EcoCommerce 101 – Book Review

By Michael Smith (Veshengro)

EcoCommerce 101
Adding an ecological dimension to the economy
by Timothy Gieseke, a Minnesota farmer
Published by Bascom Hill Publishing Group 2010
Paperback 428 pages
ISBN: 978-1935098423

In EcoCommerce 101, Timothy Gieseke offers new ways to look at an emerging economy. Using Adam Smith's concepts, developed in the 18th Century classic “The Wealth of Nations”, Gieseke suggests the development of new markets for the assurance of sustainability. Using agriculture as an example, he employs actual and visionary examples of how cooperation between leaders in business, agriculture, government and ecology can assure that the economy and ecology will provide our needs for the next millennium.

This EcoCommerce model is applicable to all industries that rely on the food, feed, fiber and fuel stocks that we glean from the land.

You will discover that the:

- Economic System has much to benefit from our ecological systems

- ''Natural Capital'' of nature is as valuable to the economy as our man-made factories

- Engagement in EcoCommerce will be as natural as engaging in our economic system

- Career Opportunities will abound when this new economic system is unlocked.

Tim Gieseke is a farmer, an ecologist, a business owner and a lecturer, and previously both a government staff and policy analyst and in this book he creates a new language for this new economic reality. He discusses the need for revolutionary types of indexes for measuring sustainability. This thoroughly researched and clearly presented volume is a work that should be looked at seriously by all concerned with the continuity of our resources.

The author of “EcoCommerce 101” is the first person, although I am by no means an economist, who has made sense to me and the first person, other than myself, who I have ever encountered who actually talks about putting an economic value on Mother Earth and Her gifts.

This is exactly the approach we have to take; in fact we should have been taking it for decades already. The problem is, and has been for ever since we exploited the gifts of Mother Earth, that we have taken it all for grated and, in a way, use the Holy Bible, purposely misinterpreted, as an excuse.

When G-d said that man was to have dominion over the Earth, over creation, that did not mean that man was supposed to dominate it. Dominion means in this case to me a caretaker. And what did man do, bar some people who lived closed to Nature? Man tried to bend Nature and always talked about a fight against Nature.

If we ever win that fight then we have lost, forever.

EcoCommerce 101 is definitely a book that should be compulsory reading for all economists, business leaders and politicians alike.

© 2011