In Fact Which Much Fortune Series Homes Nowhere

We are now heading down a centuries-long path toward increasing the productivity of our natural capital - the resource systems upon which we depend to live - instead of our human capital. Paul Hawken

Environmental Natural Path Depend Down Live Increasing Resource Our Systems Instead Toward Heading Human Which Capital Productivity Now

Green business is not about tie-dyed T-shirts. It's about transforming the industrial system itself into one that looks at all the connections. Paul Hawken

Business System About Industrial Looks Itself Green Transforming Connections

Throughout the industrial era, economists considered manufactured capital - money, factories, etc. - the principal factor in industrial production, and perceived natural capital as a marginal contributor. The exclusion of natural capital from balance sheets was an understandable omission. There was so much of it, it didn't seem worth counting. Paul Hawken

Balance Natural Money Worth Omission Considered Perceived Seem Factor Factories Throughout Counting Exclusion Economists Industrial Principal Balance Sheets Sheets Understandable Era Contributor Etc Capital Much Production Marginal

Trees are being saved because of the Kindle. Paul Hawken

Saved Trees Kindle Because Being

We're trained to see the world in terms of charismatic organizations and charismatic people. That's who we look to for leadership and change, for transformation. We're awaiting the next J.F.K., the next Martin Luther King, the next Gandhi, the next Nelson Mandela. Paul Hawken

Leadership Change People World King Transformation Nelson Nelson Mandela Charismatic See Martin Martin Luther Martin Luther King Look Terms Trained Mandela Next Organizations Gandhi Who Awaiting Luther

The financial capital is being concentrated by corporations, institutional investors, and even our pension funds, and being reinvested in companies that repeat this process because it provides the highest return on that financial capital. Paul Hawken

Financial Our Corporations Pension Highest Investors Concentrated Institutional Return Because Repeat Provides Being Process Capital Companies Even Funds

We are the only species on the planet without full employment. Brilliant. Paul Hawken

Brilliant Only Employment Without Planet Full Species

There is no polite way to say that business is destroying the world. Paul Hawken

Business World Way Say Destroying Polite

Paul Hawken Quotes

No more Paul Hawken quotes